Seeking a Fibre of the Month club

[flicstarstudios]

Does anyone know of any 'fibre of the month' clubs?
I suppose it would be like a quilt 'block of the month', where you sign up and they send you out a batch of fibre every month, usually different kinds so you get a feel for working with different fibres.

I have been searching online and found a couple in America, (they charge extra for international postage) but haven't been able to find any in Australia. Not a big deal, I would go international if it was a recommended club.

If anyone knows of the kind of thing I'm talking about, I'd be very interested to hear.

Thanks in advance
flic

[Shepherdess]

I would check through spinners groups, that's where I have heard of them before. Are there many different breeds being farmed in Australia? I always think if it as only merino. You could always start one yourself.

[Karen]

Hi Flic
Those fibre of the month clubs are really expensive, i've added this link from Mandi at ewegivemetheknits, she really nice and has beautiful fibre but costs a lot

www.ewegivemetheknits.com/store/Default.asp

what i used to do to try different wool was contact the sheep farms direct and usually they'll send out raw fleece in the amount you want, most of the time you'll have to wash it yourself but its nice to know how it feels before and after, i've purchased from New Zealand as well and they were really good, its been a while since i've done that and i'd have to look up where i found them lol

[zed]

I've been thinking of doing something similar, Flic.

We did try to start something a while ago offering it through etsy, the first lot was 4 different types of silk. I still have some on my etsy now.
I did buy some other fibres too, I think it was plastic, nylon, viscose and something else.

I was also thinking of other felting embellishments like organza, fancy yarns, bamboo tops etc.

It's hard to work out the details though, what kind of amounts people would be interested in, how much they'd be willing to pay etc. The silk has been on etsy for ages, it is as close to cost price as possible. but a lot of people, especially in the US, are completely unwilling to buy from overseas. Even when you explain how cheap prices are, and put it in dollars.


If there was interest I'd be more likely to do it, but I don't want to fork out a load of money for fibres and just be left with them all.

What sort of things are you interested in?

[flicstarstudios]

Thanks all for your help. Yes, they are expensive!
It was tricky to Google these things, what with the fibre/fiber spelling difference, and all the other fibre things you can have like carbon fibre and fibre optic cables :-)

I managed to find quite a few now defunct clubs - looks like they must have taken a fair bit to organise since so many are now discontinued.

I found three in the states:
• www.spunkyeclectic.com/Spunky_Club_IN_p/club-f-in.htm
• shop.nerdgirlyarns.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=11_130
• shop.sweetgeorgiayarns.com/products/sweetgeorgia-fibre-club

But I think I will sign up for this one which is based in Tasmania:
www.thethylacine.com/fibreclub

I love the idea of having things arrive on your doorstep that you would maybe never have chosen yourself. I think fundamentally I don't like making decisions and am a bit lazy :-) That's why the idea of a club really appeals.

I think they are breeding a lot more than just Merino nowadays here in Australia. I learnt at spinning class that there are some raw fleeces that you simply cannot get in this country like Blue Faced Leicester. If you try to import it it would get stopped at Customs and probably sprayed/treated and I suppose ruined?

But this Tasmanian club seems to offer a variety besides Merino like Finn and Polwarth. Also Llama and synthetics as well. Should be interesting.

[MTRuth]

Let us know how it works out, what kind of fiber you get and how you like it. We'd love to know the details

[newmoorbarn]

I'd be really interestedin how you find the club as it may be something i can offer in the UK. Please let us know your thoughts once you start recieving your lovely fibres. amanda

[flicstarstudios]

Will do. I have signed up and received an email to say that my first parcel will arrive mid-July. So hard to be patient!

From what I understand, it's a fair bit of work on the part of the organiser...but can build a little community if people have somewhere online to share their experiences together - a forum or place to comment.

Anyway, I'll let you all know my experience of this.

[zed]

It definitely is a lot of work, Amanda. I've done a couple of fibre packs and they've taken me over 4 hours each time to put together. I have someone helping me test some stuff to work out quantities and best fibres. I think it will only be worth the effort if there is a definite market, that's one reason I thought of a fibre club, people will have to commit first. I think it'd be a great idea for you if you already have your fibres easily accessible and would just have to weigh and make up the packs. I've seen many people say over the years they'd love to try different animal fibres and that mixed packs would be great.

[koffipot]

Take care when buying/receiving goods from abroad. We recently discovered this to our cost. Our purchase cost was £22, but import duty and Royal Mail handling charges added a further £12 which was payable on receipt of the goods. Not such a good buy after all.

Take care that the declared value is less than £15 sterling. Otherwise import VAT and Royal Mail handling charges kick in, making things very expensive.

"http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/buying.htm#3"