Riihivilla is a small family business with over 20 years of experience. We are selling 100% Finnsheep wool in natural colors of the sheep and in colors hand-dyed with plants and mushrooms. All colors to Riihivilla yarns come from natural sources: plants, mushrooms, barks and even insects, like cochineal. The dyestuff is first extracted from plants or mushrooms by soaking, simmering or boiling and then bound to the fiber which is pre-treated with a so-called mordant. Riihivilla uses only the safest mordants, alum, cream of tartar and iron, which ensure the proper fixation of the dyestuff to the fiber. The dye process is slow, hours, days and sometimes even weeks or months. Fermenting plant material gives time for the natural enzymes in the plants or mushrooms to change or release natural dyestuffs, which then bind strongly to the mordanted fibers. Best results come with time, you can't hurry nature.