Sad News about Paternayan

A local Maine newspaper is reporting that Saco River Dye House (now Maine Textiles International) is in legal trouble due to their not being able to pay their rent.  They own Paternayan, so it looks like for now it will be unavailable.
https://www.pressherald.com/2019/03/21/saco-dyehouse-at-risk-of-closure-in-property-dispute/?fbclid=IwAR3NzbWbrfMSkTm0XLaS2-wKx8kJDbQuSHswimgk2NfDzTA_LFl0jzvgjQE

Local stitchers in Maine say that they lost the lawsuit and that the company is in bankruptcy now.  A buyer is apparently in the wings.  Stay tuned.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 31, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Paternayan Update From Yarn Barn

Got a note over the weekend from Enid who owns the Yarn Barn in San Antonio. She gave me an update on Paternayan and permission to repeat what she told me here.

Enid says, "We own a shop in San Antonio that used to be a main distributor for Paternayan so I still have quite of bit of the older inventory of Paternayan along with the new stuff. In my honest opinion they are very close. The big plus I have to say is that every strand is equal diameter, making it so much easier to work with. They have worked hard to match the sheen and texture of the older Paternayan, and I really think they have done an excellent job.

I realize this is an older post but just a little update Saco River Dyehouse is chugging right along and has just about all the colors in the Paternayan color palette. Back order wait times have significantly shortened, since they increased the number of pounds they dye per week.

They are also working on updating the color cards. Which I hear will be available soon. At this point they have professionally printed cards. We carry Paternayan in quarter pound hanks (approximately 160 yards, 4 oz), or small twists (approximately 8-10 yards, 0.25 oz). The small twists are either skeins that we created ourselves or the small twists that Saco River makes it is basically one continuous 8 yard strand. "
http://www.yarnbarnsa.com/needlepoint-threads/paternayan-yarn/

Thanks for the update!  By the way, folks, Yarn Barn of San Antonio Texas has a Facebook page if you'd like to keep an eye on the latest there.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 20, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Kickstarting Paternayan UPDATED

This morning I found a comment posted by one of the owners of Saco River Dye House posted in an earlier message about their revival of Paternayan wool. This is what Claudia said in part.

"During the last several months, we have been incredibly consumed with the re-establishment of the Dyehouse, re-introduction of Paternayan and trying to ensure we are getting the word out. As always - keeping up with communications in a fully packed day has proven challenging. We are trying to address this in two ways - posting more to a blog on our website and the start up of a business Facebook page for the Dyehouse. We are starting to 'talk' a lot - some about Paternayan and a lot about the Dyehouse in general. So here is my request......

Yesterday we started a Kickstarter campaign with the goal to add equipment substantially expanding the Dyehouse capacity and improving our environmental impact. Although the campaign talks about 'organic yarns' - the truth is that all of the yarns including Paternayan will benefit from the addition of package dyeing equipment. In order to meet our financial target - we need to spread the word about the campaign as quickly and as far as possible. One way to do this is to post to blogs or ask the blog administrator to start 'talking' about the Dyehouse. I was wondering if you would be willing to do so and how I could best support your interest in doing so. We are already grateful that you have been willing to write about Paternayan - it has been a real bright spot in the re-starting of the Dyehouse operations. The loyal following has been incredible. Let me know your thoughts. Claudia"

I wrote Claudia back and said of course I would post about their Kickstarter project here.  Needlepointers are always eager to hear more about the reintroduction of Paternayan wool!
Here is the link to the Kickstarter campaign fund raiser. There's a video showing their facility, yarn being dyed, and talks about their desire to build an American company in Maine that makes organically certified yarns for needlework.  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dyehouse/dyehouse-organic-yarns-made-and-dyed-in-the-usa?ref=live

If you aren't familiar with Kickstarter, it is a way of connecting folks who need funds with those who are willing to support their work.  If you are a fan of Paternayan wool, this is a good way for you to contribute to its being available once again in needlework shops all over the USA.  Read through the information carefully and decide if you want to become a supporter.

For more information, here is the Sacco River Dye House website.
http://sacoriverdyehouse.com/site/

There is a link at the website to the Dye House blog but here's the direct URL in case you want to bookmark it.  If you are a Facebook user, you can "like" their Saco River Yarns page.
http://sacoriverdyehouse.com/site/?cat=4

Good luck, Claudia!

UPDATE:  The Kickstarter campaign reached its goal of $25,000 eight days into the campaign.  Congratulations!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Available Paternayan Colors

The "new" Paternayan wool colors from Saco River Dye House have been posted on the Threadneedle Street website. These are the colors available as of Feb. 2013; more colors are being introduced all the time.  To see the list of available colors as of last month, click on the "News" button in the header at Threadneedle Street's home page.  Right now black and white and red and mustard are available, plus quite a few shades of gray, blue, brown and green.  Stay tuned for more colors as Saco River gears up production.
http://www.threadneedlestreet.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

New Wools and Bead Buddies

Paternayan is in production again.  According to Cynthia Thomas who posted about this on the ANG email list, two companies are making Paternayan. Saco River Dye House owns the Paternayan name and are making a three ply wool, with each ply the same.   Colonial Needle is using the same spinner as JCA did (the last owner of Paternayan) to make three ply wool, each ply slightly different in size.  Cynthia thinks Colonial's version is called Colonial Persian Wool.   The basic colors are available now and more colors are planned.  Cynthis says, "I handled and stitched with both and think they are both fine" but she warns stitchers to make sure they get enough wool in the same dye lot to finish their project.

I've also heard on the ANG email list that Fleur de Paris has a new wool from New Zealand called Anahera.  This is a single ply tapestry wool that is said to be very soft and durable.  You can read more about it on the Fleur de Paris website.
http://www.fleurdeparis.com/products/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=NW-8

Vicky DeAngelis has posted photos of Meredith Willett's latest brainstorm--Bead Buddies,  As I understand it from Vicky's explanation, these are little plastic boxes with lids that have a magnet pair on the bottom and sticky stuff inside.  You attach them to your canvas to keep your beads close by.  These are available from Elizabeth Turner Collection.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/blue-bonnet-needle-arts-retreat/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Paternayan About to Reappear UPDATED

I emailed Ken at Saco River Dye House to get the very latest news about the new Paternayan his company is about to release. He very kindly took time out from preparing for the TNNA show to send us the following news, which I think should make Paternayan fans very happy.  Thanks, Ken!

Jane,

Thanks a lot for asking and please feel free to post all or part of this:

The dye house began to operate a few days before Thanksgiving, 2012.  During the intervening time we evaluated a number of samples of Paternayan Persian dating back 40 years.  We then asked three spinning companies to produce samples. One of those companies produced a sample which Don Morton, who has been dyeing Paternayan yarn for 40+ years, felt was "perfect".  Even more amazing was that as we began dyeing the Persian in traditional Paternayan colors we noticed it once again had some of the "sheen" that had been lost in the changing composition and manufacture over the past 20 years.  We are all extremely pleased with the product and anxious to get it into our customers hands.

The Persian consists of three plies of 2 strands of yarn--all the same size. This decision was based upon a number of comments we received early in our evaluation process from long-time Paternayan needle-pointers (actually, I think the three different sizes were lost in the late 70's).  Preliminary samples have since been evaluated by 6-8 needlepoint artists who seemed to think this yarn now closely represents the Persian they had used before.  By the end of the month we will have 25 of the most frequently requested colors available and will continue to dye 25-40 lb. batches as the yarn and orders become available.  We currently have approximately 800 lbs. to dye and will be purchasing an additional 1000 lbs. in early March.  It will take us a year to develop the full color palette.

We will be at TNNA in Long Beach with about 20-25 colors in 8 yd skeins for samples.  Donna Joseph (donna@sacoriverdyehouse.com) will be there with us as our sales representative.  We feel that: 1) by hiring  Don Morton as dyemaster with 40+ years experience at JCA in both commission dyeing and production of Paternayan Persian, 2) hiring Donna Joseph with her long time sales presence for Paternayan, and 3) contracting with a spinning company familiar with Paternayan Persian dating back 30-40 years, we have been able to produce a product many previous users of Paternayan Persian will find extremely satisfactory for their personal as well as their customers needs.

Thank you for your questions

Ken

Ken Raessler

On Jan 21, 2013, at 8:27 AM, Jane Wood wrote:

Kenneth Raessler

100 Main St. 

Bldg. 13-W, Suite 101

Biddeford, ME 04005

ken@sacoriverdyehouse.com

201-712-5835

UPDATE:  Janet Perry has published the lists of available colors as of January 2013.  This should start rapidly growing as the company has more time to produce more colors.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/colors-of-new-paternayan/


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Latest Paternayan News

The latest Paternayan news comes via Needle Nicely, which just placed an order for the new Paternayan.  Briefly, there are around thirty colors to start, delivery of the order is expected in mid-February, and it will cost more than the old version of Paternayan.  I'm pretty sure the three plies will be all roughly the same dimension instead of the old "father, mother, baby" sizes which are useful in plying to fit a certain canvas size, but are very expensive to create.
http://needlenicely.blogspot.com/2013/01/hearts-iii.html

Here are my earlier messages about Paternayan and the plans of the company that purchased the rights and the buildings and stock.  The official introduction of the new Paternayan is planned for the TNNA Winter 2013 show in late January-early February.  Shops who haven't ordered yet can do so at the trade show.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/06/paternayan-is-saved-maybe.html

http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/10/paternayan-update.html

I'll email Ken at Suripaco to see if he has an update for us stitchers and shop owners.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com