Yarn or a Tale Spinning Fibers

8465 Fallahay Road,  Millington  MI  48746 

Welcome to Yarn or a Tale!  Please browse and enjoy your shopping experience and if you have ANY questions at all, feel free to contact me!  I'm happy to custom dye more of a colorway for large projects or dye a particular colorway in another fiber so don't be afraid to ask :)  I dye 8 oz lots of my colorways but if you'd like a pound or more, I'll dye your fiber in the same dyelot so that differences between 8 oz lots are at a minimum.  This means that while each 8 oz lot won't match exactly because of the kettle dyeing process I use , the differences will be minimized because all the dye for your batch is mixed at the same time.

******Please CLICK HERE for important shipping information ~ we encourage everyone to read this before placing an order on our site ~ this page contains information for US customers and is especially important for INTERNATIONAL customers.*****

Lots of new colorways listed!.  I've dyed up the last of the Merino x Rambouillet Combed Top so grab it while you still can.   I've added some more romney/cotswold sock rovings, some new combed tops that are excellent for sock spinning (or anything else really!), and some new domestic merino combed top.  Coming next week are mohair locks, wensleydale locks, and a lucious wensleydale x dorset roving.

I've also included a new app on the site which allows you to shop my Etsy shop right here on the website by clicking the link at the bottom of the navigation menu.  (your purchases from the Etsy shop will be transacted through Etsy and not via the Paypal interface you're familiar with on the website although you can pay for your Etsy purchased through Paypal).  If you'd like to combine the two, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to send an invoice via Paypal :)  I've included the shop here because Etsy is where I list my yarns and will be listing magazines, books and patterns in the future. 

I list on both Etsy and this website simultaneously so fiber quantity numbers you see here on the website and on Etsy are what I have available, meaning that if it says 8 oz on Etsy and 8 oz on the website, I don't have a total of a pound, I have a total of 8 oz.  I update the two sites as things sell.  This has always made me a little nervous but I sell too much on Etsy to close it down and I still have customers who prefer the website so have been hesitant to close it down either. 

 SOCK BLEND COLORWAYS

ON SALE NOW!!  These fibers are good sturdy medium wools that will give a lot of strength and long wear to your handspun and hand knit socks and they're put up in 6 oz lots so there's plenty there without having to worry about not having enough fiber or yarn for a big pair of socks.   I've also added rovings dyed with a new technique called "Color Study Magic". These lots have longer color repeats and some of the color is more concentrated in certain parts of the rovings, meaning you can either spin them as they are OR study them and work with the repeats in your own way ~ tear them apart, sort them, spin them side by side, etc.  Something a bit challenging for those that like to experiment and play with color in their spinning! 

Premium and Exotic Fibers have moved to their own page : Premium Fibers  This is where the Really Good Stuff lives... alpaca blends, kid mohair and silk blends, etc. 

I've also opened an Etsy shop for hand-dyed and handspun yarns ~ VISIT:  YARN OR A TALE ON ETSY  by clicking this link or visit Etsy without leaving my site by clicking the new link to my Etsy store at the bottom of the navigation menu to your left.

I have lots of great sock yarns listed there ~ all from Michigan or US flocks and spun at a local mill here in Michigan.  I also have a wool/acrylic SUPER SOFT lace weight that's very inexpensive.  If you want to add Etsy shop yarns to your order from the website here, just email your choices and I'll invoice you for them with no extra charge for shipping :)  Soon I'll have my own website and dot.com up and running and everything will live together there but for now, visit my Etsy shop for hand-dyed yarns!

BARGAIN BAR GOAT'S MILK SOAP CLEARANCE SPECIAL (while supplies last)!

 4-5 oz BAR ~ $2.00

These are fantastic, hard, lovely bars of handcrafted goat's milk and shea butter soaps.  I buy them in bulk from a wonderful lady here in the U.S. and they aren't sorted by scent.  These are her "ugly" bars so they aren't perfect but they are wonderful .  So, while I can't tell you what scent you'll be receiving, none of her soaps are heavily scented.  They last a very long time and are rich, creamy and yummy.  If all you need are a few bars, shipping may seem excessive due to the way the Paypal cart is set up ~  if so please rest assured that I will issue you a Paypal refund for the difference in shipping charges. 

I work at a local woolen mill here in Michigan (Zeilinger Wool Company) and as a result, almost all my fiber is processed here, in my own community.  I have the ability to cherry pick the fiber from the ground up ~ I can purchase the quality fleeces I want and have them processed to my own specifications.  Because of this, you may be surprised at the fineness of our Romney rovings or the softness of our Border Leicester. 

I purchase fleeces from American and local (to me!)  Michigan shepherds and farms, and have it processed into rovings here where I work.   It's extremely important to me to be able to support the businesses in my own community and the shepherds here in my own state or in the United States.  If staying in the fiber business meant having to sell imported goods, I'm not sure that I would make that choice ~ this is absolutely that important to me. 

I realize that the imported commercial fibers are very popular with most spinners but I hope you'll consider trying some of the product produced here, in our own communities and on American soil.  Not all wool is as next-to-the-skin soft as imported merino and superwash and BFL, but it ALL has a purpose and can be better suited for a variety of things in terms of how hard it wears, its luster, its ability to take dyes, and its ease of spinning and affordability.  I guarantee you that socks spun from good old American Romney will outlast socks spun from superwash merino, hands down. 

And we have much more than sheep's wool grown here in this country...we have alpacas and llamas and mohair goats and buffalo and pygora goats and angora rabbits, raised by people here in the U.S. and processed by mills, here in the U.S.  So next time you're thinking about a spinning project or fibery splurge, I hope you'll take a few minutes to consider the fibers and yarns produced by your countrymen and women, your neighbors, and perhaps, even your own community :) 

Gift certificates now available!

We've created a page for you to check your various options before shopping with us....please take a moment to read this page before shopping so that you understand your options.  This is particularly important for INTERNATIONAL customers but US customers should also check their options as our shopping cart doesn't fit every purchase, particularly small items.  These can be shipped for a LOT less than what the cart will insert.

Click here to view our shipping options and information page