Vermont-based knitwear company supports local wool market by making farm-to-closet clothing

(Phil Walter/Getty Images)

By Sanchali Singh

(GRAND ISLE, Vt.) A Vermont knitwear company helping to support the local wool market uses yarn sheared from local sheep to craft its products and create a “farm-to-closet” wardrobe.

Muriel’s of Vermont, based in Grand Isle, makes winter sweaters and summer knits out of locally sheared wool to help support neighboring farmers manage their carbon output.

“We make quality knits with Vermont wool & other responsibly sourced fibers right here in Grand Isle,” the company says on its website. “By growing a market for local wool we’re supporting our neighbors who sequester carbon by intentionally managing their farmland.”

MyNBC 5 reported that Muriel’s of Vermont is run by Laura Jacoby and her son, Cyrus Brooks. Together, the mother-son duo source materials, design the clothes and properly treat each item after they’re made with a knitting machine.

The company is named after Jacoby’s mother, Muriel, who grew the family’s vegetables, bought meat from a neighboring farm and hand-knitted their clothes.

Wool is collected from Blue Heron Farm, Settlement Farm and Shelburne Farms, all located in Vermont.

The knitwear company chose farms that are using regenerative agricultural practices to help rebuild organic soil matter and restore biodiversity to the land. By doing this, farms are sequestering carbon emissions and combatting climate change.

To further the company’s dedication to sustainability, Muriel’s of Vermont uses use all-natural dyes, post-consumer recycled paper packaging and renewable power.

Wool collected for knitwear is designed for the company’s “farm-to-closet collection,” which uses either 100% or a blend of Vermont wool. Each piece is designed to “keep Vermont farmed.”

“I came back from overseas actually and just saw how many dairy farms were losing in Vermont – it’s just alarming, and to see your childhood disappear was very disturbing,” Jacoby told MyNBC 5.

The farm-to-closet collection has a number of sweaters for every occasion and has pieces for both men and women.

While most of the farm collection is sold out and will be restocked in the fall, when local sheep are shorn in the spring, other pieces from Muriel’s of Vermont can be found on their website.

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