On my first visit to Tasmania, my husband and I made a special trip to Oatlands to visit a yarn store I had heard so much about.
The shop was closed. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. As a new knitter, I didn't have the confidence to make a 'special appointment' to visit the store. Apparently I told the husband, "when I own that store, I am going to be open more!"
Fast forward 10 years and here I was, owning that very yarn shop. And I was open more. Gosh,was I open more. The house slowly became subsumed by yarn, wool and other stock. I became immersed in learning how to dye wool and yarn, where to buy wool and yarn, who to trust and who to avoid (another juicy chapter in the book I should write), and basically trying to be all the things.
After three years of blood, sweat, tears and an inordinate amount of swearing, I learned to put my own 'spin' on colour, now know more about wool and fleece and have come to the conclusion that although there are certain aspects of retail that I love, there are also certain aspects which drive me absolutely batshit crazy. Honestly, the world doesn't need anymore batshit crazy people, so in the interest of world peace I decided to pivot the business again. In the space of 5 weeks, The Husband and I purchased a new property in Mole Creek, found a new owner for the old place in Oatlands and packed up most of our stuff and moved.
Currently the store continues as an online business, with some of our hand dyed yarn and fibre being stocked exclusively by The Weaver's Cottages Studio located in Oatlands.
Yarn Bases
You can find our hand dyed White Gum Wool (a single source yarn grown in Oatlands, TAS and processed in New Zealand) online and for in person squishing at The Weaver's Cottages Studio located in Oatlands. Additionally we hand dye Australian yarn from Great Ocean Road Woolen Mill which is processed at their off-grid facility in Victoria as well as some other great yarn bases sourced from New Zealand and the UK.
All hand dyed yarns are labeled to indicate country of origin, as well as where the yarns are processed. We continue to seek that balance between being ethically responsible and reducing our carbon footprint by using 'low wool mile' products and providing you with yarns you love. When possible, we purchase direct from the grower and these yarns are priced accordingly. As a small batch dyer, our colour runs are limited.
Fleece
The fleece you find at The Lucky Ewe is Tasmanian grown. All raw fleeces are processed by hand, and checked for staple length, soundness, colour, and vegetable matter (vm), as well as short cuts. As sheep are live creatures with bad table manners, and shearers are human, you may find a few short cuts or some vm in your fleece. I hate a fleece with burrs, or needle grass but sometimes this type of vegetation is unavoidable.