From sheep to sweater: a week at our merino mill
The mill sits at the end of a narrow valley road, two hours from the nearest city. It has belonged to the same family for four generations, and for the last three years it has spun every merino yarn that goes into a Fable knit. We went to spend a week there in September, at the start of the autumn production run.
Most of what happens here is slow on purpose. Fleece arrives from a small group of farms that the family has worked with for decades, all of them mulesing-free. It is sorted by hand, washed in warm water without harsh solvents, and left to dry in the open air before it goes anywhere near a machine.
Sorting, by hand and by feel
Each fleece is spread on a slatted table and graded by the length and fineness of the fibre. The softest wool, from the shoulders and sides, is kept for baby pieces. Slightly stronger fibre goes into toddler and kids knits, where it needs to stand up to climbing, crawling and the occasional tree.
“You can tell a good fleece with your eyes closed. It feels like it wants to be something.”
— Hà, head sorter, 31 years at the mill
Spinning for softness
After carding, the fibre is spun on frames that run more slowly than most modern equipment. A lower twist keeps the yarn airy, which is what gives our knits their light, springy hand. It also means the yarn takes longer to make, and the mill only produces what we order for each season.
From cone to cardigan
The finished yarn travels a short distance to the knitting workshop that makes the Fox Tale Cardigan. Each one takes around three hours to knit, link and finish. The fox on the pocket is embroidered last, by one of four people trained to do it, which is why no two foxes are quite the same.
When we asked the family what they hope happens to the cardigans once they leave, the answer was simple: that they get worn hard, mended, and passed on. That is what the yarn is built for.
