Product Review: Peace Fleece

Stats:

Yarn name: Peace Fleece
Weight: Worsted weight
Manufacture:Peace Fleece, Porter, Maine
Size: 4 oz. skein/200 yards
Fibers: 30% mohair/70% wool
MSRP: $7.50 per skein

Peace Fleece is one of my all-time favorite yarns. I love to use worsted weight yarn for practical items such as sweaters and hats, and discovered Peace Fleece many years ago, long before Internet yarn ordering was possible. Every Peace Fleece order that came to my door arrived after mail communications on both parts in those days, and usually I ordered a special item or two as well, such as hand-painted knitting needles or a Russian wood painted sheep or two.

It has been twenty years since Peter Hagerty and his wife Marty first began buying wool from the former Soviet Union to combine with U.S. wool, building a peaceful blend and starting people-to-people peacebuilding. Back in those days, I learned of their endeavor through the Catholic peace and social justice movement, as I was working hard on peace issues and the nuclear disarmament movement. I loved the concept, and also the yarn they were producing... a particularly soft hand, unusual colors, often with flecks of other colors mixed in. They have since expanded their line over the years to include DK weight and many fine, classic patterns.

You are probably wondering why there are no photos, if I love this yarn so much... well, the lighting is too poor to get you a photo of a sweater I have had completed for about a dozen years. It started originally in 1975 as an Aran stitch sampler poncho made from Unger Rygia; I couldn't stand how difficult and time-consuming the basketweave stitch was and put the project aside for several years until discovering Elizabeth Zimmerman's book, Knitting Without Tears while working as a school library aide back in 1988. I decided to re-invent this project as a Tomten (Surprise) Jacket, and needed more yarn to make the garter stitch sleeves. Peace Fleece was my choice.

From there, I went on to start (and mostly finish) a barn coat for my DH - he expanded a bit in size in the process and I realized midway through that the coat was going to turn out too small, hence it has been residing for several years in the cedar chest I inherited from my great-aunt via my mother. He has gotten quite trim this work season, and I think I might pull it out and see if I can salvage something after the holidays. I know there are other Peace Fleece items floating around this place, but I couldn't put my hands on anything.

Please, if you are interested in Peace Fleece, buy it directly from the company, not through Ebay or other third-party sources... the money that the Hagertys earn continues to support their peacebuilding mission. They support flock and small yarn production in the middle east and several other countries, and work with worker cooperatives to assure that the people producing the wool (besides that from their own farm) make a fair wage. I hope I have inspired you to try their lovely wool.