I love local yarn. I'm Australian, so I really enjoy purchasing yarn that has been hand-dyed by Australians, and even better, I love yarn that never has to leave the country before it gets to me. Adagio Mills, in Orange, NSW, was the first Kickstarter project that I supported, and they have alpacas, from which they get fleece that they process and spin into yarn, all in Orange! They also will take orders to process other yarn as well, so that other companies and individuals are able to keep their yarn production local as well.
All of this to explain why I'm so sad that Adagio has had to slow down their operation, because there is not enough demand.
There is not enough demand of locally grown and produced alpaca yarn. There is not enough demand for locally dyed yarn. There are local yarn sellers who send their fleece to Adagio Mills, and are being told that they have to look elsewhere in the future to have their yarn processed.
Yesterday, they announced that they will be producing coloured alpaca yarns to match their greys, and I cannot express how excited I am!!! I've signed up to their subscription, because I want these people to succeed so much!
Australian alpaca yarn may not be your perfect knitting yarn, but whatever your preference, I implore you to support your local artists if you can!