I published this post last evening and got a nice email from Lindsey of BartlettYarns saying that they do give tours Monday – Friday from 9 to 3, as long as they have someone available to do it. If you would like a tour, give them a call at 207-683-2251 to be sure that someone will be available for a tour.
A story on the news tonight brought me to the computer to share it with you and has me wishing that they gave tours so that I could see this with my own eyes. I can just barely knit or crochet but the way this yarn is being produced is fascinating.
BartlettYarms is an historic mill in Harmony, Maine that has been spinning fine, pure wool since 1821. That, in itself, is quite a feat with places going out of business no matter where we turn. What sets this wonderful old mill apart is that it has the only active “mule” spinning frame in the United States.
Information found on the mule in Wikipedia states:
“In 1779 Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule or mule jenny, so called because it is a hybrid of Arkwright’s water frame and Hargreaves’ spinning jenny. The mule has a fixed frame with a creel of bobbins to hold the roving, connected through the headstock to a parallel carriage with the spindles. On the outward motion, the rovings are paid out and twisted. On the return, the roving is clamped and the spindles reversed to take up the 
newly spun thread.
Crompton built his mule from wood. Although he used Hargreaves’ ideas of spinning multiple threads and of attenuating the roving with rollers, it was he who put the spindles on the carriage and fixed a creel of roving bobbins on the frame. Both the rollers and the outward motion of the carriage remove irregularities from the rove before it is wound on the spindle. When Arkwright’s patents expired, the mule was developed by several manufacturers.
The mule produced strong, thin yarn, suitable for any kind of textile. It was first used to spin cotton, then other fibres.
Samuel Crompton could not afford to patent his invention. He sold the rights to David Dale and returned to weaving. Dale patented the mule and profited from it.“
A full explanation of the mule and how it works can be found by clicking HERE to access the entire Wikipedia page. It makes for fascinating reading if you would like to know more about these old machines.
Meanwhile back here in Maine, BartlettYarns has a website with a virtual tour of the mill. For those of you in a hurry, I have shown one of the clips from YouTube here but if you have the time, mosey on over to the BartlettYarns mill page and check out all the video’s.
BarlettYarns can be found at 20 Water ST in Harmony, Maine or on the web at www.bartlettyarns.com. Their online store features blankets, hats, socks, patterns, kits and more. Oh yes, did I mention that they sell yarn?? Click on over and check them out.
Just in case you are wondering, I am not affiliated in any way with BartlettYarns. I found it very interesting when I saw the clip on TV and I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!
