Faribault Woolen Mill Co.

It's finally spring! The winter was long and I am glad it is over.  We went to the Olympic Sculpture Park for a walk on Sunday afternoon. It was so gorgeous. The view of the mountains is really clear at this time of year and the sailboats were out.

We also went to an antiques mall to look for wedding items and I saw a lovely pile of blankets from Faribault Woolen Mill Co. I am interested in the history of weaving in addition to learning to weave and Fairbault is an important part of weaving history in the US. I was delighted to see a one paragraph article about the Faribault Woolen Mill Co. in the January/February 2014 print issue of Martha Stewart Living.  Faribault also supplied scarves for the charity organization Taste of the NFL for 2014 Super Bowl week. I was intrigued and looked up Faribault. They make wool blankets, throws, scarves and accessories – need a cover for your tablet? Cozy for your coffee? I was personally pleased to see that they make stadium blankets and have one for my alma mater the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Established in 1865 and moved to the bank of the Cannon River in 1890, where the river was used to watch the wool, according to the Faribault website. Blankets were made for military troops and airline passengers as well as sold in major department stores throughout the 20th Century. According to the Martha Stewart Living article, a machine in the Mill has been in use since 1904.  

Faribault also has a super cute slogan “loomed in the land of lakes”, which means all of their items are made in the USA in Minnesota. If you live in Minnesota, you can visit the company store in Faribault, which is about an hour south of Minneapolis, Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. You can also send an email to schedule a tour of the Mill.  If you aren’t close, you can purchase from the website or find vintage blankets on Etsy and Ebay.