Frequently Asked Questions

Here at Alpaca Fleece Mill, we want to deliver the most simplified and efficient form when it comes to ordering and cost. That is why we offer an up-front total and inclusive pricing list.

Our numbers look a little different because we charge you  per pound. Period. AFM doesn't add more for an extra wash, to put on a  cone, or to dehair. We also don't ask you to add each machine cost.  From wash to spinning, it is all included! Please keep in mind in most  cases a pound of clean fiber averages FOUR, 200 yd skeins! 

Example: 6 clean pounds @ $50/lb = $300. This usually yields 24 skeins equating to $12.50/skein.

*shipping is calculated per individual order. 

Please click the "Products and Pricing" tab at the top of the page for detailed list and order form. 

Properly storing fiber from the beginning, results in a better end product! 

AFM provides on-site storage to deposited customers. 

All shipments are individually inspected upon arrival and immediately re-bagged into clean 100% cotton bags with desiccant. The cotton bags allow the fiber much needed ventilation while also acting as a strong barrier to keeping insects and other pests out. 

The fiber is then tagged with personalized labels/instructions and stored in a secure, very clean, and temperature-controlled environment on-site. 

Lavender packets can also be found carefully placed around the storage room to deter moths. Talk about going above and beyond! 

With this app, an invitation will be sent once the fiber is received. From there, the customer will able to keep track of orders throughout the entire process with updates and photos! Never be left wondering, and always be confident with our work!

We strive to spin all alpaca fibers without blending.

Alpaca Fleece Mill does not process sheep's wool from the beginning. We do not stock the harsh chemicals needed to remove the oil from sheep's wool and we do not want any transferring to our spinning line. We order the wool in that is already cleaned and in top form.

Dependent on the project, people may choose this blend for elasticity reasons. We have a local MI supplier for beautiful white, cleaned, combed top Merino, Rambouillet wool to blend with alpaca fiber if selected, at the blending price of $5/lb + market price we purchase it at. AFM will do the blending during picking, directly after the alpaca is washed and dried, before the fiber is carded. This helps the two fibers blend completely together. 

If you desire a different product to use for blending, we encourage you to call or email us to verify, but we would love to make your perfect product using a blending fiber you send in.

AFM has been keeping up with around 6 months for turnaround time. This is always subject to change with larger orders, and as more orders come in. Please call to see when you may get your fleeces back!

The "weight" of yarn is determined by the diameter of a strand.  Although, not precise across the industry, this system is meant to give a basis and general idea of which yarn is appropriate for each individual project. These are just ideas! Many more products and projects can be made with any of these yarn weights. 

Lace; ultra fine. Good for lace, shawls, and doilies. 

Fingering; super fine. Good for accessories and socks. 

Sport; fine. Good for light garments, baby items, accessories, and hats. 

DK; light. Good for sweaters, accessories, and hats. 

Worsted; medium. Good for general use, sweaters, blankets, outerwear, and accessories. Bulky; chunky. Good for rugs, blankets, and accessories.

During the spinning process, it is extremely hard to evenly, and precisely distribute the yarn onto the spindles. Alpaca Fleece Mill wants to make sure that you get ALL of your fiber back! So, we will always empty the spindles and sometimes they are not long enough to make our standard 200 yards. 

Alpaca Fleece Mill has peramiters during spinning to give you the weight of yarn you choose. This is done by final weight by length. These are the current weights we use here:

Fingering-2Ply = 1.24 oz per 200 yds = 2584 yds per lb.

Sport-2Ply = 2.52 oz per 200 yrds = 1270 yds per lb.

DK-2 Ply = 3.21 oz per 200 yds = 997 yds per lb.

DK-3 Ply = 3.20 oz per 200 yds = 999 yds per lb.

Worsted-3 Ply = 3.92 oz per 200 yds = 817 yds per lb.

Bulky-3 Ply = 4.71 oz per 200 yds = 680 yds per lb.

Super Bulky = 6.41 oz per 200 yds = 499 yds per lb. 

Remember we can do custom spinning and you can always choose your plying. 

* yarn will continue to bloom as it is in use and/or after it is washed. 

Absolutely! Simply contact us with your name, address, and product of interest and we will ship a sample to you. 

*samples offered starting August 2024

While we do charge by the hour to skirt your fiber if it does not arrive clean already, at our mill we do our very best to balance our time spent on each fleece with the time needed on the production floor. Although all large vegetable matter is always removed to protect the machinery, we can not spend to much time to remove every little thing. And you wouldn't want to pay us to! A good rule of thumb is if you don't want it in your yarn, don't send it in with your fiber. 

Carefully skirt all fiber and place into CLEAR PLASTIC BAGS. Clear plastic bags are crucial to the inspection process as well as keeping the fiber free of pests and moisture. 

If the fleeces are meant to be processed separately, use one fleece per bag.

Include an order form with each separate bag. This will provide AFM with the precise instructions on how the order should be processed every time. 

One of our main goals is to produce the best, most beautiful end product for our customers. However, the product can only be as good as what is sent to us, so it is essential that the fiber be skirted and examined before shipped it to AFM. 

Inspect the edges carefully and remove any dirt, dust, manure, etc as this area tends to collect a lot. 

Check and decide if the coarser hair around the legs ("britch" wool) is something you would like processed with the rest of the fleece. If not, remove before sending.

Make the first pass in skirting and remove any large obvious foreign objects, pieces of vegetation, sticks, etc.

Take some time with the next pass and remove as much vegetation as possible. Examine each handful that there are no burs, sticks, dirt, etc. buried. This is very time consuming but will benefit in a higher end product as well as consumer cost. If AFM receives a shipment that has not been properly skirted, we will charge for the skirting per hour until deemed clean enough to process through our top-of-the-line machinery. 

***IF THERE IS ANY EVIDENCE OF MOTHS OR LICE IN THE FIBER DO NOT SEND IT. WE WILL NOT PROCESS THE FIBER AND IT MAY HAVE TO BE DISPOSED OF.