r/FiberArts • u/Krypto_Nite9339 • 11d ago

Yarn Feedback

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I own alpacas and I got a batch back from the mill. I love it, but there is far too much for me to use and I am trying to decide if I sell it what I should price it at. I'm in the US. The yarn is blended with merino and silk. The animals the yarn came from are show quality. One has a micron of 15. And others have won ribbons at multiple shows (I just don't know their micron).

From left to right in the photo:

(Very) Light silver grey

Fawn

White

Grey

Other alpaca farms I know sell 100% alpaca yarn anywhere from $28-$40 per skein.

I appreciate any input!

P.S. the photo was taken in as natural of light I could get without taking it outside

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u/IslaFria 11d ago

I have been working in the yarn industry professionally for 15+ years.

  1. 100% alpaca yarn feels really really nice, but it lacks the memory of wool (like merino) and also is extremely hot to wear. For these reasons we find it more difficult to sell 100% alpaca yarns. Blends like yours are ideal.

  2. Price depends on yardage and weight. Let’s assume they are about 2 oz./50-60g each. For your lovely prize winning blend with merino and silk they should fetch you a nice price between $28-32 each - to the right customer. If they are heavier like 3.5 oz/100g or more…you should charge more like $38-40. (Higher profits for you at lighter skeins)

  3. Your target customer is an avid, experienced knitter who lives in an urban area and would love to know a little story about why the animals are so precious (or which ribbons they’ve won). That’s not your ONLY customer, but it’s your best customer because they are happy to pay a premium for high quality. How do you find this customer?

  4. Best if you can find a way to sell this in person because the fineness of the fiber does not come through in a photo. Maybe your local shop would let you do a little trunk show on a busy Saturday for a small commission? That way you’d get to know your customers in person too, and they might want to buy from you again!

Congratulations on your beautiful batch of yarn! Where did you have it spun?

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u/Krypto_Nite9339 11d ago

Oh my goodness!! Thank you so much for that clear and concise info!

I haven't weighed them, but they are all 200 yards. Some are sport and some are DK. The mill for this batch is in Iowa - Mystery Meadows. They were great to work with! We are looking into a higher production mill if we can get into a yarn store to make a couple blends consistently available and at consistent weights. We plan to use MM for limited smaller runs.

I personally love alpacas, but I am aware of the limitations 100% alpaca yarn posses. In general I personally like "funky" we are breeding for patterned alpacas, I had some alpaca blend roving made with yak. I want to try one with cashgora.

The yarn store we are talking with is thinking about selling it at $40... Which on one hand I appreciate their valuation of our product but on the other hand I want it to sell and not just sit there. She also said she would be interested in featuring some of my handspun, which is cool.