Christine Fennell of Peterborough first started knitting custom sweaters out of necessity.

“My little brother was 6-feet, 7-inches, and absolutely nothing fit him, so I started making him sweaters. Then he had his first baby, and he went to get a baby sweater at the department store, and he could not find anything made of pure wool, or even cotton,” Fennell said. “They were all acrylic, and everything was $65! So  I started making baby sweaters.”

Before Fennell could begin knitting for her family members, she had to learn the art. At the time, she was living in Boston, and signed up for classes at the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union on Bolyston Street.

“But I’m left-handed, so everything they taught me, I had to do backwards, and it just didn’t work. So they kicked me out of the class,” Fennell said.

Determined to learn on her own, Fennell went to the Boston Public Library, took out every book she could find on knitting and taught herself. Soon, she could knit what she needed for her family, and before long, walked back into the Women’s Educational  and Industrial Union with a line of her children’s sweaters to sell.

“And I’ve been knitting ever since,” Fennell said.

Fennell and her business, Buddie Sweaters, have been a staple at Monadnock region farmers’ markets since the 1990s. She specializes in pure Icelandic wool, which is unique due to an extra layer of hair called “pel,” layered under the longer, coarser hair known as “tog.” The wool, known as “lopi,” is both warm and water-resistant, having evolved to protect sheep in Iceland’s harsh, wet climate.

“It’s the warmest wool you can get. A lot of my clients work at home, and they’re working at home and sitting still trying to keep the heat low and they really need to be warm. They really want the Icelandic wool,” Fennell said.

Fennell’s traditional Scandinavian yoke designs include all colors, as well as undyed wool. She also knits with Briggs & Little wool from Canada and with cotton, which she uses mainly for lightweight items like children’s sweaters and tunics and summer ponchos.

Fennell credits her success in knitting with her ability to customize.

“I get requests from all over the world. Recently I had a gentleman from New Zealand put in an order. If you type in ‘custom sweaters’ and Icelandic or pure wool, there aren’t a lot of people who do it,” Fennell said.

For many years, Christine and her husband Earl traveled all over New England for craft fairs, but getting older and having dogs in their home has curtailed their travel. Fennell still vends at several local fairs, including the New Boston Farmers’ Market, where she  is currently the longest-running vendor. 

“I’ve been at New Boston since 2006. It’s a just a wonderful market,” Fennell said. “I’m there every Saturday in spring and summer.” 

Fennell’s sweaters are available at buddiesweaters.com.