Star Castle Fiber Mill Your Fiber Page

How We Do Fiber

You may wonder why we specialize in processing each animal's fleece separately. If you have your own Farm Store, it can be a marketing feature to be able to say to a customer 'this scarf (or yarn, etc.) came from that animal'. You can put a picture of the animal on your yarn label (or scarf tag), and use this connection to build repeat business. Or it might just be nice to know that those warm socks you are wearing came from 'Susie'.

You may also wonder why we only process 100% Alpaca or Llama fiber. This can be a marketing advantage for your products as well as important for people who are allergic to other fibers. We are also trying to help you promote alpacas.

Some people think we are too picky about the fiber we process. If we have to turn down fiber, it simply means that based on our experience, our machines will not be able to successfully create a quality finished product from that particular fleece. In some cases, it can still be hand-spun, in other cases, probably not. I wrote an article that explains some of the causes and what you can do. The goal of processing your fiber is to have a great finished product. As the saying goes "garbage in, garbage out".

This link explains the processes your fiber goes through once it gets to the mill.

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What is the Best Use of Your Fiber

The best use of your fiber will depend on the characteristics of the fiber itself. I can advise you how to get the most from the fleece you send (or a small sample just for checking).

Getting Ready to Order

So, you are ready to send your fiber to the mill to be processed. The first thing to check is the strength of the fiber. Take a lock and make it so you can see through it, then pull up and down. If it does not break, it is good, if it does break, the machines will find that break and we will not be able to process it.
Don’t know how to check or want us to check it? Send us a few locks in a baggie with a name on it along with your contact information (e-mail address). When it arrives, we will test it and e-mail you what we have found. This has saved many customers shipping costs.

Next is: have you skirted it? If not, put it out on a screen and pick out the clumps of hay, dung, and guard hairs, then return it to the bag. This is not like skirting for a show. This is a quick checking the fleece over and getting the big stuff out. We will go over it again before we wash it. Don’t have time to skirt and just want the fiber sent? That is fine too, just know we will be charging you for the stuff we pull out.

Next, mark the bags with the animal’s name or some ID so we can talk about the same fleece if need be. Have your paper work ready with your name, address, e-mail, phone number, and the lot names and what you want done with the fiber.

Then suck the air out of the bag with your vacuum hose with a sock over the nozzle and get it into a box quickly. If there is a hole in the bag it will re-grow, so it is advisable to have the box and tape ready.

Tape up the box and get it sent. We will e-mail you a receipt when we receive your box(es).

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Skirting: Skirting is removing the edges of a fleece once it is laid out. This includes removing the Belly fiber and any other undesirable fibers from the edges. Also removing debris, straw, dung, pinecones, etc. The point is to remove the loose dirt and the parts of the fleece that are of a lesser quality than the blanket.
Top or Sliver: This is a continuous untwisted strand of combed fiber. We produce this with our Pin Drafter and this process makes for better yarn.
Plying: When your fiber is spun, it is called a "single" or 1-ply. Plying is then reverse twisting two or more singles together to create a stronger yarn.
Slub: A lump in the yarn.
Noil: A noil is short bits of fiber that curl into balls. They can come from the second cuts that are in your fleece or from weathered tips or from fiber that is tender and breaks. They show up very quickly in the mill process and become small slubs in the yarn if they do not "fall out" before the spinning process. Some of them do come out in the carding and drafting of the fiber, but if a fleece has them, you will have them in your yarn. They can make a very interesting yarn, giving it a novelty yarn quality.
Wraps per Inch: Wraps/inch (wpi) is an easy way to compare yarn sizes. Take a ruler and wrap your yarn around it, laying each new wrap gently next to the last. You want the yarn smooth, not spaced too far apart nor overlapping. Count the number of strands in the space of one inch.
Yards per Pound: Yards/Pound (ypp) is how long the yarn is in one pound. This can be very inaccurate, since some fiber is more dense than others. e.g.: Suri is denser than Huacaya and will have less yards/pound but more wraps/inch (i.e., it would be finer).
Angelina Fiber: Angelina® is a very fine, unique fiber. Light reflective, as well as light refractive, Angelina gives the yarn a sparkle, while still being extremely soft. It comes in a variety of colors. Ask us about it.

For more information, email us at: info@starcastlefarm.com or call: (541) 396-6416.