A Visit to A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm, January 2017
In the middle of rural Maine and not far from well-known western Maine towns, lies a sweet sheep farm in Sumner, called A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm. The herd isn't large, but with 32 breeding ewes there is enough yarn produced to keep the on-site store supplied, customers at a handful of Maine fairs and New Hampshire Sheep and Wool happy, and followers who will order their yarn based on their reputation, satisfied.
Our experience is that the yarn from A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm feels like we are knitting a country and a luxury fiber at the same time! The wool comes from the fleeces of Finn, Border Leicester and Romney sheep, and occasionally alpaca and angora fibers are blended in.
Maryann and Marty have been working their farm in Sumner for about 20 years, but it has only been in the past 10 years that they have ramped it up to be a noteworthy place for fiber lovers. Besides the yarn, they offer many other fiber products and hold regularly scheduled gatherings, workshops, and even retreats. They keep their website up to date with their upcoming events. The website is easy to navigate and full of information about who they are and what they do.
(Ellie dyeing yarn in small batches.)
We were lucky to secure yarn to send our subscribers, but won't be stocking it on our website since A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm sells out of their yarn without the help of retailers! (However, we stock their needle felting kits!) Although their website is not set up as an e-commerce website, there is a link on their website to a limited selection of their products on Etsy. We recommend that you make a visit to the farm as part of a "get-away day" combined with a swim, or an easy hike in the summer, or maybe foliage viewing in the fall. We are sure you'll have a great time!
It’s so nice to see a revival of Maine’s fiber industry in all the small farms, dyers and mills around the state today.
These ladies do some fantastic needle felted designs! And their farm is in such a beautiful area of Maine, well worth a visit.
This makes me want to visit the farm!! I’ll have to try some yarn some time!
I really like that the yarn labels include photos of the sheep the wool came from. Lovely wool that I am enjoying knitting with! Thank you!
Can’t wait to visit. You have inspired me to start a dyer’s garden and try small batch dyeing with what I grow! Thanks for opening your farm to others. Thanks Fiber of Maine for connecting us.