FIBRE MILL OPENS IN SEGUIN TOWNSHIP

WAVE WEIR HOSTING LESSONS ON KNITTING AND BASKET MAKING

With medium-sized sheep farmers in need of a wool mill and society broadening its environmental eye to fashion from local food and single-use plastics, Wave Weir opened Wave Fibre Mill.

The idea took root about four years ago with Weir sourcing natural fibre for her clothing and learned sheep farmers "were literally throwing out and burning wool," from the annual shearing.

With her commitment to a waste-free lifestyle, Weir opened the Wave Fibre Mill out of a hangar at the Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport in Seguin Township. She held a soft opening on May 4 but began operating last summer.

Weir purchased the mill for cleaning the wool and getting it ready for use from a retiring couple in Eastern Ontario and employees four people.

"We have the potential to produce quite a volume. That gives the mid-size farmer — we're talking to farmers with 200 sheep to 2,000 sheep at this point — which are too small for the big mills and too big for the small mills (a place to send their wool)."

Working with Parry

Sound district farmers so far, the mill can turn the wool into items such as blankets or skeins of yarn for farmers to sell at their own stores or into products the mill sells.

"We're filling a niche for farms, for processing, for jobs, for the cottage industry, that has definitely been lacking," said Weir.

The mill sells items such as wool, batting for quilts or felting and material.

Weir also has her own clothing line, including an all-wool rain jacket.

She's also holding and hosting lessons on knitting and basket making — like those at the former McKellar Pioneer College, where candle making, quilting and wild edible harvest was taught — with plans for rug making, and natural dying

"We're asking people also to share their skills," she said.

This is just the beginning, with plans to source wool from across the province, and expand source material, including alpaca.