A Visit to Laxtons Spinning Mill with Carly Smith & Rochelle Tracey

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I visited Laxtons Yarns in Baildon, Yorkshire, a fourth generation family spinning mill that is now employee-owned.I was given a full tour of the mill floor by commercial director Carly Smith and national accounts manager Rochelle Tracey, before sitting down with them to talk about British wool, the future of the business and the exciting relaunch of their hand knitting range.Laxtons spin worsted and fancy yarns for hand knitting, machine knitting and weaving. Their Sheepsoft yarn is a blend of Blue Faced Leicester and Masham British wool and travels less than 50 miles from fleece to finished yarn.Almost the entire workforce is women.In this episode we cover:Behind the scenes of how the fibre is spun into yarn.How Laxtons became employee owned in 2024 and what that means for the future of the business in Yorkshire.Why 52% of everything Laxtons spins is now British wool, and how that has grown.The relaunch of their hand knitting range as Bramble & Fleece.The shift happening across Yorkshire mills, with more women now leading businesses in what has traditionally been a male dominated industry.About LaxtonsLaxtons Yarns is a fourth generation family spinning mill based in Baildon, Yorkshire. They spin worsted and fancy yarns for hand knitting, machine knitting and weaving, with over 52% of their yarn made from British wool. In July 2024 the business became employee owned, securing its future in Yorkshire. Their hand knitting range is relaunching as Bramble & Fleece in 2026.Website: laxtons.com | bylaxtons.comInstagram: @laxtonsyarns🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply