Processing Prices
Please note: You can insure your spot in the production line with your deposit. That buys you time to get your fiber to the mill and will go into the rotation sooner once it arrives.
We are currently accepting wool for processing and are 6-7 months out, meaning if you drop your raw wool off for processing, it could take 6 or 7 months before you have a finished product. We aim for 4, but there are many variables.
If you want 100% alpaca or llama, we can recommend other mills here in Montana who love working with it and have the equipment to do so. We do not accept LONG alpaca fibers and cannot do 100% alpaca.
Please note the price on fine wool and specialty fibers below.
Minimum Quantities:
We will do one fleece if that's all you have. We are happy to make roving for you in any amount. Yarn quantities under 10 lbs have a minimum $50 set-up fee. We do have wool available for purchase to add to yours, if you want to go that route. Sometimes a blend will yield a much nicer product in the end depending on the breed and fiber type. 10 lb minimum for yarn batches. Close counts!
Deposit Example: If you only want your raw fiber washed and carded into roving or batts, multiply the number of pounds of you're sending times $13.00 and send half as your deposit. As an example: 10 lbs x $13 is $130. Your deposit would be $65. Add $2/lb for fine breeds, Icelandic or alpaca. Add $8/lb if I have to skirt your wool. I cannot be responsible for the amount of VM in your wool. You are. What goes in also comes out. Some is lost in the process, but not all. If you send in extremely dirty fiber, you will also receive that in the end. Our machines can only do so much.
If you want yarn made, please send the full amount for roving and batts as your deposit. You will be billed for the yarn when it's complete, based on the finished yarn weight. Using the above example, $130.00 would be your deposit.
Skirting $8/lb
It is in your best interest financially to skirt your wool. Skirting is the process of removing all of the largest vegetable matter (VM), tags, which include grease and poop tags, burrs, wood shavings, sticks, etc from the wool. You are paying on incoming weight, so you are essentially paying for what is tossed in the compost. Skirting takes up much of my valuable time and I have to charge for that service. My skirting fee is $8/lb, again that is incoming weight. This raises your price per lb for wash/pick/card from $13 or $15 to $21 or $23, depending on the breed. It is necessary to do this since it takes time away from other mill duties. I'd rather be carding your wool or making your yarn than picking poop balls from it. You will receive a skirting invoice, which requires your signature and agreement after delivery of your wool, if I deem it necessary to skirt here at the mill. This doesn't happen often, as most people do an excellent job themselves.
Scouring Only
$8.00/lb add $2.00/lb for particularly dirty or greasy wool. This is based on incoming raw weight of fiber. We reserve the right to reject fiber if it is heavily contaminated with vegetable matter, bugs, or if some other reason we think we will not be able to get it clean enough for effective processing. We prefer that you send raw fiber. You may send scoured fiber, but if re-scouring is required for proper performance on our equipment, we must charge accordingly. Our scouring agent is citrus-based and includes no synthetic or petroleum-based alcohols or oils.
Sometimes a rewash or a partial rewash must be done in order to remove the lanolin of some fleeces. Add $2.00./lb for each additional rewash.
Wash/Pick/Card
Our wash pick and card price is $13/lb for medium wool breeds and $15/lb for Alpaca and fine wool breeds. Add $3/lb for Mohair due to the wax, so $18/lb. The price is assessed on incoming raw weight. Higher fees are due to the fact that it typically has more grease, requires additional washing and we must card slower, so it slows our production down. Targhee, Rambouillet, Merino, etc.
Based on experience, if you have already washed your fiber, it will still need to be washed again here due to lanolin. There are very few exceptions. This price will get you roving or batts in return. You do save on incoming weight because you've already partially cleaned it. Highly scented wool is problematic in the mill due to scent sensitives. Please be mindful of that.
Note: Our normal wash cycle consists of pre-wash (initial rinse to remove the bulk of dirt), two washes, two rinses. Therefore an extra wash is generally not required. However some particularly greasy fleeces (e.g. rambouillet, corriedale) or fine clay soil combined with grease in the fleece demand extra washing. Fleeces that have been stored for years sometimes require extra washing as well.
Carding fees are based on incoming raw weight of fiber.
Note that some mills charge for carding based on finished weight, and some charge based on raw weight. We choose the latter because it is easiest for you to determine costs up front, and it provides an incentive for you to send us well-skirted wool; the cleaner your clip, the better your deal, and the more efficient our mill will be. If your filthy fiber causes us to spend time cleaning the carder afterwards, there is a $50 cleaning fee. It all takes time away from actually carding.
Just Pin Drafting
$15/lb based on incoming raw weight of fiber. This is for wash/pick/card/pin-draft into sliver. If you are a hand spinner, this is actually an added step/cost that is not necessary. The roving turns out quite nicely on its own.
Spinning
Based on finished weight of yarn. Price below includes drafting and spinning of wool fibers. See separate fee for washing/carding, and for plying/skeining or coning. The yields from raw wool to carded wool, and from carded wool to yarn vary a lot, depending on grease, dirt and vegetable matter, and on fiber type and tip damage. That is why we must institute separate fees for washing/carding (based on raw weight) vs. drafting/spinning (based on finished weight). Otherwise growers with clean wool end up getting penalized, which is illogical and unfair, OR we end up bearing the increased labor and maintenance costs of handling contaminated or damaged wool; that will quickly force us out of business.
We strive for as high a yield as possible, but we can't make predictions before we try out your fiber. Our spinning frame can handle staple lengths ranging from 3 to 12 inches. If you have a sample of the yarn style you would like us to match, send it along with your fiber. Otherwise give us as much description of your objectives as possible: twists per inch, yards per pound, etc. If you'd rather have us make an assessment of a suitable yarn for your fiber, we're happy to do that. The spinning frame does seem to run most smoothly at particular speeds for particular fibers and each has its own sweet spot.
If we observe characteristics of your fiber that we believe may hinder a consistent, attractive, spin (e.g. gummy tips, weak fibers, excessive short fibers), we'll discuss that with you before beginning processing. You may choose to have us proceed at your risk (sometimes imperfect fibers yield imperfect, funky, wonderful yarns), though we reserve the right to reject fibers for spinning in cases of extreme contamination or other problems.
It is most helpful to send a sample of the yarn you'd like us to make. 20 yards is a great length for us to use to determine the necessary calculations.
$22/ lb for drafting/spinning to 2 ply or 3 ply yarn.
$25/lb for fine wool, alpaca and Icelandic and Mohair
This price is for skeined yarn.
Felt
Felting services are still available through us but are outsourced. If you want some of your wool made into felt, please let us know.
All prices above are for payment of cash or check. Credit cards are accepted, but will be assessed a service fee.
When the mill equipment is running, we can't hear the phone. Please leave a message or drop an email or text and LaVonne will respond as soon as it's possible.