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FIBER PROCESSING

PROCESSING STEPS

  • INTAKE - We start by inspecting the fleece, looking for length and crimp, and making sure it is free from any foreign materials that can cause damage to the equipment (nails, wire, sticks, etc.). We will not be able to process any fiber that is too dirty, brittle, or contains evidence of insect damage.

  • ​TUMBLING - The fiber is then tumbled to remove any loose dirt and vegetative matter that was missed during skirting, to remove short second cuts, and to help open the fleece to prepare it for washing.

  • WASHING - Fiber is soaked and then washed thoroughly with a natural, environmentally friendly soap to remove dirt and lanolin before running through the machines.

  • PICKING - After it is clean and dry, fiber is sent through the picker, which opens it up, untangling knots or slight felting, and allowing for further processing.

  • CARDING - The carder is the heart of the mill. It separates each individual fiber, straightens it, and aligns the fibers. The carded fiber can become batts for felting or quilt making, or roving that can be further processed into yarn.

  • DRAFTING - The roving that comes out of the carder isn't perfectly uniform, so the draw frame will even out the roving and draft it to the proper thickness for spinning.

  • SPINNING - Our 8 head spinner will take the roving, draft it further and twist it into the desired thickness of yarn.

  • PLYING - The single ply yarn that comes from the spinner will be plied into 2-4 ply yarn on our 4 head plying machine. 

  • STEAMING - The finished yarn is then steamed to set the twist and remove any tension that was applied to the yarn during the spinning or plying process.

  • SKEIN WINDING - Finished yarn will be wound into 100 or 200 yard skeins, depending on thickness, unless otherwise specified. Skeins are then washed to remove any residue or oils from the manufacturing process.

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PRICING

*All pricing is based on incoming weights*  *These are cash/check prices, Credit Card pricing differs*

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  • ROVING (Includes washing, picking, carding)

    • $20/lb - Roving can be processed into batts, bumps, or loose in bags. 

  • RUG YARN - Cotton core (Includes washing, picking, carding, bump winding)

    • $22/lb - Rug yarn will be wound into 100 yard bumps unless otherwise specified

  • LOPI (Includes washing, picking, carding, spinning, skein winding, and final rinsing)

    • $32/lb - Please specify the thickness of yarn you would like.

  • YARN (Includes washing, picking, carding, spinning, plying, skein winding, and final rinsing)

    • $32/lb - Bulky Weight (Bulky/Chunky - approx. 7 or less wraps per inch)​

    • $34/lb - Mid Weight (Worsted/Aran - approx. 8-9 wraps per inch)

    • $36/lb - Light Weight (DK/Sport - approx. 11-12 wraps per inch)

      • We typically don't spin anything lighter than sport, but if you have a specific project in mind please reach out. Additional fees will apply.​​​

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  •  Add $3/lb on any of the above prices​ for the following:​

    • Alpaca (Huacaya)​

    • Mohair​​

    • Blending multiple fiber types

    • 3-ply yarn

    • Fibers that require extra washing (beyond 2 wash/rinse cycles)​​

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  • ​​Add $6/lb on any of the above prices for the following:​​

    • ​Alpaca (Suri)​

    • Fiber that requires double carding (very tight locks, course guard hairs, slight matting)

    • Pre-washed Fiber (we prefer to not receive washed wool)

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  • ​We can process other/exotic fibers, so please contact us for specific pricing.​

  • If you would like something not listed, please reach out. If we are able to do it, we are happy to. 

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​​*We will do our best to spin a yarn to your desired thickness, however we need to work within the constraints of the machines and the particular fiber, so some variation may occur. We want you to be happy with your final products, so please reach out with any questions, and we can work together to decide on what to produce. If you have specific size or weight requirements, please send a sample along with your order so we can better match it. 

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  • A 50% deposit is required before processing, the remainder must be paid in full before final products will be returned. ​

  • All pricing is subject to a 6% Maine State Service Tax.​

  • Shipping costs are the responsibility of the customer.

  • Payment is due upon completion. If orders are not picked up within 30 days, they will become property of Moorit Hill Farm.

  • Prices are subject to change.

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Reserve your spot here:

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PREPARING AND
SENDING FIBER

  • Before arrival, all fiber should be thoroughly skirted to remove any contaminates such as hay, grain, sticks, burrs, manure, toenails, wire, or anything else that could damage the machinery.

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  • Fiber that is heavily contaminated with burrs, fine vegetable matter, or showing signs of insect damage will be disposed of or sent back at the owners expense.

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  • Fiber should be unwashed and unscented. Any fiber that is prewashed, smells of strong detergents, dryer sheets or mothballs will incur a washed wool fee. Our machines are very particular about how clean the fiber needs to be so we always have to rewash fiber that arrives washed.

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  • The better the raw fiber, the better the final product. Fiber that is clean and in good condition when it arrives to us will produce a better final product with less loss.

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  • All incoming fiber should be sorted into batches to be processed, and each batch labeled clearly. If possible each batch should be bagged or boxed together. An intake form should be filled out for each batch of fiber, and included in the bag. We have a minimum of 3 lbs per batch for processing.  We will process smaller amounts, but will charge for 3 lbs.

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FAQ

What is your turnaround time?

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Generally around 6-8 months.  We try to stick to that schedule. It’s about as fast as we can work through the volume of orders we typically see throughout the year. However, we are also a working sheep farm and other jobs can take time away from the mill at certain times of the year (lambing season for example). We are working with 20 year old machines that break sometimes and need maintenance which can also shut us down for a bit unexpectedly.  We try to give you the best estimate we can for when you’ll get your yarn back, but between unpredictable livestock and unpredictable machines we sometimes get behind schedule.  We are always trying our best to work through orders as fast as we can and we appreciate your understanding!

 

How clean should my fiber be?

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Fiber should be skirted but unwashed. The cleaner the fiber coming in, the better the product coming out.  Fiber should be skirted to remove hay, burrs, toenails, manure, and felted areas.  Tiny pieces of hay will mostly fall out during processing, but if there is a lot, there will be some hay in your yarn. Areas that are really bad should just be pulled out completely. We can’t take fiber that is too felted, or fiber that was bagged wet and has gotten moldy.  Please make sure your fiber is dry before bagging it up after shearing.  Please don’t wash your fiber before bringing it to us.  That is part of the process here and fiber that has been prewashed is almost always still too dirty to run through our machines.

 

Do I need a reservation?

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Yes! Please make a reservation through our website or just send us an email.  You don’t have to have your fiber ready when you make a reservation, this just ensures that we get you on our schedule.

 

Do I need an appointment to drop off/pick up fiber?

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Yes! We are a working farm. We have two livestock guardian dogs, that will give you a very loud welcome if you come unannounced.  We require appointments so we can get the pups tucked away and the gate open for you.  We aren’t always in the mill when we have sheep work or other projects to do, so by letting us know when you are coming, we will make sure that we are there to meet you. Please be on time or let us know if you are going to be early or late. Please make sure to follow directions to the mill driveway. Don't go to the house driveway.  We won't see you there.

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What is your minimum batch size?

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3 pounds.  We will run smaller batches, but have to charge for 3 pounds to account for all the set up and cleaning between batches. However, whenever possible we recommend trying to make larger batches by combining similar colors or blending multiple fleeces together.  With very small batches you will have proportionally a lot more waste.  The same amount of fiber will be lost in setting up the machines whether you give us a 3 lb or 30 lb batch.  It’s not a ton, but can really cut into very small batches.  We always want to get you as much out of your fiber as we can.  We know profit margins on farm yarn are small! If you can try to get us batches that are at least 5 or 6 lbs instead of 3 or less, you should get more for your money.

 

Can any fiber become any product that you offer?

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Not always, but we will always do our best to get you what you ask for.  Every mill is different and all machines can handle different things. Sometimes things just don’t work.  Either it won’t run at all, or if it does, it won’t make a product that we are happy sending back to you. If we aren’t able to get you your first choice product we will let you know what the issue was and discuss other options with you.  But making what you ordered is always preferable! It takes a lot of time for us to be reprocessing things when they don’t work. We always appreciate our customers that come into this with an open mind and a willingness to change plans. If you have a back up option in mind for if your first choice doesn’t work out, it’s great if you are able to let us know when you drop off so we can easily just keep things moving along.

 

Will my yarn look like commercial yarn?

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No, because it is not commercial yarn.  This is small batch, farm yarn, not made in a huge factory with all uniform fiber.  It will show off the beautiful characteristics of your fiber and be completely unique to your farm and animals. This does not mean it will be a lumpy mess, it just won’t always look like something you can get at a craft store, which we think is much better! It’s not quite handspun, not quite commercial.  It will be somewhere in between.

 

What kinds of fiber do you accept?

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We mostly process wool.  We also get a good amount of alpaca and some mohair and angora.  We have also done llama, camel and yak.  We are open to trying pretty much anything you can come up with!  We often recommend, or require in some cases, that alpaca, mohair, angora and the other more exotic fiber types be blended with wool to run best through the machines.  

 

Are there length requirements for the fiber?

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Yes.  If you are looking for a standard plied yarn our spinner generally can’t spin anything under 2.5” and over 6.5”.  We can sometimes get away with a little longer, but it may lead to bumpy yarn. There can also be some shorter fibers as long as the average fiber length is long enough, but if there is large variation in lengths within a batch that can also lead to some unevenness. Depending on the fiber, there are some exceptions and other options (like making lopi instead), but we do have to work within the constraints of the machine. We are always happy to look over your fiber with you when you drop it off and help decide what will be best for it.

 

Can I get a very specific weight of yarn?

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We will try our best! We always shoot for what the customer has requested, but natural fibers can really have a mind of their own.  We try to assess the fiber to predict how it will behave during and after processing (how much twist it needs to hold together, what it will look like once it’s not under tension, how much it will puff up after washing, etc.), but sometimes the end results will surprise us. We can usually get it right or pretty darn close but occasionally yarn ends up a little thinner or thicker than expected depending on how it ran.  This is why we offer weight categories (lightweight, midweight and bulky) instead of exact weights. If you are looking for something very specific, it helps us if you provide a sample for us to try to match. 

 

Are you open to the public?

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Not usually.  We have offered occasional tours, but generally it’s too hard for us to take time to shut down production the mill to give regular tours.  We are more than happy to show you around when you drop off or pick up fiber, though!

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