Stagecoach Yarns is a small dye studio located in Nora, Illinois, on the historic Stagecoach Trail leading to Galena, a major tourist destination in Illinois. We are about two and a half hours northwest of Chicago and southwest of Milwaukee.

Although we just moved here in 2003, I have been dyeing natural fibers such as wool, silk, and angora for 18 years, and teaching dye workshops at Midwest spinning events. Poems in Color, the book about Bohus knitting by Wendy Keele, features yarns which I dyed to match museum samples from Sweden.

In June, 2007, Jan Becker asked me to take over her production of Bohus kits for health reasons, so that these yarns can continue to be available to knitters. I’ll be using Jan’s distinctive 40% angora/60% wool yarns from her sheepb and rabbits, while she will, at least temporarily, continue to sell her Fairy Hare and Softie yarns. Orders for this yarn can be make from our website or by mail, but checks will be made out to Stagecoach Yarns.

Wool for our yarns is purchased from Jan and other local Midwest farmers, and sent to Blackberry Ridge Spinning Mill in Wisconsin, or to other local mini-mills, to be custom spun, then returned here for hand-dyeing. All our yarn is spun from soft, fine wools such as Merino, Rambouillet, and Cormo. We carry both solid and multi-colored yarn in weights from fingering to bulky. We also plan on adding more fibers such as silk in the near future.

Although we do not yet have a retail shop here in Nora, you can find us at various knitting, crochet, and other yarn shows around the country. You can also contact me at maryjo@stagecoachyarns.com