Maple View Farm will be at the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival
September 25th, 2017Maple View Farm Alpacas will once again be at the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival on October 5 & 6 in Tunbridge, VT. It looks like it will be a beautiful fall weekend, perfect for buying alpaca yarn or an alpaca vest for these cooler days. We have a good supply of our yarn spun at VT Fiber Mill. Stop by and see what’s new! http://vtsheepandwoolfest.com/
Maple View Farm will be at the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival
September 17th, 2017Maple View Farm Alpacas will once again be at the Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival (Formerly the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival) at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich, NY. We have a good supply of our yarn spun at VT Fiber Mill. Stop by and see what’s new! http://www.adkwoolandarts.com/home.html
Fall Open House
September 13th, 2017Vermont Fiber Mill & Studio and Maple View Farm Alpacas will host its annual fall open house on September 16 and 17 from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. Guests are invited to learn about alpacas, raised for breeding as well as their luxurious fiber. Visit the fiber mill and see how yarn is made. It’s always a fun weekend!
Production Cycles are Full into 2019
September 11th, 2017Thank you all for keeping us steadily busy!
The mill works with production cycles and we take reservations. We are full for the remainder of 2017 as well as 2018 and into 2019.
If you want roving, rug yarn or batts (jobs that are just wash, pick, card), we will be accepting limited jobs to our work-in list late this year and into 2018. We work these jobs in when we are backed up at the spinner. Email vtfibermill@gmail.com if you are interested. Jobs larger than 20 lb and/or wanting other services, like spinning, dyeing, separating or felting should be scheduled in a cycle.
If you would like a recommendation for a mill that may be able to accept your fiber, please email us at vtfibermill@gmail.com.
Prepping Fiber and Tender Fleeces
April 22nd, 2017For many it’s shearing time! Followed by preparing your fiber for processing. Just a reminder about proper prep of your fiber (see skirting below) but also a particular comment about checking for tender fiber. This occurs most often in cria/juvi fleeces but can occur in any. If your cria fleeces are extremely fine, then a very small micron change can make them tender, i.e. a 17 micron fleece will need less change to be tender than a 24 micron fleece. It could be caused by weaning but also showing, drenching, transport/moving properties, drought, etc. UV damage or not shearing a cria shortly after birth may cause the tips to be damaged and tender.
While a tender fleece may be able to be processed, it will easily nep, creating slubs and imperfections in your yarn. When you pull at the fiber, if it readily breaks it is tender. This can occur any place along the staple. We receive some that are literally tender all along the staple and I describe them as “shredding”. If you have any questions about the fleece, don’t mix it with others as the entire batch becomes impacted. If you have tender fiber and still want it processed, it’s probably best to do by hand.
Thanks for reading and we look forward to receiving your fiber!
Skirting:
Lay out fleece on skirting table – cut side up
– Gently bounce fleece to remove dust
– Remove second cuts
– Test fiber for soundness by snapping lock of fiber between hands to check for tender breaks
– Remove any leg/neck/belly fiber around edges that is not same quality as prime blanket
– Remove any fiber too short to process
Turn fleece over – cut side down
– Gently pick out debris
Mill Photos
April 9th, 2017Thought I’d post some photos taken of the mill for an article.
Fiber drying at the wash house.
Ed making rug yarn.
Glo at the plyer.
Roving coming off the card.
Debbie looking at yarn that was just spun.
Glo feeding the carder.
Debbie removing fiber from the separator output bin.
Yarn made in the mill.
Holiday Open House is Just Around the Corner!
November 8th, 2016Vermont Fiber Mill & Studio and Maple View Farm Alpacas will host its annual holiday open house on November 26 and 27 from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm. Guests are invited to learn about alpacas, raised for breeding as well as their luxurious fiber. Visit the fiber mill and see fiber demonstrations: FeltLOOM both days and hand spinning on Saturday. Then browse the farm store for great holiday gifts made from luxurious alpaca. It’s always a fun weekend!
All 2017 and 2018 Production Cycles are Full
September 13th, 2016Thank you all for keeping us steadily busy!
The mill works with production cycles and we take reservations. We are full for the remainder 2016 as well as 2017 and 2018. 2019 will not open up until 2017.
If you want roving, rug yarn or batts (jobs that are just wash, pick, card), we will be accepting limited jobs to our work in list late this year and for into 2017. We work these jobs in when we are backed up at the spinner. Email vtfibermill@gmail.com if you are interested. Jobs larger than 20 lb and/or wanting other services, like spinning, dyeing, separating or felting should be scheduled in a cycle.
Work In List Temporarily Suspended
June 13th, 2016While we primarily work with production cycles we often maintain a work in list for jobs that only require wash, pick and card, i.e. roving, rug yarn or batts. We work these jobs in when we are backed up at the spinner. However, this list is currently quite long and currently goes into the last quarter. As we work thru the list, we’ll re-evaluate and hopefully be able to accept new work in items later in the fall or earlier. If you are already on this list, don’t worry … we will get to your work. Email vtfibermill@gmail.com if you are interested. Jobs larger than 20 lb and/or wanting other services, like spinning, dyeing, separating or felting should be scheduled in a cycle.
January 2018 – April 2018 Production Cycle Availability
February 9th, 2016The mill works with production cycles and we take reservations. While we are full in 2016 and 2017, we are looking into 2018. Contact us if you are interested in reserving a slot.
If you want roving, rug yarn or batts (jobs that are just wash, pick, card), we will be accepting limited jobs to our work in list later in the spring. We work these jobs in when we are backed up at the spinner. Email vtfibermill@gmail.com if you are interested. Jobs larger than 20 lb and/or wanting other services, like spinning, dyeing, separating or felting should be scheduled in a cycle.
