Frequently Asked Questions

Skirting is the first (and most important!) cleaning step after shearing. It means removing the dirty, coarse, or unusable parts of a raw fleece so only the best fiber goes to the mill.

✅ What you remove during skirting:

• Belly wool (often short, dirty, or matted)
• Leg wool & britch (coarse, hairy fibers)
• Heavy tags (manure-coated locks)
• Excessive vegetable matter (VM): hay, burrs, sticks
• Second cuts (short snippets from re-shearing)
• Any stained, felted, or damaged sections

• Keeps our machines running smoothly
• Prevents contaminants from ending up in your finished product
• Saves you from extra fees & ensures the softest, cleanest results!
• Keeps the mill running efficiently, less machine downtime for cleaning and maintenance to get orders out quicker.

Write down your **incoming weight**: ______ lb X $10 _____ = price for washing

Pick your fiber:  ☐ Alpaca (lose 20–25%)  ☐ Wool (lose up to 50%)   

Now use your incoming wight to calcutate your estimated loss: 

• Alpaca: ______ × 0.75 = ______ lb      
• Wool:   ______ × 0.5  = ______ lb        

☐ Carding/Roving/Batts/Core Spun = rates x estimated loss lbs = $______ 

calcutaion (stop here if not processing to yarn)

☐ Yarn (see rates) = rate x estimated loss lbs = $______      (includes carding)

☐ Extras? ________________ = $______   

**ESTIMATED TOTAL = 

Washing _____+ Additional/Extra + Carding or Yarn price $______**

SAMPLE:

10 lbs x $10 = $100

alpaca - 10 x 0.75 = 7.5 lbs

DK yarn 2 ply - $32 x 7.5 lbs =$240

Wash $100 + Yarn $240 = $340

• Note: this does not include additional pricing and just a tool to give you a rough cost

Once we have received your Client Intake Form we will contact you via email with a PDF of our order forms to fill out. An order form must accompany each fleece/batch. This insures that your order stays together.. We will then schedule your date. We accept shipments as well as in person delivery and pick up.

Skirt - Pack - Ship

Once you have it all packed get on the Pirate Ship website. This is like Hotels.com or Kayak.com for shipping. You will get rate quotes for shipping from all the major shipping companies.

Don't forget the order forms!

Coming Soon!

We can process 2-7 inch long fibers. We can process 1.5 inch fibers to roving.

We can process babydoll into roving or core spun (rug) yarn only. 

Reach out to us via the chat, email or give us a call. We are here to help and look forward to working with you fiber.