Description
This service is based on per pound of raw fiber. We will lightly skirt your fiber to remove second cuts, obvious guard hairs, seconds such as soiled fiber, leg fiber, neck fiber, and felted pieces. We do often encounter foreign objects such as insects/beetles, tags, hoof trimmings, sticks/twigs, and more hidden within the fiber. None of these things are good for our equipment.
We then tumble the fiber to remove additional second cuts, vegetable matter (VM), dirt and dust. We wash and rinse the fiber, then let it air dry. Once dried, we process it through our fiber picker. Picking fiber opens the locks making it ready for use in crafts. This step can generate static and fly-aways so we apply a fiber conditioner to reduce this. Mohair is notorious for generating static electricity and the fiber conditioner can’t be skipped!
Once passed through the picker, you get a “cloud” of fiber that is ready for crafts! Hand spinners can spin directly from this cloud. Spinning without carding not only saves time and expense, but generates a lovely textured yarn that is fluffy and soft. Wet felters and needle felters can use this as a core wool or core fiber, saving the more expensive roving, combed top or sliver for the outermost layer of a felted piece.
Special Considerations
This service only includes the fiber you send to us, in the quantity you send. We do not blend with third-party fiber, nor do we weigh different fiber types to create a blend based on percentage. What you send to us will all be combined together in whatever proportions you have sent. We hope to provide additional blending options in the future. The fiber will be washed according to the type of fiber (please label all bags using the provided packing slip), but will be sent through the picker distributed as well as possible. Please note that the picker does not provide a homogenous blend of fiber and you may need to run it through a drum carder or use hand carders to get a more homogenous and uniform blend if that is your desired end state.
How to Submit Fiber
Please refer to our full fiber processing policy for how to submit fiber to us for processing.  When you purchase this service you will be provided with a downloadable packaging slip. Please locate the downloadable PDF file, print it, fill out the information requested and include a copy of the packing slip for every bag of fiber you are sending to us for blending together. You may also find the form for Fiber Blending here: fiber-blending-picked-cloud-packing-slip-no-weight
