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Episode 3: Small-Batch Yarn, Big Impact

Author Farm & Fiber Knits Editors, Mary Jeanne Packer/Battenkill Fibers
Format Video

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Item Included in the Following Course(s):

The Journey from Sheep to Cloth

Have you ever wondered how the yarn you love to knit found its way to your needles? Follow along on the path that a skein of wool takes from the farm to your hands—and fall even deeper in love with your knitting.

How does your yarn come into the world? What magic transforms loose wool into lovely skeins and balls, ready to knit? “A mill is right smack in the middle between the fiber source and the fiber artist,” says Mary Jeanne Packer, founder and co-owner of Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill. Battenkill is small enough to make yarn for individual farms and fiber artists, but large enough to provide a consistent product—and jobs for 18 people in rural upstate New York. Mary Jeanne also co-founded a group tackling one of the lesser known obstacles to making American yarn: scouring or washing wool before it’s spun into yarn. Skein by skein, Battenkill Fibers supports farms, small yarn companies, and fiber artists by making great yarn.

Additional Resources for Episode 3:

  • Battenkill Fibers Carding & Spinning Mill
  • Clean Fleece and the Hudson Valley Textile Project
  • In this podcast episode, Mary Jeanne Packer describes her team’s view of the fiber and textile industry that stretches from farms to consumers, all on the quest for high-quality, sustainable yarns.
  • Read more about how Battenkill Fibers is dedicated to making yarn that works for the whole community.
  • What’s it like to knit with local farm yarn? Editor Kate Larson samples small-batch Cormo yarn and knitting on the road to Rhinebeck.
  • Are you inspired by the mill yarn creations? Knit along with Kate and flocks near and far with this bonus cowl pattern.

Watch Next:
The journey of small-batch skeins continues in Episode 4 of The Yarn Chronicles, as you hear from artisans about their creative process and their connection to farmers and their local communities.

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