Part 3 of “doing my bit for the Australian economy during a pandemic”. This purchase was just for me, but I have to admit whilst sitting and binge watching Netflix horror movies and the CNN updates on the Covid-19 Pandemic, I was feeling a little like the Dickens character Madame Defarge (as she sat knitting whilst the aristocracy were guillotined in the French Revolution). Maybe buying wool for knitting wasn’t such a good idea.
Yes, during the lockdown I did become a little obsessive, from cleaning the house so you could eat off the floor to sitting down at 9am in front of Netflix knitting. Thank goodness the lockdown for NSW finished when it did.
I hadn’t knitted for over 40 years, so it seemed like a good idea, and as part of my “buy Australian” Christine H told me about Bendigo Woollen Mills.
The knitting project, would have been easier if I hadn’t selected a cable pattern! The colour is a lovely baby-blue.
Who are they: Bendigo Woollen Mills, located in the historic gold mining town of Bendigo in Central Victoria – north of Melbourne. The company was started by two local families and currently employ approximately 30 staff, running three shifts. The machinery is working 24 hours a day 5 days a week to keep up with customer demand.
Bendigo Woollen Mills are a hand knitting & crafting yarn mail order manufacturer, with a huge variety of different yarns and colours to choose from. They use only the most luxurious natural fibres available and note that their hank dyeing results in a softer, fuller end product. The wool produced is from Australian grown wool from the NSW Highlands region. They also produce yarns with other fibres including Alpaca, Mohair, Silk, Milk fiber, Bamboo and Cotton.
Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria, the Factory Shop has been closed until further notice although manufacturing is still continuing I believe. However, they do note on their website to be patient as they have a backlog of orders to fill … they’re experiencing higher than normal demand for yarn … sounds like the rest of Australia has taken up knitting too!
What you get: There are a range of yarns in either 2, 4, 8 or 12 ply and a huge range of colours. I bought 8ply and the ball is 200g (about 400m of wool). I’m almost 3/4 the way through knitting the front of a jumper and still haven’t finished the first ball!
If I ever finish the jumper I’ve started, next project will be something in this beautiful variegated yarn.
Price: Prices vary depending on ply, or type of yarn (plain colour or variegated), but the wool I bought was A$14.00 a ball, and I ordered 4 balls, that’s $56 for a whole jumper, definitely value for money.
Delivery: Orders over $50 are shipped free of charge, anything under $50 is $5 shipping within Australia – a really good deal.
The Verdict: In my opinion a great buy, the fact that it’s taking me forever to finish the jumper is neither here nor there, I will get around to finishing it … so Australia, pick up those knitting needles and get back into knitting to while away the hours!
Stay tuned for the next instalment: What’s next … sea salt and they’re giving customers a bonus through to the end of August!