Yarn or a Tale Spinning Fibers
Fine Natural & Hand Dyed Spinning Fibers & Handcrafted Goats Milk Soaps
8465 Fallahay Road, Millington MI 48746 New phone: (810) 240-7939
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 thought I might explain a bit about my personal mission statement for my business (don't worry, this will be really informal ;> ) If you're interested in reading about why I offer the types of fibers that I offer here on this website, please CLICK HERE for the story :)
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.
If you enjoy my dyework and like to buy yarn ~ Please visit my Etsy Shop! Most of my yarn is spun locally from Michigan or US Flocks and is dyed using the same kettle dyeing process as my spinning fiber :)
NEW FIBERS LISTED!
New Kettle Dyed Merino/Tussah Silk Laps colorways & NATURAL WHITE MERINO/TUSSAH SILK LAPS BACK IN STOCK!
Check out the Premium Fibers page for our exquisite 80/20 Natural Fawn Suri Alpaca & Merino Roving!
Pale Silver Shetland and Charcoal Grey Jacob Rovings on the Natural Colored Rovings page!
Don't forget the MOHAIR PAGE :)
GREAT NEW SOCK BLEND COLORWAYS ~ These fibers are good sturdy medium wools that will give a lot of strength and long wear to your handspun and hand knit 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! Look for more of these coming in the next few weeks.
100% BORDER LEICESTER ROVINGS BACK IN STOCK & NEW OOAK ROVINGS LISTED!
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.
NEW MAGAZINES IN STOCK ~ EMAIL ME FOR AN INVOICE OR INCLUDE A NOTE WITH YOUR CHOICE IN THE PAYPAL SHOPPING CART (they are the normal cover price per issue)
NEW IK HOLIDAY KNITS 2008 IN STOCK plus back issues of the out of print IK Holiday Gifts 2007 still in stock!
I've also opened an Etsy shop for hand-dyed and handspun yarns ~ VISIT: YARN OR A TALE ON ETSY
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!
HAND CRAFTED SOAP SPECIALS!
Holiday Goat's Milk Soap Specials
FRENCH VANILLA COOKIE GOATS MILK SOAP:
4-5 oz BAR ~ $3.00 (10 bars available)
CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR HANDCRAFTED SOAPS PAGE TO PURCHASE
Mission Statement (sort of!)
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 local 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. 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, your neighbors, and perhaps, even your own community :)
New Brick and Mortar Location...
As many of you may now know, I've closed the brick and mortar store front in Millington, Michigan. BUT.... We've taken on a booth at Enduring Reflections, which is just south of our old location, where you can find hand-dyed and hand-spun yarns, a small selection cotton, wool, and other natural fiber yarns along with patterns, books, magazines and a small selection of needles and notions. I won't be stocking my spinning fibers there but I'll be happy to meet with spinning/fiber customers by appointment ~ everything I have for sale in spinning fiber will be listed on the website. Just let me know what you're interested in and I'll bring it up to the booth for you to pick up.
The address to Enduring Reflections is 8516 State Street, and our booth is in the back. I'm currently working on stocking the booth but there are yarns there, as well as a terrific selection of knit and crochet magazines to browse so do stop by soon! You can reach me by emailing YarnoraTale@gmail.com. The number to Enduring Reflections is 989-871-5080 and she's open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It's a WONDERFUL shop to visit ~ Billie (the owner) has a fantastic selection of unique antique and vintage treasures as well as new gift items.
Important Shipping Information for US and International Customers
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
FUN STUFF TO DO!
Check it out! This is a blog I created where we can all be "Team Members" on the same blog and commit to knitting for OURSELVES for a change:) If you're interested in becoming a team member, EMAIL ME and I'll send you an invite!
Join the UFO KNIT CLUB TEAM BLOG for inspiration and motivation to turn UFO's into FO's :)
