Monday, April 7, 2014
There are a few things that bring me joy in this world. One is creating fine yarns from animal fiber. Yak, sheep's wool, camel, K-9, alpaca, or llama, you bring it I'll spin it. Now while it's true that no two fiber groups spin the same, it is also true that the concept of spinning each group is the same.
Even within an animal group the fleece from one animal can and will vary from another. Some are from older animals with higher microns and less crimp, needing some extra love in prepping or read more...
|
Sunday, March 16, 2014
One of the higher costs in processing your fiber is shipping costs. Shipping raw fiber to a mill can cost anywhere from $1 to $3 per lb, depending on how far from the mill you are and how well you can pack and tape your boxes. The problem being, you can only compress raw fiber so much and shipping companies charge more by size of container and less by weight ( sometimes a 12x12x12 box will cot the same if you have 10lbs. in it or 15lbs. in it). So if you're shipping, jam as much as possible, rem read more...
|
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
For years we've been told by our customers "you need a rug yarn maker". Well now we have answered your pleas. One has been ordered and is on it's way.
As with the rest of our yarns, we have based our rug yarns on return weight. Meaning we will charge you for what you receive in return and the price is $17/lb. That said we must limit our yarn production to firsts and seconds only, no thirds will be run. It is not cost effective to run thirds and you really don't want yarn made out of that crus read more...
|
Friday, November 8, 2013
I once saw a post by a mill that asked "what's the worst bedding ever", meaning what's the hardest to get out of fiber. It seemed we all had our own "worst" in our mind.
As a mill owner I have seen it all, hay heads, straw bits, pine needles, sand, recycled cardboard, wood chips, and saw dust just to name a few. They all post their own challenge when it comes to getting them out of the fleece. However these are not the things I fret about as a mill owner, after all it is my job to remove them read more...
|
Sunday, October 27, 2013
As a alpaca farmer, mill owner/operator, and store owner we try to keep our spending to any and all local businesses who offer solutions to our needs, what ever they my be. We promote "shop local, shop handmade, support your local artist". Our mind set is that if we spend our money locally the locals will have monies to shop in our store to fulfill their needs. Great idea right. But why is it so important???
Lets look at fund raisers. The local school, fire company, animal shelter, or anyon read more...
|
Monday, October 21, 2013
We enjoy visiting the shows, following all the beautiful champions on FaceBook, and having the honor of turning them into awesome yarns, roving, and batts. Shows are a vital part of the alpaca world. It gives the public a chance to see, touch, and learn about the softest animals that walk the earth. We viewed out first alpacas in 2008 at the MAPACA show in Harrisburg PA, it was love at first sight.
After months of research, visiting several farms around Pennsylvania, and a truck load of upgra read more...
|