Nundle Woollen Mill — Local services in Nundle

I have never left a bad review about a yarn company but this one left a sour taste in my mouth.

I ordered the 4 ply Chaffey online. When it arrived I noticed it was quite thick but assumed it hadn't been spun properly at the end. I used it on my knitting machine and found it hard work. Comparing it against 4 ply coned yarn of several other companies (Bendigo, Colourmart) and balled yarn (Touch, Paton's, Rowan, etc) I realised this was not a 4ply equivalent, but instead, an 8 ply (DK weight).

I know ply is a misleading term as technically it refers to the number of strands, and those can vary in thickness, but even in this case, the yarn was 8 strands (4 plies of 2 strands each).

The green yarn also had sections where the strands were running straight instead of being twisted together evenly.

The cream yarn pictured twisted on itself while machine knitting. I have never had issues with this from other companies before.

I sent photos to Nundle asking about this and suggesting they use terminology shoppers are accustomed to as I felt describing this yarn as a 4 ply equivalent was misleading.

Nick offered a refund and justification. I wasn't prepared to pay the mailing costs as I am regional WA. He responded that he would send a prepaid bag so I could send it back for a refund. That was fine. What wasn't fine was the condescending explanation (I'm from NZ and after 40 years of knitting , I know about spinning processes) and that he was sorry that their interpretation of plies differs from mine!

Overall, the yarn is a lovely, soft merino, and knits up beautifully. I would not recommend buying online as clearly the description of the yarn was inaccurate. You cannot tell buyers your DK weight yarn is a 4 ply equivalent. I recommend buying in store so you see what you are getting first.

Disappointing first experience. Photos show: Yarn in my fingers (8 strands of 4x2) Cream Nundle '4 ply' next to Colourmart 4 ply Yarn in my hand (twisting while on the knitting machine) Green yarn - some sections not twisted evenly (or at all) Nundle Cream and Colourmart orange yarn in my hand: difference...

We were originally going to have some holidays on the Mid North coast at Bonny Hills. This was the wife's idea to visit the Mill and take a tour .Being an avid wool lover . Who likes to purchase raw and sometimes greasy wool .That's another story .Then go through all the manual processes of washing, carding , spinning and dyeing .It will only be an extra day she said. The extra day equated to being an overnight stop in Tamworth and an additional 800km of travel on gravel roads and the Oxley Highway ! I digress not being a wool lover myself I still found the tour quite interesting . Conducted by the knowledgeable owner of the Mill. Not so much the wool processing but the fascinating antique industrial machinery . Unfortunately we were unable to witness the machines running due to an issue with work safe . However it was still well worth the detour and added adventure .The minimal fee for the tour can be recouped by any purchases. Keep the history alive ...

300% worth the visit. Did the tour again on a road trip with inlaws and it was fantastic. All the staff are a delight to talk to and are so enthusiastic about telling you the mills history, even the husbands enjoyed the tour and learning about machinery, spinning and dying process.

The selection of yarn is amazing, so many colour choices and so many bargains specifically in the back room. The store is very well organised. We picked up some yarn, the possum merino gloves which have been great in the cold and the nundle socks which are extremely comfortable.

The cones are also great for large projects, chaffey yarn is so soft and comfortable, the socks I've knitted with the nundle sock yarn get regular wear in docs and are super comfortable, have worn for a couple of yarns now and have barely any wear. The online store is also great - staff are very responsive and orders always...