Going Back to the Source at Swans Island Company
Going Back to the Source at Swans Island Company
Nestled snugly against the rugged coastline of mid-coast Maine, along a quiet, rural stretch of Route 1 sits an old New England cape-style home.The kind of dwelling you’ll see often in this area — I grew up in one just like it — but this house is different. Step over the threshold and inside you’ll be greeted not with the expected furnishings of a Northern family’s home, but with shelves, and baskets, and bundles, and boxes filled with the most gorgeous naturally-dyed yarn you’ll ever lay eyes on. Welcome to the home of Swans Island Company.
You may recall mention of Swans Island back in October for the launch of our Heirloom Collection, a selection of wares inspired by old traditions and timeless, quality craftsmanship. With these words you could just as easily be describing Swans Island, where our team sourced the naturally dyed yarns used within the collection, and where, on a cold and snow-blanketed Friday morning, I had the opportunity to visit. Greeting me at the door, Swans Island Company Product Development and Social Media Specialist Jackie Ottino Graf lead me through the process of dying the yarn, and through the creation of one of the heirloom-quality blankets the company is famous for. Founded in 1992 on a remote island off the coast of Maine, the company is surprisingly young for one so steeped in craftsmanship and tradition. As I wandered from room to room and through the weaving studio and dye house, it struck me that seeing exactly where a source material or product comes from is such a rare but meaningful experience. To speak with those whose hands created the blanket that warms your back. To see the painstaking care that goes into a quality piece. It all gives you a deeper appreciation for the final product, one that has had love poured into it from the start.