Custom Woolen Mills is a small, family owned and operated woolen mill located near Carstairs, Alberta, Canada. Using turn-of-the-century industrial revolution machinery, we have been providing quality woolen and exotic fibre products to our loyal customers for over 35 years.
Fen Roessingh and husband Bill Purves-Smith developed a keen interest in weaving while studying at the Leighton Centre near Calgary, Alberta in the 1970's. After being given a truck-load of raw wool in order to pursue their weaving, they began searching to find a mill that would process it into yarn. This took them to Magrath, Alberta, to work with John Moors in his mill, Wool Carding and Spinning. John had started in the woolen mill business at the age of 12 as a bobbin boy and worked his way up to running his own mill. When Fen and Bill came to work with him, John was in his 70's and looking for someone to take over his business. Game for a challenge and motivated by their love of fibre arts, Fen and Bill bought the mill from John and moved it to Carstairs. They then acquired a wool washing system and additional carding machines from a small mill called Custom Woolen Mills in Sifton, Manitoba. The mill was owned by Anna Weselowski who, also in her 70's, was looking to retire. Combined, the new mill was called Custom Woolen Mills Ltd. Wool Carding and Spinning, but everyone just called it Custom Woolen Mills for short. Over 35 years later, Custom Woolen Mills is still going strong; a hub in the community, a multi-generational family enterprise, and a producer of quality, Canadian grown and manufactured wool products.
We are proud to offer a wide selection of carded wools, yarns, bedding, socks, hand-woven blankets, hand-knit garments and kits, and felted items. The wool we use is sourced directly from farmers in Western Canada and through the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers, then hand-sorted at our mill to ensure the best possible product. Since we complete each step of processing right in our mill - from washing and dyeing to spinning and knitting to quilting - we have products to suit any fibre enthusiast's needs.