Fiber Processing

Article by Cathy Clark

A few years ago, I bought a lot of delectable merino fleeces from Bliss Ranch and an alpaca from Kritchell Kriations and realized, for the first time in thirty years, I wouldn't have enough time to process them. About that same time, I noticed a big red truck with a logo and Ft. Collins, CO number for a fiber mill then...fast forward a few days and when I asked a friend what fiber processor she suggested the same name as was on the truck...Red Barn Fiber Processing. Who am I to argue with fate and thus began my relationship with Susan Boyes.

As a spinner, I'm always interested in how someone else falls down this particular rabbit hole. Susan fell down twenty-two years ago when her daughters started in 4-H with angora rabbits and then moved on to sheep. When her girls graduated a decade ago, Susan switched to llamas because she "likes their calm and peaceful nature better than sheep".

Working for a temp agency meant Susan would, periodically, be out of work and she thought about buying a fiber mill. She did a lot of calculation on the cost of the mill, where to buy one and where to set it up. After making a business plan she and Curt, her husband, found a mill for sale within a day's drive of Curt's uncle who had connections in a U-haul business. Susan and Curt turned their two-car garage into the mill and added a replacement two-car garage. The replacement garage is now used for fiber related storage such as fleeces, drying rack, etc.

In the spring of 1995, she shared a booth at local fiber festivals with Rocky Mountain Llama Association, also just starting in business. She advertised her start-up business and and local shops supported her by carrying her homegrown fleeces as well as other local grower's fleeces.

Susan specializes in processing for the hand spinner and can keep fleeces separated in small lots; her minimum charge is for one pound of fiber. She credits her faith in God and says He has caused her

business to be successful; she feels the mill was "meant to be". At one point, she needed help and asked Jewel, a neighbor, if she would be interested in a job. Jewel showed up the next morning and has been at the mill for two and a half years.

A few years ago, Susan and Curt saw yaks in Vermont and ended up with 2 weaned yaks from a Colorado breeder in Colorado she met at EPWM. When the baby yaks jumped the fence, Susan and Curt quickly found out the yaks weren't weaned from their herd. Time passed and now the yaks are weaned, they stay in their own pens and are "nice and peaceful". Susan blends the yak fiber with silk and fine wools or uses it plain. A shop attached to the mill sells knitted and felted items, yarns and rovings and is a spinner's and knitter's delight.

What I did with those first fleeces processed by Susan was crochet several sweaters and vests. In fact, right now I am wearing a free form vest of solar dyed hand spun merino (photo in my blog's photo album).

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From Cathy Clark:

I learned to knit as a child and taught myself to crochet a decade later. I like to design patterns for my handspun yarns. One of my favorite things to do is spin with the stone whorl spindles when my husband and I drive somewhere (he drives, I spin). Cathy Adair-Clark

Cathy blogs at Catena Expressions and her beautiful pictures of life in Colorado and her amazing crochet pieces are an inspiration!