Harmony Maine and Bartlett Yarns
Sherry knew about
Bartlett Yarns before we left Indiana. She found it on Facebook and whenever we
take a trip we try to satisfy her need for a fiber fix.
We stayed at a
RV park on a Golf course at Palmyra Maine. It was 18 miles to Harmony on paved
roads. We took the car and spent some time at the retail outlet of Bartlett
Yarns. We learned there would be an open house the next day with tours of the
manufacturing areas. Sherry enjoyed feeling and looking at all the colors of
the yarn.
The next day we took the RV with the car in
tow and returned to Harmony. We were able to park along the street by the mill.
This mill is
one hundred and ninety four years in operation. The original mill was constructed
in 1821 and burned down in 1921. When it was rebuilt it had the highest
technology equipment available and was converted to electric power. The motor drives
the original line shaft to this day. We were able to see the wool in both raw
and cleaned and dyed states. They gather enough wool to make a truck load and
send it out to be cleaned and dyed. The wool comes back and is extremely bright
in colors. This wool is then taken to back to their mill and fluffed and blended
to a recipe to make a colored yarn. After the wool is blended it is carded and
spun into yarn on a machine called a mule. This spun wool is then put into
hanks or cones and sold at their retail shop or online.
Good bye Bartlett yarns
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