What do you do with your fiber?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tracey Koehler on December 7, 2008 at 9:53pm

Sean, I am not sure what part you play in the NEAFP but the concept is great and the variety of products is nice.
I love that there is no membership fee, and that you send in the fleece that is needed.
One thing I would love would be to have the products made from the fleece you provide.
If I have fleeces under 20 AFD I do not want products returned to me that are over 30 and itchy.

Have the products themselves improved any? I have bought hats and socks and ( no offense meant) but they were very itchy. I know they are trying to utilize all of the fiber but I would not want people to wear those hats or socks and think of that as" soft Alpaca fleece" as they are itching. I could not wear either of them.
I see there is a new sock that looks to be improved.
Can't the products be made out of the prime fleece only?
As I said I have only tried two of the products but was not impressed at all.

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Permalink Reply by goldentouchfarm on December 7, 2008 at 11:26pm

Hi Tracy,

In order to take advantage of commercial size mills we have to process thousands of pounds of the same grade and color fiber per run so for us making products out of one farm or animals fleece is difficult and best left up to the mini mills. We also sell off an existing inventory to speed up order fulfillment so the farmers don't have to wait for the full manufacturing cycle of raw fiber being turned into finished product.

I know that in recent years there have been some major improvements to the overall hand of our existing products as well the new additions to the catalog. All of the products that have been added throughout the course of this last year are great examples of this. The other great thing about our model is that you can find the items that work best for you, your farm, and geographic location and just order what you need, leaving the rest of your fleece for other options like the Co-Ops or a local Mini MIll. Our service doesn't require you to go all or nothing like many other options out there.

We will be attending several major Alpaca Shows in your area and across the country as an informational vendor in 2009 and I invite you to swing by and check out our booth and products. We would love to show you first hand and answer any questions you might have. As we finalize dates we will be posting them to our Blog and Newsletter.

-Sean

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Permalink Reply by Ken & Lisa Larson on May 25, 2009 at 1:44pm

Lisa has a retail store in town -- Pedro's at the Panida Theatre in Sandpoint, Idaho -- and she sells yarn. So, we have our blankets made into finer yarn and plan this year to have some of the necks and legs made into sock yarn. The lower quality fiber we have made into felt for use in art projects, bathmats and similar products.

The average sale price for the yarn in the store is $5 per ounce. The price for felt products varies depending on how much, if any, work we put into it.

We are very happy with the mill -- Sage Ridge in Wyoming. Linda is a member of this social network and I gladly recommend her for both spinning and felting. Her prices are competitive and she is quite willing to talk through questions and her finished products are excellent.

We also have sent raw fiber to the Pendleton Blanket project in Oregon and that worked well for us because we have a market for blankets.

Wishing you all well,

Ken & Lisa Larson
Pedro's Pride Alpaca Ranch, LLC.
www.alpaca-usa.com
pedro@imaxmail.net

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Brummitt on May 26, 2009 at 6:53am

Dawn,

What type of paper bags do you recommend for storage and where do you buy them?

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Permalink Reply by Don Marquette on July 3, 2009 at 6:14pm

We have been selling out each season selling raw fiber. Return customers seem to the norm with hand spinners. we sell it for prices ranging from $5/lb to $25/lb. This usually pays for our shearing costs each year. Maybe someday we will turn our raw fiber into end products but for now, this what we do.
Don

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Permalink Reply by Diane Watson on January 21, 2010 at 1:02pm

Hello everyone,

I am looking for a Suri Fabric Fiber Mill. Has anyone used a mill that produces a beautiful Suri Fabric???

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Permalink Reply by POLLY GRAY on January 21, 2010 at 5:33pm

I wash, dry card first . Then I spin it and with the seconds I needle felt.

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