We found the Artists Co-op in Cheticamp. They also run a cafe, which is the place in Cheticamp to get a very good, inexpensive lunch. But, mostly around Cheticamp, they do rug hooking, and the yarn sold at the Artists Coop is rug yarn.* R lied to me.
North of Cheticamp is Jean's. Jean hooks rugs and has a shop. For her high end, soft rugs, Jean uses MacAusland's wool. She loves the stuff. Turns out it is the same wool sold by the woolen shop above, and the same wool used by the knitters that sell things on consignment in Jean's shop. ( It broke my heart to see really wonderful, hand knit socks selling for the very low prices that they go for at Jean's! They are really nice socks selling for too cheap! However, I think I convinced one of the pricey shops on PEI to start selling knit goods from around Cheticamp.)
On to Prince Edward Island and North Rustico. There, in a shop called Island Traditions that is full of silk blend sock yarn and hand spun rare breed yarns, is more MacAusland's wool. Only this shop keeper provides value added by washing the yarn before she sells it for $6.50 and $7.00 per skein. We are now only 80 miles from the mill.
On to the mill. It is an old lumber mill converted to a woolen mill. Big leather belts drive all the machinery. Everything is old fashioned. As a result, skeins may run as much as 25% over weight. Different dye lots really are different colors. The mill has become justly famous for their blankets, and their blankets are sold across Canada - often at huge markups. This means that the mill has out run its wool supply and you should not expect great consistency in the yarn. Some dye lots had a lot more VM than others. The yarn is spun woolen style and has a bit of "lumpyness" to it, sort of an hand spun effect. It is spun with a spinning oil that has a certain odor. Their spinning oil does stop moths, but I found that it came off on to my hands and clothes.
Still it is a good woolen yarn in 3 natural colors and 28 dyed colors in 2 or 3 ply for only about $2.50 or $2.95. ( I pulled out my needles and knit a test swatch, then, I bought 33 skeins and 2 blankets.) Added to the 8 skeins that my wife bought for her sweater, we bought 41 skeins of MacAusland's yarn during the trip. In the mill, they also had a bunch of stuff that is not on their web site. Stuff like mohair blends at $13.50 per pound in a pound cone. Partial cones left over from their blanket weaving. They give a quantity discount when you buy 25 pounds or more. The blankets are very nice and the mill shop sells seconds for about half price. (That is what I am going to put inside my next quilt.)
If you are knitting for people that live in cold places, then I think it would be really hard to beat MacAusland's wool. On the other hand, I spoke to people that asked MacAusland to do custom spinning and they were not real happy with the result - too "lumpy". But then, she is a textile fiber professional and she likes more refined yarns.
The place for refined yarns is Belfast Mini Mills on PEI ( www. minimills.net). Their actual business is selling mini mills, and their mini mills are a wonder of technology. The have a washer that does a great job of scouring ( and recycles the water). Their picker is amazing. Their carders and combing machines can turn out roving to produce coarse woolen yarn or fine worsted lace. It is the best roving that I have ever seen. And, their spinners - Wow!!!, their twist is always exact. They use an air splicer, so there is never a knot. Plying and skeining is all electronically controlled and very precise. Dying is perfect, not just close, but perfect. Ok, they get $15 to $20 a pound for spinning your wool. And, they are out in the middle of no-where so there is shipping. Their shop is full of very nice ($$$$$$$) stuff (including MacAusland's wool blankets!!) If I had a really nice fleece, and I wanted a very consistent yarn, Belfast is where I would send it. I should add, that one mini mill that Belfast sold to an Alpaca breeder outside of Lunenburg is having serious problems with static, so while the technology is wonderful, the skill of the spinster counts.
The mitten wool? Turns out, it was good old Briggs & Little Tuffy, as seen under halogen lamps that gave the nylon a special shine.
- In the basement of the Artists Coop is a small museum. There they had two wool spinning wheels - great wheels with spindles. However, both spindles had orifices, and looked like they had originally had fliers on them and big bobbins for winding large cones. Is there any way to use an orifice in a spindle without a flier?
Aaron