Last updated on November 22nd, 2022 at 04:36 am
Contessa Yarns: A Brief History and Advertisements
[Scroll down for yarn samples.] Contessa Yarns was based in Ridgefield, Connecticut from at least 1950 through at least 1975, at which point it appears the company moved to Lebanon, Connecticut until 1980. I don’t know if they were solely distributors or if they had their own manufacturing facilities but it does appear that they primarily operated a mail order business (marketing primarily to home and professional weavers and weaver supply shops), based on this brief listing in The Ridgefield Encyclopedia, A compendium of more than 4,500 people, places and things relating to Ridgefield, Connecticut by Jack Sanders, Ridgefield Historical Society.
So far, the oldest mention I’ve found of Contessa Yarns is a single trademark registration filed February 7, 1951 for the green and yellow circular logo found in the Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, Volume 652, dated November 27, 1951; the trademark registration claims in use since January 3, 1950.
Advertisements
1950
Handweaver & Craftsman magazine, Summer 1950, Volume 1, Issue 2
1955-1957
Classified ad found in the New Castle Tribune newspaper dated December 29, 1955. This same classified advertisement appeared in numerous New York newspapers and the Patent Trader newspaper throughout 1955 to 1957, along with at least two variations of this classified ad pictured below.
1954-1963
This advertisement appears in the September/October 1954 Craft Horizons magazine, Volume 14, Number 5, May/June 1955 Craft Horizons magazine, Volume 15, Number 3. This identical advertisement ran regularly in Craft Horizons through November/December 1962 and a variation of this ad ran in Handweaver & Craftsman magazine through Fall 1952.
Contessa Yarns also advertised in the Handweaver & Craftsman Winter 1958-1959, Volume 10, Issue 1. This advertisement ran in this magazine through Summer 1962, Volume 13, Issue 3; Fall 1962, Volume 13, Issue 4; Handweaver & Craftsman, Winter 1963, Volume 14, Issue 1; Spring 1963, Volume 14, Issue 2; Summer 1963, Volume 14, Issue 3
1963-1969
Apparently, no more free samples starting in the fall of 1963 – and Contessa Yarns has moved to Lebanon, Connecticut. Handweaver & Craftsman, Fall 1963, Volume 14, Issue 4
Starting in the November-December 1963 issue of Craft Horizons, the advertisement for Contessa Yarns changed to this advertisement, which ran in various forms through July/August 1966 Craft Horizons issues, with only the address changed to Lebanon, Connecticut in the January-February 1964 issue.
1964-1971
This ad ran in Handweaver & Craftsman from Winter 1964, Volume 15, Issue 1 through Spring 1971, Volume 22, Issue 2.
Maria Mundal offers a weaving workshop on June 15, 1964 at the Contessa Yarn Farm, Handweaver & Craftsman, Spring 1964, Volume 15, Issue 2
1965: Contessa Yarns buys out the Hughes Fawcett, Inc. company
Handweaver & Craftsman, Winter 1965 (January), Volume 16, Issue 1: Hughes Fawcett, Inc. had been in business for at least 75 years, apparently primarily based in Dunellen, New Jersey. (I’m resisting the urge to fall down the Hughes Fawcett rabbit hole … for now!)
1971-1975
This ad appears in every issue of Handweaver & Craftsman from Summer 1971, Volume 22, Issue 3 through Handweaver & Craftsman, July-August 1973, Volume 24, Issue 4.
1975-1979
Craft Horizons magazine from 1975 through 1977.
The Craft Horizons magazine advertisement changes again in April 1978. This identical advertisement continued to appear in Craft Horizons through at least September 1980.
1980 – Appears Contessa Yarns has been sold
At some point after September 1980, I think Contessa Yarns must have been sold to M.H. Yarn Co., Inc., Woonsocket, Rhode Island and seems to be simply a brand name of yarn from this point forward. At some point after this, M.H. Yarn Co., Inc. moved to Garden City, New York.
I think but am not sure that eventually, the Contessa brand was sold to Reynolds Yarns, a division of JCA, Inc., Townsend, Max 01469.
Contessa Yarns Irish Linen Sample Sales Sheet, most likely 1953
This contains Irish Linen thread/yarn samples in 20/1, 20/2 and 40/2 sizes. I have two of these which I believe date from 1954 (the first one) and 1953 (the second one).
Contessa Yarns Samples January 1954
This contains samples of: Grey Karakul type wool loop yarn; variegated cotton flake blue, white and orange; tan, rust and blue 2 ply worsted yarn “from a large national manufacturer of yarn”; natural cotton looped nub yarn; grey spun nylon with colored flecks; green, rust, navy, maroon and brown pure silk yarn; and natural cotton with non-tarnishable gold metallic.
Contessa Yarns Special Flyer 1954
This mailer/flyer contains samples of: Brown and black folded cellophane ribbon; white 100% pure wool ratine; white 2 ply straw finish spun nylon; natural “Piggly Wiggly” novelty yarn; and yellow, pink, grey, navy, chartreuse, orchid, aqua, light blue and white, cotton and rayon novelty yarns (boucle or ratine texture).
Contessa Yarns January 1956 Specials Yarn Samples Mailer/Flyer
This flyer/mailer contains samples of: Gold 100% pure wool with gold non-tarnishable Lurex; tan cotton with mohair loop; spun nylon pastels; black and rust rayon loop novelty; fine and heavy size natural 100% pure rug wool; and 2 ply 100% pure nobby wool.
Contessa Yarns Spring 1956 Bulletin Samples Mailer/Flyer
This mailer/flyer contains samples of: Natural rayon novelty; olive green pure silk; natural raw silk noil; 3 ply spun rayon; green, pink, brown wool ratine and dark red, brown, rust, green 2 ply wool; 25/1 natural linen; white spun rayon flake novelty yarn; and 3/2 and 10/2 perle mercerized cotton.
Contessa Yarns Irish Linen Boucle Samples Mailer/Flyer, most likely from 1956 or 1957
This mailer/flyer contains lots of Irish linen boucle samples and 20/1 and 20/2 linen thread/yarn samples.
Etsy user Dragonfly Cottage Shop has a selection of Contessa Yarns 2/20 weaving worsted wool yarns for sale that she dates to the 1960s. Note that some of these show the Ridgefield, Connecticut address and some show the Lebanon, Connecticut address.
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