About me
I am Laia, the one behind Soc una troca.
Women in my family have always been surrounded by yarn and thread, and I couldn’t be different: yarn and textiles fascinate me. A few years ago I went a little bit further in this world of natural fibers and color, and the scientific part of my genetics led me to a deep research on wool spinning, fibers and historical dyeing techniques with natural elements.
But my artistic vein couldn’t be left behind. I’ve always been fascinated by art (actually I’m a musician!) but I never had the urge to give voice to my creativity. One day I realized that natural dyes weren’t enough, I wanted to play more with color, have more freedom! And that’s how I started using organic dyes using all the techniques I had learnt.
Color makes me happy, and so does yarn. I hope to contribute to your happiness with each one of my skeins!
Being able to knit, spin and dye comforted me in hard times, and it has been a privilege to turn these into my job. I wish you can find a piece of this comfort when you knit with my yarns.
I’m lucky to live in a beautiful rural location. This land is hard, dry, but the sun shines in a very special way and the sky has a depth rarely seen (I’m not exaggerating, really, it has something to do with the weather!). Oh, and there are such a lot of flowers through the year that I think I’ll never get to know all the names!
I’ve always been worried about nature and the environment. I’m not against technology and development, not at all, but I deeply believe in rational and responsible consuming. And what does it have to do with Soc una troca? It is about a meticulous and diligently studied workflow and a responsible relation to the environment.
The yarns I use are chosen for the quality and at the same time for its sustainability. All them come from sources with the best farming practices (no mulesing!). The superwash treatment also complies with the strict European regulations on wastewater.
To make the color stick to the wool we need a very specific pH in the water, which I get using food grade additives (so they are not harmful to humans, animals or plants). Once the process is done, pH is balanced out to avoid damaging the aquatic environment.
My dyes are also organic and heavy metal free. On top of that, they comply with GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and OEKO-TEX norms. The techniques I use do not leave any color remnant in the water, so there are no poisonous residues. This allows reusing the water many times before it ends in the sewers.
The products I use to wash the yarn before and after it is dyed are organic.
The labels are made with recycled paper from a paper company in Valencia. Printing is made by myself with local resources.
We live far from everywhere, and to minimize car travels I try to go a maximum of two times a week to the nearest post office. In my shipments I try to use very little plastic (biodegradable or recycled!), and I’m always researching for the best materials to reduce the environmental footprint.
Do you want to know more? Here are the links to some interviews in which I've had a great time: