A WORTHY WOOL
Spring is a great time to get started on those homemade mittens and socks that will make a thoughtful gift next winter (but might just take the entire year to knit). For those who prefer that their creations be locally made from start to finish,
Hope Spinnery (725 Camden, Rd., 207-763-4600,
www.hopespinnery.com ) can get you knitting and purling in the right direction with its wind-spun, 100 percent Maine fiber. Pick up some of the assorted textures and colors at Liberty Wool in Liberty or Heavenly Socks in Belfast, or order directly online. If you have a custom design in mind, the Hope Spinnery will process your raw materials into a yarn of your choice. Not only do they use all Maine wool, but they are also an environmentally friendly facility, powered by a wind generator atop an eighty-foot tower that turns all the machinery in the mill. Happy knitting, the green, Maine way.
OUR CUP OF TEA
Tired of Earl Gray and English Breakfast? Drink up some tasty tea from Mount Desert Island, where husband and wife team Matt and Debby Morehouse have launched a premium loose leaf organic tea company with specialty custom tea blends.
August Teas (207-244-7011,
www.augustteas.com ) imports herbs from fair-trade estates around the world and custom blends them to create Maine-inspired flavors. Try the Bar Harbor Black, an organic black tea with red rooibos and lavender, "inspired by the `port-of-call' harbor" for a pick me up, or sample the Grand Acadia Green, a green tea with spearmint, green rooibos, peppermint, and calendula, inspired by the greenery of Acadia National Park. You can find the custom blends at specialty stores such as State of Maine Cheese shop in Rockport and others in Bar Harbor, Blue Hill, and Bangor, or order online. And stay tuned: soon you'll be able to swap your Lipton for local with August Teas' upcoming line of Maine-produced herbal teas currently in development.
Photo Credit: Courtesy August Teas
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