Behind the scenes: Esther

We want you to meet one of the people who help make malabrigo the company it is today. In this issue we want to introduce you to Esther. She was one of malabrigo’s first employees, so chances are Esther has had her hands on one of your skeins! She has moved through many positions in the company and is currently working in quality control where her knowledge of every detail about each malabrigo color and combination is put to good use. She vivifies the atmosphere here at malabrigo with her positive and dynamic energy but her skills don’t stop there, as she is also a passionate knitter! Esther has made many of the fiber based decorations that have beautified the malabrigo work-space to vitalize our outfit even further. We invite you to read the interview and get to know Esther even better.

How long have you been working for malabrigo?

I started 14 years ago. I was one of malabrigo’s first employees.

What was your first assignment?

When I started to work for malabrigo I was in charge of labeling and packaging. Each skein was labeled by hand one by one, and they still are today.

What are your duties and responsibilities now?

Now I´m doing quality control of the skeins of yarn. This involves checking to make sure each skein is without knots, that all the colors expected for each colorway are present, and that each skein is the correct weight. Also I assemble bags, generally 10 skeins each, selecting the skeins that best match each other.

What is your favorite activity at work?

I love to do my current activity, quality control and sorting. I’ve gotten so accustomed to looking at the yarn that when I see a skein I can quickly identify if it’s ok, or if it has some “problem”. And I am confident that I have always selected the best.

Do you knit?

Yes! I like both, knit and crochet. I´m always knitting something for my son and daughter and also for my coworkers. In Uruguay winter is coming, so I think I will start to knit a lot.

We know that you do handicrafts with wool, tell us about them!

I have made many handcrafted things to beautify our work space. I made cushions in Nube, flowers in a mix of yarns, and feather dusters in Chunky. Every year I make the Christmas tree with ornaments in Nube, we even put a star on it. But if you ask me which project I liked the most I would have to say the Uruguayan flag that is in the entry of the mill next to the malabrigo logo (which is also made of wool). Generally I like to use Nube and Worsted when making handicrafts.

What is a “gallina”?

We use the word “gallina”, chicken in English, to refer to the 10 skein preview packs used to make the individual final skein. At first it was a joke with my work partner Silvana. I had this package of 10 skeins in my hand and I said her: “Look Silvana, it looks like like a chicken”. From then on that is what these packs have been called!

What is your favorite malabrigo yarn, and in what colour?

For knitting I love Chunky and for crocheting I prefer Silky Merino. For colors I like Lettuce and an Aquarella color called Tender.

How is a typical work day for you?

Nowadays I only come into work at the mill one day a week because I am nearing retirement. I always say that these are the best 8 hours of my day. I start my activities in the mill at 6 am working on quality control and sorting the yarn that was recently dyed. Sometimes I organise the yarns that are out of line, or prepare some special yarn request.

Could you tell us a funny anecdote?

In the past we used to play “veo-veo” (I see, I see?) while we worked, and one day a partner named Tati, said “I see one thing that start with E and finish with O, and we spent a lot of time thinking about it. After a long time she said us, I´m seeing “El Angelito”(The little angel), but the thing was that “El Angelito” is not one word! :) Whenever we remember this, we laugh a lot!