# Visiting the mill that spins our wool

> Three generations, one valley and a lot of sheep. A day at the family mill in the Serra da Estrela that spins the yarn for our knitwear.

- Page: https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/visiting-the-mill-that-spins-our-wool
- Shop: [Atelier Nord](https://demo.sellercart.shop/), summed up in https://demo.sellercart.shop/llms.txt
- Markdown: every page of this shop has a copy like this one at its address plus `.md`
- Published: 2026-10-29
- Category: [From the studio](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog?category=from-the-studio)
- Blog: [All articles](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog)

![Wool yarn on cones in a small weaving mill](https://media.sellercart.shop/ae696a33-bc5e-4582-8b10-0c7a065856ff/6e5857d5-d767-4787-8d1e-6bdfa38f8546/journal-mill.webp)

Two hours north-east of Lisbon, the road climbs into the Serra da Estrela, Portugal's highest mountains. The mill that spins our wool sits at the bottom of a valley there, beside the river that once turned its looms.

It has been run by the same family since 1951. Today the third generation buys fleece from shepherds in the hills around it, washes it in the river water, and spins it slowly enough that the yarn keeps the softness of the wool.

![Rolls of wool, linen and cotton cloth stacked on shelves](https://media.sellercart.shop/ae696a33-bc5e-4582-8b10-0c7a065856ff/17819633-3d01-472a-afae-936f5bf14a42/fabric-rolls.webp)

The mill's store room: every roll is labelled with the flock it came from.

## From fleece to yarn

1. **Shearing**: Once a year, in late spring.
2. **Washing**: In river water, with no harsh chemicals.
3. **Carding**: The fibres are combed parallel.
4. **Spinning**: Slowly, to keep the yarn soft.

We buy a season's yarn at a time and knit only what we expect to sell. When a colour runs out, it runs out — and the next batch comes from the next shearing.

## Knitted from their yarn

- [Cable Knit Cardigan](https://demo.sellercart.shop/products/cable-knit-cardigan): $134.40 (on sale until 2027-02-28, regular $168.00)
- [Fine Merino Crew](https://demo.sellercart.shop/products/fine-merino-crew): $102.40 (on sale until 2027-02-28, regular $128.00)
- [Ribbed Merino Turtleneck](https://demo.sellercart.shop/products/ribbed-merino-turtleneck): $110.40 (on sale until 2027-02-28, regular $138.00)

## More articles

- [A ten-piece autumn wardrobe](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/a-ten-piece-autumn-wardrobe): 2026-10-29. Ten pieces, thirty outfits. How we put together a small autumn wardrobe where everything goes with everything else.
- [Why linen gets better with every wash](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/why-linen-gets-better-with-every-wash): 2026-10-29. Linen starts stiff and ends up the softest thing you own. What happens to the fibre as you wear it, and how to wash it so it keeps improving.
- [How to wash and store wool knitwear](https://demo.sellercart.shop/blog/how-to-wash-and-store-wool-knitwear): 2026-10-29. Wool needs far less washing than you think. How to clean a sweater when it does need it, dry it without stretching it, and keep moths away all summer.