This morning, we went on one of the most essential trips in our farm life: to meet the people who will turn Maria’s shorn wool into skeins, roving, and maybe even carpet weaves (she does the dry balls).

Finding suitable mills that are neither stodgy, backed up,  or committed to big jobs is challenging. Nobletown is the perfect place for Maria and the farm’s wool.

She did a great job searching for mills after our longtime Vermont Knitting Mill suddenly shut down. We brought wool to them for ten years, and switching is significant and unnerving. She found the right one.

The Nobletown Fiberworks is 90 minutes straight down our road and into Hillsdale, N.Y., in Columbia County, a favorite migration spot for New Yorkers who want to live in the country.

We loved talking with Lewis Clelale, the owner, who is also a successful Broadway actor and performs regularly in the city.

Beyond that, he is a friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful mill owner. He knows his wool.

He and Maria reviewed the wool for nearly an hour and decided how it could be milled and turned into yarn or roving.  He was helpful and full of good new ideas. We understand that we are very fortunate to have found someone like Lewis.

They are a perfect match; they think alike about yarn and wool. The knitting mills are very important to having sheep and creating and selling yarn, and the good ones are partners rather than business people. Maria is thinking about dyeing some of her wool herself.

Maria will post the details on her blog, fullmoonfiberart.com, this evening. She has a lot to think about and many new and exciting ideas.

It was a great trip, and we both felt great about it. I also connected with Lewis; we talked about honor and truth, dogs, donkeys, and blogs. When he stops acting one day (not soon), he’s got all kinds of ideas for building a knitting community in Hillsdale. It was exciting to talk to him.

Lewis was helpful and shared ideas with Maria, and I saw them connect quickly and comfortably. Many mills are closing; we were lucky to get accepted into Nobletown, a beautiful place still under construction.

I also connected with Lewis, who is easy to talk to and open. The mill might need six to eight months to process Maria’s wool, but he’s worth the wait. Maria is high as a kite over the meeting and her new sewing machine. I sense a great time coming for her.