Pendleton Woolen Mills

Pendleton Woolen Mills

April 19-29, 2019

We are still in Pendleton, OR, waiting on the truck repairs.  

Our friends Pam and Mark, who were also in our wedding, live in Kennewick, WA (where we were headed) and have come down to visit us three times.  My cousin Bill and his wife Lisa (who we are going to Alaska with) came last Wednesday and left Saturday morning (thank you!).  So we've had some company other than ourselves, and this is a beautiful place to get 'stuck'.

On Friday, April 26 we went with Bill and Lisa to Pendleton Woolen Mills factory where they make blankets.  British weaver Thomas Kay laid the foundation of Pendleton Mills when he arrived in Oregon in 1863. Kay’s grandsons, the three Bishop brothers, opened Pendleton Woolen Mills in the early 1900s. They joined Kay’s weaving skills with Native American-inspired designs in the Pendleton Trade blanket. They have been family-owned and operated for more than six generations.  Here is one of the Bishop brothers.

They purchase the raw wool and then do the dyeing, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing. Their state-of-the-art dye technology features computer-controlled systems for water, dyes, heat and flow pressures, ensuring exact duplication of colors. The carding process combs and aligns fibers in preparation for spinning. During spinning, strands of fibers are extended and twisted to form yarns. Then, high speed looms interlace the yarns into woven cloth. Due to the unique felting property of wool, this woven cloth goes through a fulling process that uses controlled shrinkage to produce a softer, more compact fabric. The material also passes through other finishing procedures such as washing, shearing, pressing, napping and inspection before production is complete. Near the end of the production cycle, blanket fabrics are cut and finished as authentic Pendleton blankets and readied for distribution and sale. Here are some pictures from the factory tour.

Afterwards we went to lunch at Rooster's Country Kitchen.  It was good food and nice to get out and eat something I didn't cook.  😄

We will probably be here another couple of weeks.  They ordered the transmission last Monday, April 22.  It takes 7-10 days to build, two days to ship, and a couple of days to install.  Pam and Mark are coming here with their 5th wheel this weekend so we are looking forward to that!  We do appreciate them coming down to see us and camp with us!!!

Not roving on for now...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1