It all started when my dad was in college. Vermont and Upstate New York were bitterly cold that winter of '79, but warm hands were busy at work. A scarf was coming to life. This was not just any scarf, it was The Scarf… six feet long and a full foot wide, hand-knit in the blue and grey colors of South Burlington High School. A gift from my dad's friend, The Scarf seemed to become his constant companion over the years: keeping him warm when shoveling snow or skiing, serving as a pillow on overseas flights, and hanging oddly around his neck when he tried to wear it with a business suit. Warm, rugged and practical, I started referring to it as his Vermont Scarf.
By the winter of 2009, I had moved to Vermont to attend college and of course, ski. I'd sometimes get to borrow The Scarf and was always a bit surprised… my friends loved the darn thing, wanted to know where it came from.
One icy February evening, my dad and I were exploring Church Street, that wonderfully eclectic main street in Burlington. While I was tugging at the collar of my parka trying to keep out the cold, he as usual was being kept toasty warm by his now 30 year old Scarf.
I decided it was time to get a serious scarf of my own. We visited every shop on Church Street. We could buy swimsuits. We could buy light-weight scarves. But no matter where we looked, we couldn't find anything as warm and rugged as that Vermont Scarf.
… And that was my "Ah Ha" moment.
Well it took some time for me to learn the basics… sheep, wool, rovings, yarns, the difference between weaving and knitting. It took time to visit Vermont farms and meet the sheep who would donate their wool to my project....
And in 2011, it all came together. I finally got my very own Vermont Scarf…. and we launched The Vermont Scarf Company to provide these warm wonders to folks just like you!