On our farm we currently raise sheep and alpacas. For many years, we also raised angora goats and angora rabbits for their amazing fibre. Both sheep and alpacas are sheared once a year. The fibre is then skirted. This means removing any dirt, opening up the crimp on the sheep fibre, and removing guard hairs from the alpaca fibre. Then all fibre is washed, rinsed, and dried. All of this is very time consuming. Then off to the mill it goes. At the mill it is rinsed at least once to achieve a correct moisture content. It is then picked, carded, pin drafted, and spun depending on the final product. Back to me it comes. At this point I rinse the skeins to set the twist, hand paint some varieties (with wool dye and a paint brush), do a final check, skein and label.
Please call or email as weight, yardage, and colour varieties change from year to year.