Hi there!
Thank you for visiting Emma Creek Fiber and Yarn. My name is Wendy, and I’m the fiber lover and producer behind the scenes here at Emma Creek! We’re located in the hills above Ester – not too far from Fairbanks – the Golden Heart City of Alaska!
I’ve been an avid knitter for all of my adult life and started creating my own yarn about 6 years ago after taking a spinning class from a friend and local shepherdess. Soon, I started working with fleeces that I purchased from sheep farmers from all over the United States, and learned how to wash and process wool from many breeds of sheep. I love blending different varieties of wool to produce a strong and resilient, yet soft yarn! There is a magical science behind creating yarn from raw fleece, and I love every minute of the process!
The idea behind starting Emma Creek Fiber and Yarn started years ago, but became a reality just three years ago, shortly after retiring from my full-time career as a Public Health Nurse. Now, we’ve developed a website along with having an online presence, and attend live local events to sell our products. Stay tuned for event updates on the website in the very near future!
We offer dyed wool braids for spinners, home spun yarns, dyed commercially spun yarns, along with a few hand-knit products! Soon, we’ll be offering washed sheep fleece and dyed locks on our site, as well as art batts of blended fibers for spinners. We’ve also expanded our flower garden to include flowers that produce lovely botanical dyes for our yarns!
Again, thank you for visiting our site and please contact us if you have any questions about Emma Creek Fiber and Yarn. And, if you’re ever in the Ester area, please reach out if you’d like to visit us. Happy fibering!
— Wendy Lou Berg
Fiber & Yarn FAQ
Q. Can you tell me more about homespun yarn?
A. Homespun (or handspun) yarn is typically spun in small batches on spinning wheels or drop spindles. Homespun yarn can have lots of textures, or can be very smooth, and frequently is made from fiber that is processed by hand. It can take several hours to make a skein of yarn and fiber artists oftentimes spend years perfecting their skill!
Q. How is homespun yarn different than commercially produced yarn?
A. While homespun yarn is made in small batches on small spinning wheels or drop spindles, commercially spun yarn is typically made in huge batches on huge machines in factories or mills. Most commercially spun yarn is very consistent in size throughout the skein, whereas homespun yarn typically has a bit of texture and character throughout the skein.
Q. Does homespun yarn come in different weights and plies?
A. Yes – it does! Homespun yarn is available in a variety of plies and weights, such as two, three, four plies and cabled. Homespun is also available in lace weight, as well as aran, sport, worsted, woolen and bulky. You can also find beautiful art yarn, spun by skilled spinners that show off beads, bobbles, and luscious locks! Clothing made with homespun yarn will yield a beautiful knit or crocheted surface that is hard to reproduce with commercially made yarns.
Q. Why is homespun yarn more expensive than commercially made yarn?
A. When you buy a skein of homespun yarn, you are purchasing yarn that took several hours to not only spin, but hours in fleece preparation. Raw fleece is purchased from small farms, the fleece is washed by hand, then either carded or combed with specialized tools, and perhaps dyed in small batches. Then, the fiber is spun and plied into yarn. When you buy a skein of homespun yarn, you can be assured that your yarn was made with loving care by hand, over several hours!
**We thoroughly rinse our home-dyed fiber products. Still, as can happen with home dyed fiber, occasionally, a very slight tint of color will show in the rinse water of your product. If you experience anything more than an ever so slight color release, please contact us immediately. We use and recommend Synthropol, a gentle fiber soap especially made for home dyed fiber that catches color.