Hello, my friends. I’ve just returned home from my trip to TNNA in Columbus, Ohio. And, I thought I’d take a moment and give you all an idea of what you can expect in the fall.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about “organic” and about supporting small operations. Been thinking about what “organic” means and how I can both keep you, my customers interested and engaged (after all, this is a business) but how I can better be a more responsible citizen. And to use a phrase, how Woolcott and reduce it’s carbon footprint.
We’ve begun by using paper bags. I know there is unending controversy over paper vs plastic. We’ve chosen paper. Our old plastic bags used to be imported from China. I like the idea of using a local, US owned and operated bag manufacturer. But, I also encourage the use of reusable bags and we’re looking into that as well. I also encourage and welcome the use of your own bags.
I’m also working toward reducing the amount of actual paper mail we send out. If I have an email address and a physical address from you, I don’t send you mail using the US Postal service. I encourage you to sign up for email alerts as opposed to looking to get physical mail. It’s so easy to hit delete if you don’t want to read it….just my opinion. This way we’ll use less paper, less fuel to produce, deliver and mail. I think it’s a good idea.
But in terms of the yarns we carry, I’m planning a bit of a focused attempt to support:
Small, sustainable operations…if they’re an organic operation, all the better…I like the idea of these operations taking the product from sheep to yarn with as little impact on the environment as possible. I’ve been thinking, what good does it to grow organic wools only to ship them thousands of miles to be processed, then shipped again to be spun and dyed?
I’ve found two amazing, small operations whose yarns I’m working to get into the shop. I hope you’ll take a minute or two to read about Imperial Stock Ranch. I am committed to supporting this company and I hope you’ll join me. I know I wax and wane about yarn, but this yarn captured my heart. It’s a wonderful “real” wool. The “lopi” is soft and lofty and the worsted weight. Knitter’s Review said the following about their yarn:
Columbia fibers aren’t as soft as merino, but they still fall high on the softness scale. Lightweight and spongy in texture, my swatches produced nary an itch against my skin. The more I washed my swatches, the more the fibers bloomed and the softer they became.
Cestari Limited won us by their down home honesty and the fact that their products are produced right there; the sheep are raised there, shorn there, the fiber is washed, spun and dyed there. PLUS the end product is spectacular! Wait until you see the bulky merino and the cotton/wool sock yarn.
I’m proud to bring these new yarns to Woolcott and I hope you’ll support the decision.
Of course a lot of your old favorites will play a roll, their our favorites too. But I feel that if I take some of these actions we can actually contribute to making changes for good from our industry. So, look for future emails and blog postings telling about new arrivals.
I know it’s getting hot…but I hope you’ll stop by and say hi next time you’re in the area.
Sean
