Farm-fresh Yarn

There’s nothing better than a fresh-from-the-mill delivery of farm yarn. The satisfaction of about 2 years of work reveals itself as I open the box. Shepherds who create farm yarn know how special this moment is. Many of you who create with farm yarn can also relate.

That yarn starts in the hot summer months as we bale hay. It continues in the coldest months as we keep our sheep waterers thawed. Most sheep breeds take a full year to grow a fleece with a staple long enough to make yarn. Did you know mills need at least a 3½-inch staple length to create yarn? The shearers shear, the shearing team skirts, bags and tags, the shepherds skirt some more. Finally, the wool is packaged for delivery to the mill. Then the waiting starts. I’ve waited up to a full year for yarn to return from the mill to the farm, where I dye it in a range of colors.

Decisions and Worries

Really, though, there’s so much more than waiting. Many decisions go into making farm yarn. Should I have the mill make DK, sport, worsted, or a different weight? Is 3-ply or 2-ply a better option? Should I make 4-ounce skeins or 2-ounce skeins? Wait, what about 100-gram skeins? I had no idea what kind of yarn customers would prefer.

When I started making farm yarn, I was a new spinner and weaver with very little personal experience with yarn, so this was a straight-up learning curve. I didn’t know what ply or weight yarn I preferred to create with, and this added to my uncertainty of what yarn to order. This is where forging a relationship with the miller is important! Five years ago when I was a novice at making farm yarn, I asked a lot of questions. Fortunately, the millers graciously guided me.

A nearby mill combined wool from Leaf Livestock with colorful silk to create this bright confetti yarn. [PAYWALL] One mill has created a lot of fun blends for me, such as a Polypay confetti-look yarn that they achieved by adding a small amount of brightly colored silk fiber. I called it birthday party yarn, and it sold out within a week!

Guidance and feedback from customers was helpful as well. I asked repeat customers for their feedback. I asked for knit and crochet samples to be created. This feedback was invaluable.

I wondered if my wool was skirted well enough. I worried if the staple was long enough. I perseverated on so many decisions. Furthermore, making yarn is expensive! I needed to have a great product for the customers to consider paying my price if I was going to make this adventure worth it.

Lessons Learned along the Way

When the first batch came home from the mill, I was excited but not entirely pleased. There was vegetable matter (VM) left in, which is typical of yarn made from uncoated sheep. I got feedback from a knitting group who said they would not use the yarn because of the VM. Woah! That was so disheartening, but I didn’t give up. I learned that I needed to do a better job skirting if I was going to make acceptable farm yarn.

At one point in my journey, I made batches of animal-specific yarn. I felt like this was a good way for customers to be more connected to the animal, but I found that this approach was not sustainable. The mill needed at least 10 pounds of wool, or I’d incur a small-batch fee per batch of yarn. Many sheep breeds don’t produce that much wool per year, so animal-specific is more expensive to produce.

One year, I decided to have the mill that creates the most beautiful clean combed top make our yarn. The advantage was that the VM would be minimal. The yarn would come home on cones, and I liked that option. There were a couple disadvantages to consider, though: I had to send a minimum of 30 pounds of wool for each yarn run. Additionally, the wait for this batch was one year long, which was challenging.

When the yarn came back, I didn’t love it. The mill did not wash the yarn a second time after spinning it, so it was still greasy. I didn’t realize the yarn would come home in this condition.

This Merino and natural-colored Rambouillet wool is carded and spun, which creates a bouncy and delightful yarn that might include an occasional piece of VM.

Two Mills, Perfect Yarn

One day I thought about combining the work of two mills. I could use each mill’s best service to get my best yarn. I asked one mill if they’d create yarn from another mill’s combed top. The miller graciously agreed, and the results were amazing: VM-free and spun into a dream. I’d found my perfect yarn; I was so pleased! I was then able to make repeatable yarn that the customers love, with little to no VM. Now I sell out of this yarn in no time. One downside to this process, however, is the cost. As I calculate what I spent on each skein, there is an added fee.

After making farm-fresh yarn for five years, I have learned plenty, and I have confidence in my decisions. Even some of the mishaps along the way turned out better than I feared. For instance, I learned that some knitters don’t mind a little bit of VM. The same yarn that some customers wouldn’t want to use is now a sweater created by a loyal repeat customer! And the yarn that came back from the mill greasy has all been skeined, rewashed, and woven into blankets or knitted into sweaters, hats, and mitts.

I feel fortunate that I have an unlimited wool supply, local Midwest mills to collaborate with, loyal customers, and the patience and support to continue my wool adventure.

Anne Sammons and her family own Leaf Livestock Wool Company, which raises Polypay, naturally colored Rambouillet/Columbia cross, Merino/Targhee cross, and Merino sheep in northern Illinois. Find her on Instagram as @leaflivestockwoolco.