As managing partner of a company that deals exclusively in wool, Bill knows what he’s talking about. Most of the wool gathered on Nash will become Swans Island blankets, a line of all-natural coverlets woven on looms in a coastal Maine farmhouse. John and Carolyn Grace, Boston attorneys who summered on Swans Island, started the business in the early 1990s. Both were contemplating retirement and looking for an occupation to pursue full-time in a remote locale. They dreamed of an item they could create slowly and carefully—something that would last a lifetime or two or three. Ideally it would reflect their passion for Maine’s islands and embody the rugged landscape. Inspired by blankets handed down by John’s grandmother, the Graces began weaving. The result was an anachronism: a product of integrity, utility, and surprising simplicity.

Swans Island blankets begin on the backs of Nash Island sheep. The flock huddles way Downeast, unattended most of the year, grazing on what they find atop thin soil or sandy beaches. Generations ago, keepers of the Nash Island lighthouse herded sheep here. Today’s flock includes many direct descendants.

Once sheared, the wool is carded and spun into skeins or onto cones. It takes four days to set up each of the several looms and nine hours to weave a queen-size winter blanket. When it’s done, the edges are finished in silk. Every inch of the blanket is then picked over with tweezers to remove the last of the chaff in the wool. The blanket is washed in organic soap and dried on stretchers. After a final inspection, a label is sewn onto the blanket. It’s carefully folded into a linen bag with pockets for aromatic cedar strips that deter moths.

The traditionally woven fibers of a Swans Island blanket seem to hold all the seasons of coastal Maine, the smell of the sea, the salt-sprayed efforts of shepherds, the time-honored clatter of wooden looms. The lightest touch grants a sense of home and a promise of warmth. Crawling under one conveys not only how warm that sheep was on its Maine island, but also how happy.

To purchase Swans Island products, call 888/526-9526 or visit swansislandblankets.com.