The Great Aussie Yarn
The true story of the Australian yarn industry is that it is alive and prospering. It's not extinct. It's not on the decline.
Thanks to small scale producers and processors, there has been a definite resurgence over the past ten years. Local production is becoming increasingly important to discerning buyers and as this small industry expands it's so wonderful to see provenance being so celebrated.
So where can you get your hands on some of this local stuff?
This data base is a work in progress.
As transparency is a key to the industry I've included details on where the yarn has been processed where possible (to come)
Some of these yarns have been spun in New Zealand. As access to a large-scale commercial-size worsted spinning mill is limited to those companies running such mills, consignment spinning is not currently something on their agenda. I have not included Australian yarn that has been scoured or spun in China. The movement in some parts of the larger scale side of the industry towards this is certainly not in our best interests, environmentally and or community-wise.
LOCAL YARN PRODUCERS
Adagio Mills
www.adagiomills.com.au
Alpacarama
www.alpacarama.com.au
The Alpaca Shoppe
https://www.facebook.com/TheAlpacaShoppe
The Alpaca Yarn Lady
http://www.alpacayarnlady.com.au/contact-me
Australian Organic Wool
http://www.australianorganicwool.net.au
Beersheba Farm
http://www.beershebafarm.com
Bellevue Park
http://www.bellevuepark.com.au
Bennett and Gregor
http://www.bennettandgregor.com
Black Wattle Yarn
blackwattleyarn.com.au
Boston Fine Fibres
www.bostonfinefibres.com.au
Cloverleaf Corriedale Stud
https://www.cloverleafstud.com.au
Eden Valley Biodynamic Wool
https://www.edenvalleybiodynamicwool.com.au
Fairfield Finns
www.fairfieldfinns.com.au
Fibre Naturally
www.fibrenaturally.com.au
Full Circle Fibres
Australian grown, ginned and spun cotton
fullcirclefibres.com/shop/
Goldfields Mohair Farm
https://abbeyfootwear.com.au/Tekooti/?product_cat=yarn
Granite Haven Gotlands
http://www.granitehavenllamas.com.au/gotland-yarns
Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill
www.gorwm.com.au
Inverleigh Fiber Supplies
https://www.facebook.com/Inverleigh-Fiber-Supplies-456070064429829/
Ixchel
http://ixchelbunny.blogspot.com.au
The Jolly Jumbuck
http://jumbukwool.com.au/jumbuk-wool
Karoa Fibres
http://www.karoafibres.com.au/index.html
Knit Alpaca
http://www.knitalpaca.com.au
Lucy Land Wool
http://www.lucyland.com.au
Melton Park
http://www.rarebreedproject.com/melton-park
Mirrormere Alpacas
https://m.facebook.com/mirrormerealpacas/?__nodl&ref=external%3Awww.fibreshedmelbourne.com&_rdr
Millpost Merino
www.millpostmerino.com
Mulberry and Flax - (Great Southern Yarn)
https://mulberryandflax.com.au/shop-all/yarn/
North East Yarns
http://www.northeastyarns.com
Nundle Woollen Mill
http://nundle.com
One Tree Hill Alpacas
http://www.onetreehillalpacas.com.au
Pitching Ridge Alpacas
www.pitchinggaridge.com.au/products.php
Rosabella Threads
http://rosabellathreads.com.au
Shiloh Wool
www.shilohwool.blogspot.com
Strathbrook Springs
http://strathbrook897.wixsite.com/shropshirewoollies/page4
Tarndie
www.tarndie.com
Tailored Strands
http://www.tailoredstrands.com.au/index.php
Wanstead Park
http://www.rarebreedproject.com/wanstead-park/
White Gum Wool
www.whitegumwool.com.au
Wool 2 Yarn
www.wool2yarn.com.au
Wool Days
www.wooldays.com
Why aren't Bendigo Woollen Mills and Cleckheaton on your list? Surely they're Australian yarn.
While Bendigo Woollen Mills and Cleckheaton are Australian yarn companies, they do not choose to support the Australian industry or community when it comes to their processing practises. Both companies scour and process in China where granted it is cheaper but there are also great concerns surrounding the pay-scale, working conditions in these plants and environmental consequences of effluent.
Cleckheaton, who are owned by the Australian Country Spinners, ironically while owning a spinning mill in Wangaratta, have moved all their spinning offshore. The only made in Australia component to their yarn is the dyeing, balling and labelling. Some of their yarn does come from Australian-grown wool and these yarns are generally labelled clearly as such.
Bendigo Woollen Mills do source most of the wool used in their yarns from Australia and do spin and complete most of the processing in Australia. It is unfortunate that they send their fibres overseas to be scoured, when there are scouring facilities within Australia.
Please note: Australian Country Spinners have recently been acquired by Bendigo Woollen Mills who are using the Wangaratta Woollen Mills for commission spinning. At this stage, I am not sure if the yarns in the ACS line will continue to be so extensively processed overseas.
Hand-dyers who dye exclusively on Australian Yarns
by briony
https://www.bybriony.com.au
Nunnaba Artisan Yarns
https://www.nunnaba.com.au
Pirate Purl Yarns
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/PiratePurlYarns
Gum Blossom Yarns
http://www.gumblossomyarns.com
Thanks to small scale producers and processors, there has been a definite resurgence over the past ten years. Local production is becoming increasingly important to discerning buyers and as this small industry expands it's so wonderful to see provenance being so celebrated.
So where can you get your hands on some of this local stuff?
This data base is a work in progress.
As transparency is a key to the industry I've included details on where the yarn has been processed where possible (to come)
Some of these yarns have been spun in New Zealand. As access to a large-scale commercial-size worsted spinning mill is limited to those companies running such mills, consignment spinning is not currently something on their agenda. I have not included Australian yarn that has been scoured or spun in China. The movement in some parts of the larger scale side of the industry towards this is certainly not in our best interests, environmentally and or community-wise.
LOCAL YARN PRODUCERS
Adagio Mills
www.adagiomills.com.au
Alpacarama
www.alpacarama.com.au
The Alpaca Shoppe
https://www.facebook.com/TheAlpacaShoppe
The Alpaca Yarn Lady
http://www.alpacayarnlady.com.au/contact-me
Australian Organic Wool
http://www.australianorganicwool.net.au
Beersheba Farm
http://www.beershebafarm.com
Bellevue Park
http://www.bellevuepark.com.au
Bennett and Gregor
http://www.bennettandgregor.com
Black Wattle Yarn
blackwattleyarn.com.au
Boston Fine Fibres
www.bostonfinefibres.com.au
Cloverleaf Corriedale Stud
https://www.cloverleafstud.com.au
Eden Valley Biodynamic Wool
https://www.edenvalleybiodynamicwool.com.au
Fairfield Finns
www.fairfieldfinns.com.au
Fibre Naturally
www.fibrenaturally.com.au
Full Circle Fibres
Australian grown, ginned and spun cotton
fullcirclefibres.com/shop/
Goldfields Mohair Farm
https://abbeyfootwear.com.au/Tekooti/?product_cat=yarn
Granite Haven Gotlands
http://www.granitehavenllamas.com.au/gotland-yarns
Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill
www.gorwm.com.au
Inverleigh Fiber Supplies
https://www.facebook.com/Inverleigh-Fiber-Supplies-456070064429829/
Ixchel
http://ixchelbunny.blogspot.com.au
The Jolly Jumbuck
http://jumbukwool.com.au/jumbuk-wool
Karoa Fibres
http://www.karoafibres.com.au/index.html
Knit Alpaca
http://www.knitalpaca.com.au
Lucy Land Wool
http://www.lucyland.com.au
Melton Park
http://www.rarebreedproject.com/melton-park
Mirrormere Alpacas
https://m.facebook.com/mirrormerealpacas/?__nodl&ref=external%3Awww.fibreshedmelbourne.com&_rdr
Millpost Merino
www.millpostmerino.com
Mulberry and Flax - (Great Southern Yarn)
https://mulberryandflax.com.au/shop-all/yarn/
North East Yarns
http://www.northeastyarns.com
Nundle Woollen Mill
http://nundle.com
One Tree Hill Alpacas
http://www.onetreehillalpacas.com.au
Pitching Ridge Alpacas
www.pitchinggaridge.com.au/products.php
Rosabella Threads
http://rosabellathreads.com.au
Shiloh Wool
www.shilohwool.blogspot.com
Strathbrook Springs
http://strathbrook897.wixsite.com/shropshirewoollies/page4
Tarndie
www.tarndie.com
Tailored Strands
http://www.tailoredstrands.com.au/index.php
Wanstead Park
http://www.rarebreedproject.com/wanstead-park/
White Gum Wool
www.whitegumwool.com.au
Wool 2 Yarn
www.wool2yarn.com.au
Wool Days
www.wooldays.com
Why aren't Bendigo Woollen Mills and Cleckheaton on your list? Surely they're Australian yarn.
While Bendigo Woollen Mills and Cleckheaton are Australian yarn companies, they do not choose to support the Australian industry or community when it comes to their processing practises. Both companies scour and process in China where granted it is cheaper but there are also great concerns surrounding the pay-scale, working conditions in these plants and environmental consequences of effluent.
Cleckheaton, who are owned by the Australian Country Spinners, ironically while owning a spinning mill in Wangaratta, have moved all their spinning offshore. The only made in Australia component to their yarn is the dyeing, balling and labelling. Some of their yarn does come from Australian-grown wool and these yarns are generally labelled clearly as such.
Bendigo Woollen Mills do source most of the wool used in their yarns from Australia and do spin and complete most of the processing in Australia. It is unfortunate that they send their fibres overseas to be scoured, when there are scouring facilities within Australia.
Please note: Australian Country Spinners have recently been acquired by Bendigo Woollen Mills who are using the Wangaratta Woollen Mills for commission spinning. At this stage, I am not sure if the yarns in the ACS line will continue to be so extensively processed overseas.
Hand-dyers who dye exclusively on Australian Yarns
by briony
https://www.bybriony.com.au
Nunnaba Artisan Yarns
https://www.nunnaba.com.au
Pirate Purl Yarns
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/PiratePurlYarns
Gum Blossom Yarns
http://www.gumblossomyarns.com