About Organic Pakucho Cotton

Naturally pigmented cotton and fine textiles have been produced for nearly five millennia in Peru, constituting the oldest recorded tradition of spinning and weaving in human history. The extraordinary accomplishments of Inca and pre-Inca civilisations have rightly earned them the distinction as the "mastercraftmen of ancient America."

Over a decade of ethnographic, botanical and archaeological research by the Native Cotton Project of Peru, trademarked in 1994 as Pakucho, has led to the development of exquisite range of Organic Cotton.

As steward of this unique genetic resource, Pakucho has recovered a wide range of naturally coloured cotton fibre, including cream, beige, brown, rust, chocolate, mauve, green and other earthy tones. No dyes, chemicals or other synthetic processes have been used to grow, soften, or colour the fibres of these original fabric creations.

Using authentic and aesthetically pleasing Andean fibres and fabrics not only ensures the continuity of this noble and ancient textile tradition, but it also encourages the revival of environmentally conscientious practices, goals now shared by Old and New World peoples of the most diverse ethnic and cultural heritages.

TFD supports a Peruvian group which specialises in the identification of pre-Columbian farming techniques for sustained cotton harvesting and environmental resource management. Ongoing studies have led to the rediscovery and reintroduction of traditional water management systems, quality seed selection and biological pest control methods, without the use of maverick, "modern", technologies, dangerous pesticides and other environmentally unwise practices.

Grown in small farmyard plots by rural artisan and Indian families, native cotton cultivation supports self-help development programs for the benefit of peasant communities and urban women's' migrant co-operatives. The yarns presented here are made entirely from unprocessed, naturally pigmented cotton fibre produced by the co-operative in both desert coastal and humid tropical forest environs of Peru.
The group’s cotton has been internationally recognised by SKAL as fully organic since 1994.

Today, native-spun Peruvian cotton is grown in natural cream, beige, brown, chocolate, and avocado shades. No pesticides, herbicides, or other agri-chemicals are used to grow or colour this cotton, and all harvesting and colour sorting is done by hand, just as it has been since the domestication of cotton in Peru over 4,500 years ago.

Pakucho Organic Cotton knits to 8-ply or 10-ply patterns.

It is a 10/2/5 count and 20 st to 10 cm using 4.5mm needles.

Each 50g skein has roughly 81m to 88m.