Hello!!! I am an avid knitter and will be traveling in June. Would live to find an active wool processing sheep farm to visit, but haven't had much luck with Google searching. I have seen postings for "great woolen shops," but not much about just yarn.
We will be staying mostly near Limerick, and traveling up through Donegal and Northern Ireland. We will be renting a car.
Anyone know where we may be able to get some authentic Irish wool (not pre-made woolen things)?? TIA!!
Google shows this place:
My wife is always looking for a local place; we picked up some real Scottish wool at a little shed on the Applecross Peninsula in Scotland, where the old fellow sheared, prepared and wove his own wool & sheep were out in the fields behind.
GOOGLE & READ: The Surprising Truth about Irish Wool,
THEN GOOGLE: S Twist Wool.com(don't know if they accept visitors)
Stockists listed are: Dublin: This is Knit, Galway: Ó’Maille, Cork: Vibes and Scribes, Online: LB Handknits(Cork or Galway might work for you)
hope this helps!
@Michael Schneider - thank you, I hadn't found that sheep farm!
@douglas44 - that makes me super sad, actually! Not just because I wanted to see it, but for the over all sadness of it. I'm super big on "shop local, shop small," even in things like yarn. Not that there is anything wrong with larger companies, I just prefer to support small businesses whenever I can. And just like that article said, I absolutely assumed that at least a decent portion of all that wool stayed in country for production. But I was not aware of the environmental concerns with the washing. Now I want to find Dairmuid and have a chat with him! Hm. I'm going to have to do some more looking. Thank you so much!!
Rick Steves Ireland 2019 (p. 232) suggests the Kissane Sheep Farm. As an individual or pair, you have to call ahead to find out a time when they're already hosting a larger group and will let you join. It's near to the popular tourist attraction Muckross House, with an attached farm museum and weaving shop.
Hi cassrun. I found an old Knitting Paradise thread that mentioned Knitmap. http://www.knitmap.com/
The site shows yarn shops in Dublin but I didn’t look for other towns. Happy Knitting!
@ Laura - Thank you! I did get the guidebook and map, and saw 'Sheep farm' on the map, but had not yet been able to track down any more information on it. I'll head that way and see what they have to say. Thanks again!
@horsewoofie - Thank you, I will check it out! :)
Do you follow @ZwartblesIE on twitter, by any chance? Suzanna occasionally has wool worker tours & demos on her farm. I'm not a knitter but they look fun. It would require at least a day trip, though. Her website also has a ton of links, for places that may be closer: http://zwartblesireland.com
Also on twitter, @WildCottageIreland is a knitter & fibre crafter. She's in Clare, but you could reach out to her-- she may have recommendations closer to you.
Have you looked into Killybegs? I've never visited myself, & of course, it's better known for rugs & weaving, but you may find other wool crafts there, & I think they have still have a museum.
Edited to add: you've probably found this already but https://www.facebook.com/irishfibrecrafters/
