Value Chain Producer:
Renninger Wool Company

Renninger Wool Company

email: Jennie@renningerwoolco.com
website: www.renningerwoolco.com
instagram: @Renningerwoolco

Established in 2017, Renninger Wool Company is a one-woman operation with a very supportive husband who volunteers his time around his full time job. Our flock of sheep consists primarily of natural colored Merino ewes and one sassy crossbreed ewe named Rosie, who keeps the class clown Merinos in line. I was raised on a dairy farm in southeastern Pennsylvania. I was brought up to value food that is responsibly, humanely and locally produced. These same values made me wonder where my yarn came from. I wanted to learn the process, how the animals are raised and what the fleece goes through before it finds its way into my hands.

When I discovered the impact the yarn I was knitting with had on our environment, whether it be that it was superwash treated, dyed with harsh chemicals or came from overseas; I started to look for locally produced yarn and found it very hard to find. It was my husband Dave who came up with the idea of buying a sheep. For years he would watch me knit during any spare minute I had and listened to me spout off the latest random fact I had learned about sheep or wool.

When he suggested we buy a sheep, at first, I laughed at the idea and then realized his idea wasn’t crazy after all. We started with just two sheep and learned their personalities and how to properly care for their health as well as their wool.

We have learned that there are many ways to do things, but through trial and error we have figured out what works best for us. Our small batch yarn is created using only the wool from our sheep. All of our sheep have names and wear coats to keep their fine wool clean.

When you work with our yarn, you will know which of our sheep’s wool went into the yarn; their name and picture will be on the label. Our sheep are rotationally grazed from spring through fall, their pasture moving every 3- 5 days. This practice is healthier for our sheep and for our land.

Our mission is to provide our neighbors both near and far with wonderful small batch yarn from well-loved, responsibly raised sheep. Our minimally processed, "straight from the sheep" yarn is full of life and character. We hope you enjoy working with it as much as we enjoy producing it.