Where Have I Been

Okay, so who thought that I fell of the face of the earth? Everyone? Well actually with the holidays and the increase in business that we have experienced I have not had any time to update the blog. First, let me say Welcome to everyone for 2010. As a fiber enthusiast I am really looking forward to a great year. We have had so many people stop by the mill over the holidays it has been a lot of fun. A quick update on the wash room expansion – we are down to just building more drying racks. Hooray, thought it would never get there but finally it did. My Shetland fleeces are getting longer and prettier everyday. I cannot wait to work with them.

We just started an Etsy store you will have to visit it at http://www.etsy.com/shop/ilwoolandfiber?ga_search_query=ilwoolandfiber&ga_search_type=seller_usernames We are new to this site but please check back often so that you can capture some nice products.

Well I better get back to work in the mill I hope to see fiber from you all soon. Lastly, Illinois Wool and Fiber Mill wish to Thank all of customers from 2009 and hope to see you soon in 2010.

Jane

Been a Bit

Sorry everyone we have been so busy that I have not been able to steal a couple of moments to update the blog. First, I would like to thank everyone who visited us at the Fiber in the Park festival in Earlville last weekend. It was beautiful weather and there were lots of fiber enthusiasts there looking for those bargains. I have to say that one of the best things about the fiber industry is the friendly people that you meet. I met lots of people that have never done anything fiber but after a quick visit have dove in head first. Washroom expansion update – the walls are being painted so it will not be too long now. It is great to see this progressing. We are still running 7 days a week so we thank you all for your patience and understanding.

Jane

Alpaca Processing

Hello everyone, good news on the wash rack expansion project. Looks like we are over ½ way there now. We are trying hard to balance the work schedule with the mill work to not impact any deliveries. Things are moving along.
We have been doing tons of Alpaca fiber and it is processing beautifully. One customer has a home built tumbler and has pre-tumbled all of his fiber. These of course results in less vegetable matter to deal with.
The next key of course is getting that long staple length. I know I preach but this fiber is processing so nice because of proper staple length. We get asked what to do with 2nds, necks, and legs. We recommend transforming these into clouds. This allows you to market directly to hand spinners Alpaca fiber that can be hand spun but not commercially spun without blending. Customers that have elected to have us perform this service have been very satisfied with the results.

Jane

Different sheep, Different Fibers

Well sorry everyone fair week was exhausting and I did not get a chance for an update. I am assuming that everything fiber related is doing well. But I would like to comment on a couple of things. First, we all know that there are essentially 3 types of sheep in this world. One, wool breeds, known not for their muscle mass but for growing a beautiful fleece we use for spinning; two, meat breeds, known for their muscle mass and known that their fleece is not conducive to soft subtle yarn; three dual purpose, known for their appropriate mix of muscle mass and wool characteristics. I would challenge anyone that wants to learn more about sheep to study their breeds and judge them to their breed standard as should be done. Our industry relies on people understanding the characteristics of different fibers. Learn as much as you can and keep learning. I am.

Jane

Another action packed weekend

Am I the only person on this earth that has a weekend that is completely non-stop from Friday night through Monday morning? Wow, what a weekend we ran tons of fiber this weekend. No rest for us at the mill. My husband and his dad made major progress on the additional wash facilities. My mother and mother-in-law and me hammered out the roving and yarn this weekend.
We had a few passer bys that saw our road sign and stopped in to tour the mill. It was a great time for them because they were able to see the mill in total operation. It is best to call first but we enjoyed the visitors. We tried to concentrate on Alpaca this weekend and ran into some slight issues with staple length. Please remember when processing Alpaca fiber, the longer the better. What’s my saying? It’s all about staple length. Maybe I will have a t-shirt made or something.
Anyway, got to get back to work I have the Boone County Fair and still need to keep the mill running.

Jane

The word is getting out.

If you found this blog then odds are you found the Illinois Wool & Fiber Mill website. Although it is still being enhanced with new information the response has been terrific. If there are specific requests for the website please feel free to contact me or post to this blog. Pass the word.
Please note on your calendars that the Sheep & Wool Festival in Jefferson, Wisconsin is coming quickly. We will be there collecting fiber so save on shipping costs and bring your fleece.

Jane

Where did the summer go, 2nd cuts?

Monday August 3rd where did the summer go already. It seems to be flying by. I have returned from the Illinois State Horse show it was great to spend a few days with my daughter.
Looks like my husband is SLOWLY progressing on the wash room expansion project. I am excited to see this be completed so that we will double our wash capacity. This project will also offer us some additional raw storage so send in those fleeces we have plenty of room.
My husband was asked over the weekend if a fleece that is in multiple pieces is a problem. Let me address this from my perspective. I feel this is not a problem at all since we will break it apart when we wash the fiber. The customer’s concern was that the fleece had been removed from the animal traditionally with just hand shears, hence the reason for the multiple pieces. When preparing your fiber for processing care should be taken to remove any 2nd cuts that maybe in the fiber. These are easy to spot since they are drastically shorter compared to the main fleece. The 2nd cuts will mostly fly out in the carding process but the remaining will still add an inconsistency during the carding into roving. They will be visible in the roving which will affect its smoothness.

Jane

End of July Approaches

Well July is rapidly coming to an end. The Illinois State horse show is going well Nicole is having a blast. Fiber continues to roll into the mill and we are very grateful. We continue to get great positive feedback on the work we have been doing. To update you all, the mill is still running seven days a week. The response is and has been awesome over the last year as we continue to get new customers from all over the country. Just a reminder, good fiber processing revolves around the principal – it is all about staple length. Length does matter with our machines. Exotic fibers that are short must be blended with wool to assure processing. With some of the finer fibers like Merino, the longer the better. We never cut fiber to a certain size. I have been asked that because some mills do. We like longer stapled fiber.

For commercial spinning take the extra time to choose your best fiber for spinning you will be happy you did. Remember it is all about staple length.

Jane

What a weekend

Wow, what a weekend. Again there was not an extra minute that was not utilized at the mill or on our farm. It was 4-H General Projects day on Saturday, my husband was the photography judge and I volunteered to help with the bake sale. Nicole did pretty good with her vet science project and other projects.
We had a good friend that is a carpenter come over and build a new stair well for our washroom expansion. For those of you that have visited the mill the expansion project is progressing just as we planned. We spun and spun late into the night Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I had to get some things made ahead since it is State Fair Horse show week. Nicole is taking her horse so we are hoping she has a good week showing.
ILWFM has added a new trailer to assist with the delivery and pickup of your fiber. We are working on the graphics but look for a black trailer displaying our ILWFM logo out and about.
Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Jane

Welcome!

Welcome to the Illinois Wool & Fiber Mill blog. I decided to start this blog to offer my customers a place to express their ideas and thoughts on everything fiber. I am new to this technology so be patient with me as I ramp up my posts.

First, I would like to thank everyone that stopped by our booth at the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair at McHenry County College last weekend. We had a great time meeting each of you and talking about our mill. My mother-in-law enjoyed the opportunity to sit and needle felt for everyone. Hopefully, some of you might take up this interesting past-time.

Through out this blog if at any time any of you have questions in regards to fiber processing please do not hesitate to post them. I will try to answer them as timely as possible. I will be dropping pertinent information on the proper preparation of your fiber prior to sending it to us in this blog. I will be listing the events at which we are attending so that you can capitalize on the opportunity to save shipping costs by bringing us your fiber to the event.

I look forward to blogging with all of you, so don’t hesitate join the action. Oh, and please don’t forget to sign our guestbook on www.ilwoolfibermill.com that is the best way to get notice on sales and special events.

Jane