Swans Island Blankets

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed)
Oct 10th 2008 at 11:02AM

On a little island called Nash, off the Maine coast, a flock of sheep lives undisturbed, except in June when weavers from Swans Island Blankets come by lobster boat to gather some wool. This year's shearing produced 420 pounds of wool, enough for a year's worth of weaving.

Swans Island started in the early '90s when a pair of lawyers, John and Carolyn Grace, decided to move to Maine, meet some sheep farmers and get weaving. What developed was a company that has produced hand-woven blankets significant enough to warrant a Smithsonian Blue Ribbon for Craft in 1996. Weavers work in an 18th century farmhouse making blankets for summer and winter. Recently, the group started weaving scarves, wraps, throws and pillows, too.

I'm a complete sucker for age-old craftmanship. Add the free-roaming sheep, rustic farmhouse and beyond-cozy blankets, and this company is every New Englander's dream.

The king-sized version of the winter blanket at right retails for $1,125. Everything Swans Island makes can be custom ordered and monogrammed in a hand-done cross stitch.

Tags: blankets, decor, hand-weaving, maine, swans island, SwansIsland