Spinderella's FAQ's
1640 South 600 East * Salt Lake City~ UT * 84105 * 801.668.0563
Will I Get My Own Fibers Back?
Yes, we always treat each order as if it were ours. We not only return your fibers to you, but we wash, card or spin each bag separately. We do not blend the bags of fiber unless instructed to. We like to know which fleece or fleeces we would buy again, and there is no way to tell if the fibers are all blended.About how long will it take?
This answer always varies depending on the time of year. The spring and summer are our busiest times and the wait may be longer than we would like. Remember, there are just two of us- Jim and Lynn. One person washing (Lynn), one person spinning ( Jim) , and both of us carding the fibers. Please be patient, we are working as quickly as we can. But if you would like a rough estimate, write or call us.Most of the time:
- Carding only is the week of arrival in house.
- Washing and Carding is about 2- 6 weeks of arrival in house.
- Spinning orders are about 6-12 weeks of arrival in house.
What's the longest staple length of fiber you can process?
We can process wool up to seven inches in length. Any longer than that and the wool gets tangled and wrapped around our machinery.If I want to wash my wool myself, how do I do it?
Check out our Washing A Fleece page- this should help you get your fleeces very clean.How do I package and ship my wool to send it to you?
- Package wool in plastic bags remove as much air as you can from the bag, and put it in the smallest box you can.We use a vacuum to suck all the air out of the bags and a twisty tie to close. We twist the top of the bag as well. If there are any holes in the bag, this will not work, but you can always slip the bag of fiber into another bag and try it again. No sense in paying those shippers more money- why not save the $$$'s for fiber!
- Please write on the outside of the box if the fiber is washed- this will expedite your order. Also write if your fiber is for carding or spinning. Just write the words: WASHED , CARD, SPIN
- Please include the shipping address on the order form. We cannot ship to a PO Box, as we use UPS for return shipping.
- Enclose a Spinderella's Order Form or instructions and contact information in each box. Include: date, name, address, phone number, number of packages shipped, what you would like done with each fleece, etc.
- Send to: 1640 South 600 East * Salt Lake City, Ut * 84105 We will call or e-mail you with confirmation of your order.If you do not hear from us within 1-2 weeks of you sending your boxes, please call or write to us. A few packages never reached us, and the sooner you can trace the packages the better. We do insure all packages over $100 for that reason.
Will processing get out all vegetable matter?
Contrary to Rumplestitskin's bragging, we CANNOT spin straw into gold or sheep or other animal tags ( poop) into usable processed fibers! We skirt a fleece heavily to insure a better end product.
Though we do have a lumber and Meriwether sports a " picker breast". we will not put a heavily VM'ed fiber on the card. The carding cloth is very expensive and heavy VM will make the re clothing process premature.
Save yourself a bit on the shipping and washing cost of processing by taking as much veggie matter and tags out of the fleeces. The washing, picking and carding of wool will remove approximately one third to one half of the vegetable matter .
If your fiber is too full with VM, or moths, sand, and other contaminants, to process, we will simply throw it away. Or upon your request and your shipping expense, we can ship it home to you.
Why does my yarn or roving still have little hay bits?
Well- it is due to the fiber having lots of hay and VM in the 1st place. I can assure you that we do not have a bucket of hay,straw, dirt or pilled fiber bits sitting beside Meriwether to toss into your fibers as they are being processed. We cannot turn a sows ear into a silk purse. You might want to read our opinion on how to chose a fleece. And remember- free fiber is usually going to cost you more in the long run- whether in time or money.How do I pay for my fiber processing?
All processing requires pre-payment. If there isn't a credit card number, a check, or payment via Paypal, fiber will not be shipped and additional charges will be added 15 days after the invoice date.Do you offer mill tours?
Not at this time. We have lots of equipment in the building and the liabilities are too high. We would not want someone to get hurt when they were supposed to be having fun .
Why would you need to re-wash my fiber?
- You have left too much lanolin in the fibers and it will make Meriwether not feel her best. She is on a lanolin free diet.
- You have left too much dirt in the fiber, like llama and alpaca, and we do need to see while we are working. Excessive dirt makes a large cloud in the shop, and though we do wear masks, we still need to breathe and see. :-)
- You have used fabric softener on your fibers. This is a real NO NO!
Have any other fiber questions that need answered? Send us an e-mail and we will try to update this page as we see the need, but we will always answer you with an e-mail or a phone call.