Custom Processing 101

This guide is a walk through of our custom processing services, designed to help you understand each step of the process, how to prepare your wool for the mill, and how to fill out our Processing Queue Intake Form. 

1. What custom processing services does Wool for the People offer?

Our mill processes wool from raw fleece into roving. We do not spin yarn, yet. We can end our processing any step along the wool journey. That means if you want us to scour only, great. If you want us to scour and pick so that you can card and blend at home, wonderful. If you want us to process your roving into hand dyed 4 ounce braids, we've got you covered. The list of services: skirting, scouring, picking, carding, drawing, dyeing.

Filling out the Processing Queue Intake Form

1. Please fill out your contact information. We use this to build your customer profile, send you estimates, contact you with questions or clarifications, and invoice you!

2. Breed or Species. What if I don't know the exact breed? Why is this important?

Any and all specifics you can provide help us send you a more exact estimate and prepare to handle your fleeces according to their needs. It is not necessary that we know, we do process mystery fleeces and unknown crosses on a regular basis. Knowing it is a Merino cross versus a Valais cross will impact how much we estimate based on scouring needs (lanolin content varies across different breeds), whether we need to hand pick or mechanically pick, the settings we use on our carders, etc. With mystery fleeces and unknown crosses we will estimate you to the best of our abilities and upon receipt and inspection we can determine the best course of action based on fleece characteristics such as lanolin content, staple Length, approximate micron count, etc. As the customer you will need to be prepared that you might have a very different looking invoice compared to your estimate. If you would like a revised estimate upon inspection, please let us know. This is not something we offer by default. 

3. Approximate Staple Length. 

This measurement is how long the fiber is from the shorn end to the tip of the fiber. This is particularly important if you plan to have your fibers blended. Greatly varied staple lengths can be difficult to card and result in nepps. It also affects how we pick your wool. It is helpful for us to have but not absolutely necessary.

4. Raw Weight. Do I need to know exactly how much I have?

We do not need an exact number. We use this number to calculate your estimate, the more precise this number, the more accurate this estimate will be. If this number varies greatly upon check in we will edit the estimate and require an additional deposit prior to production. 

5. What processes are required for my wool?

What you select is based on what state your wool is in and where you would like it to go! 
Skirting: This is the process of picking vegetable matter (VM), poop, debris, and short or second cuts out of your fleece. Anything that we don't want in our finished product needs to be skirted out. We can absolutely accept wool that has been skirted but there are times when skirting done by the customer is not enough and we will need to do additional skirting. Debris that will 100% require additional skirting if found include but are not limited to: sticks, twigs, thorny branches, and burrs of any sort. 
Scouring: This is the washing process. If your fleeces have already been washed, please note that they may need additional scouring to be run safely on our equipment. So far we are about 50/50 for folks who have scoured enough vs fleeces that need additional scouring. 
Picking: This process comes after scouring when the wool is dry. Medium to course wool is processed on our power picker, more delicate wools often need to be picked by hand, a laborious task that prevents tender and delicate fleeces from breaking during the picking process. 
Carding: Carding is what produces roving. We load the picked wool onto our carder where it is blended and straightened, then extruded as a web. Some fibers like Qivuit do not have enough of a staple Length to hold together as roving so they are processed into web. Majority of fibers will enter our roving deck to be turned into a rope-like put up known as roving. We do not produce combed top (processed on a worsted comb system) but might someday!
Drawing: If you plan to hand dye your roving, you will want it drawn. This takes the lighter grist (density) roving that comes straight off our machines and combines multiple strands to create a denser roving that will stay together when hand dyed. This is an optional step for hand spinners, some folks prefer a denser grist when spinning, some prefer lighter! If you would like us to process a partial batch for you, please let us know and we are happy to make that happen so you can see the difference in your end product. 
Dyeing: We are a mill and dyehouse! If you would like us to hand dye your fibers, we can absolutely do so. 

6. Final Put Up. What is this? 

Your final put up is how you would like your fiber returned to you (if you are receiving roving or drawn roving back). Your option is bumps or bulk. Individual bumps can be averaged or exact. Our bump maker measures by the yard so included in the standard carding price is bumps that are going to vary in size. We can aim for an average weight, but they will all vary. If you would like your fiber weighed out exactly and wound into perfect, evenly weighed bumps, there is an extra charge of $2/bump. Bulk is just like it sounds, you'll receive a bag full of roving just as it comes off the machine. You can wind off however much you need or handspin directly from the bag! The photo below is an example of what a bump looks like.