Origin Story

The partnership of Restoration Yarns is the result of a fortuitous meeting between Robert Mann and Teddy Varndell back in the halcyon days of the early ’90s rug world. Robert was a rug cleaner, restorer and dealer. Teddy was a wholesale wool buyer and broker who knew how to buy and ship fleece to all corners of the globe to be graded, washed, combed and spun.

Early on they shared the realization that materials mattered as much as, or more than, skill in a successful carpet restoration. While the top restorers had access to the best materials, and could spin and dye to meet their needs, there was a woeful lack of appropriate yarns available to the average craftsperson.

Restoration Yarns has worked to achieve a fiber blend that suits the widest range of handmade rugs. Virtually all commercial yarns offered to the rug repair trade are repurposed needlepoint yarns: soft, very fine fibers that bear no resemblance to the fiber in handmade rugs. Our goal is to offer wool blends that actually match the look and texture of traditionally produced rugs.

Robert Mann designed the wool formulas, striving for the proper texture and dye affinity for restorers of handmade carpets. Teddy Varndell worked with fiber producers, top makers and worsted spinners to produce them. Restoration staff at Robert Mann Rugs identified the most often used and necessary colors as the base of a restoration yarn inventory.

Our yarns are dyed with pre-metallized acid dyes, with smaller groups dyed with madder, cochineal and natural indigo. Developed for antique carpet restoration, they’re also a good choice for knitting, needlepoint, crochet and weaving. We maintain an inventory of undyed yarn, can offer custom colors in small quantities, and occasionally offer a very limited quantity of hand-spun and naturally dyed yarns.

Many of you know us already. We’re happy to answer your questions and would love to hear about what you’re up to with our yarn.