Freshisle Fibers is currently closed and not offering retail sales at this time. April 2022
Our Story
Freshisle Fibers started as an extension of my fibre hobbies.
I have been knitting since I was a little girl and learned to spin in the mid 1990’s. My grandmother, my great aunts, and my mother knit. My great grandfather, and the generations that followed, always had sheep on the family farm.
When the sheep were sheared in the spring, the fleece was sent away and the farmers received cash and often, yarn, back. About the same time that I was learning to spin, the prices for the fleece dropped so drastically that the farmers were receiving pennies for the fleece, and in some cases, the shearing and shipping costs were more than they would actually receive for the wool.
Many sheep farmers on Manitoulin, including my uncle, were actually burning the fleece just to be rid of it!!!
As a ‘new’ spinner and an ‘old’ knitter, I just couldn’t bear to let all that beautiful wool go to waste. I rescued some of the fleece, washed it by hand, spun it, dyed it, knit with it, and fell in love with this wool. I thought that there just had to be a market for Manitoulin Island yarn and specifically Suffolk wool.
My husband and I spent most of one summer visiting different woolen mills and researching what could be done with the fleece. We discovered a wonderful mill that could take all of the fleece, wash and process it for us into a truly unique yarn. The mill we chose uses no harsh chemicals in the processing so our yarn still contains some lanolin.
Freshisle Fibers began by offering Suffolk wool yarn on eBay and selling to local knitters and friends. In the spring of 2005, it was time to expand into a web site and offer our yarns to a larger audience.
We collected fleece from various sheep farmers on Manitoulin Island and sent it to a woolen mill for processing. We offered five different weights of yarn – a single ply fingering weight, a fingering weight/almost sport weight double ply, a worsted/aran weight double ply, an aran/bulky three ply, and a chunky weight softspun.
Freshisle Fibers yarns were hand dyed by me, with lots of help from my husband. I especially enjoyed working with natural dyes.
Following my retirement from teaching in 2014, our product line expanded to include herbal handmade soaps and salves. Many of the plants used in our hand crafted soaps and salves are the same plants that were used to dye our yarns. Our cosmetic products were registered with Health Canada.
In 2016, we purchased a large cargo trailer and converted it into a stunning mobile shop. We travelled to markets, expos, and festivals with our travelling shop and visitors were also welcome to visit the shop at our home.
2017 saw the creation of a Natural Dye Garden with 15 raised beds. The garden produced many of the plants that I used to dye our yarns with and create the soaps and salves. We welcomed visitors to tour the gardens and learn about the variety of plants that yield wonderful colours and also have healing properties.
In the spring of 2022, it was time for another change and I sold my precious mobile shop and remaining inventory. We have sold our home and wonderful gardens and are building a new home. I will always knit, I will always dye yarn, I will always spin, I will always weave, but for now, it’s time for different kind of adventure!
CBC Interview with Markus Schwabe, Morning North. February 26, 2009.
Freshisle Fibers may be contacted by email at freshisle@freshislefibers.com or telephone at 705-282-4355
Freshisle Fibers is located in the Municipality of Gordon/Barrie Island, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada.
Manitoulin Island is the world’s largest freshwater island. It is a vacation paradise for visitors and “God’s country” for those of us who are fortunate to live here year round.
Freshisle Fibers is Marian Hester and helpful spouse, Todd Bailey.