Rhody Warm Blanket - Episode 415

I love a good, warm, wool blanket!! To be honest, I purchase them by the dozens each winter, but I never thought twice about all the work that goes into crafting such a simple covering. Rhody Warm is a locally grown, handmade, all-natural wool blanket that is produced by sheep farmers in Rhode Island. Sadly, the textile mills have closed up in New England and wool prices were so low that most farmers chucked the wool instead of doing anything useful with it.

Working with several state agencies, the RI sheep farmers figured out a way to turn their leftover wool into a useful product. This is another story where we spent several days shooting at various sheep farms, textile mills and learning the do’s and don’ts of spinning and weaving. I felt like I had just passed a course in blanket-making 101 by the time it was all said and done. The behind-the-scenes process is absolutely amazing…from shearing a sheep to seeing how all that discarded wool gets turned into material. Let’s just say I will never look at my favorite blankey the same way again.

In their first year, (2006) the RI sheep farmers collected 1,400 pounds of wool from 20 farmers. They were able to turn that wool into 370 blankets, most of which were sold right back to the local community (and given to friends as gifts). The best part is for the first time in years, sheep farmers were paid for their donated fleece. It wasn’t much, (somewhere around 40-50 cents a pound), but they were grateful for the extra cash.

The state-funded program for Rhody Warm comes to a close at the end of this year….so hopefully folks in the area will continue to support their local sheep farmers…turning their fuzzy fleeces into a homegrown favorite. I know what I’ll be using this winter to keep me warm and toasty!

Yolanda Vazquez