Säie Wool – Beautiful Hand-Dyed Yarns with Heart
I FOUNDED Säie Wool in the autumn of 2021 with my knitting friend Minni Heikkilä. We met during a knitting design course as I was seeking a new direction after spending years at home with my children. As a passionate knitter, the design course felt like a natural choice, and when two like-minded knitters meet, the rest is history! Minni and I encouraged each other to pursue entrepreneurship, and I am always grateful to her for that. In the spring of 2024, I bought Minni's share of the company and continued the business on my own.
SÄIE WOOL STUDIO is located in the Empire district of Porvoo, just two blocks from the Porvoo market square. Porvoo felt like a natural place for the business as it is easily accessible from the Helsinki metropolitan area and offers visitors plenty to see and experience in its beautiful historic town. Besides its charming old town, Porvoo is also known for its excellent restaurants. I often say that even bad food here is good!
WORKING in the Empire district is especially delightful. Although this area is considered the "newer" part of the town, the wooden houses built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are still very charming. The building where my studio is located was originally constructed as a school for the deaf in the late 1800s. The same space has also housed a school of arts and crafts and, most recently, a veterinary clinic before Säie Wool. I dye my yarns in an old X-ray room. To enter my studio, you step through a gate lined with large linden trees into an old courtyard and head towards the basement of a beautiful Empire house.
OUR SELECTION includes eight different yarn qualities, and I am steadily expanding the range. Some of our favorite products are Säie Merino Sock, Säie Silk Mohair, Säie Wool Linen DK, and Säie Sock Classic. Most of the skeins are 100 g, but we also offer 20 g mini skeins and Säie Merino Aran, which matches the gauge of Lettlopi and is sold in 115 g skeins. The Säie Wool color palette is harmonious and timeless. I aim to create yarns that easily find a place in a knitter's wardrobe and also fit well into home color schemes.
ALL OUR YARNS are dyed with acid dyes, which are fixed with citric acid. I strive to keep my selection stable so that knitters can find the same yarn even later. The goal is for knitters to be able to find the same yarn for their ongoing projects even a year later if needed. I plan my selection with long-term thinking. I also get to "play" with special projects like the Christmas calendar "Collection," which is pre-sold in August-September and features unique, one-of-a-kind colors.
SÄIE WOOL HAS wonderful customers. It is priceless to hear the sigh of delight when a knitter stands in front of the yarn shelf. That is invaluable. Our Säie Silk Mohair has received a lot of praise. I strive to produce Säie Silk Mohair so that it is a dream to knit with and doesn't shed too much loose fiber.
A TYPICAL DAY for me varies greatly. If possible, I start the day early, plan my tasks, and handle emails. Throughout the day, I dye, wash, wind, and label the yarns. In the afternoon, my work usually ends with taking the day's orders to the post office. I dream of hiring additional help for the business and building a network of resellers so that the joy of Säie Wool's lovely yarns can spread to even more knitters.
With warm knitting regards,
Eija
Eija Ericsson
Entrepreneur, Yarn Dyer, Boss Lady