I have been saying for awhile that I am transitioning CYS to carry more local and regional yarns and fewer commercial yarns. Having grown up on a farm, I am especially passionate about supporting the very roots of our textile supply chain. If the pandemic taught us nothing else, the strength of our local & regional economies should be a priority. And although local fiber has always been available at a higher price (and I will go into the reasons why in another post), the cost of shipping has leveled the playing field with many items of equal or better quality.
My Hudson yarns and Moodna yarns are NYS - or mostly NYS. Bear Mountain sock is too. My most recent yarn, which I have had since NYS Sheep & Wool Festival, is Palisades which I can proudly say is NYS Grown & Certified. What does that mean ? Launched in 2016, the New York State Grown & Certified program assures consumers that they are buying a product (in this case fiber) that is produced in NYS while requiring the farmer to be enrolled in an environmental management program ensuring a level of sustainability. That is not to say that local products that are not Grown & Certified are less sustainable. They may not for whatever reason taken the time to become certified. Also, a product does not have to be 100% from a certified farm, but I can proudly say that 100% of the Corriedale wool in Palisades is from ONE NYS certified farm.
So know that when you purchase a yarn that is sourced and milled in NYS, you are supporting our farms, our workers, our communities and our land.
