Discovering and Remembering
This year at Stitches East 2007 I found a rarity: and absolutely outstanding quality small mill yarn at an extremely fair price with friendly owner/sellers: Stonehedge Fiber Mill. According to its owners (or whomever I spoke to at the booth), Stonehedge doesn't show up for many commercial events because they are first a fiber processing mill and do not want to compete with the customers. Their yarns are made predominately from their own sheep, but with increased sales and productions, they have been adding outside merino fleeces.
Walking into their booth, I noticed a sign encouraging customers to give their yarn the "Charmin" squeeze test to their merino worsted yarn. This yarn doesn't look anything but ordinary, but one touch and one squeeze is all it takes to think otherwise. It is positively bouncy! And the hand on the yarn is remarkable. Of course merino is soft, but this is a special, snuggly, fluffy kind of soft. This yarn is rare. And to top it all off, the price was absolutely and completely fair, almost a bargain but not quite. Show price was approximately $9 for 250 yards. I'm in love with this yarn!
I've discovered something very helpful when it comes to remembering about these small gems of yarns: small mills want you to remember them and they will go a little farther to help. Ask for a business care and a snippet of yarn or be bold and ask for a color card. Start a collection of small mill business cards and samples to help the remembering of a great small mill yarn.
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