YES! There are two options.

The first and easiest is just to pledge for one item, and wait for the campaign to end. After the campaign ends, I’ll invite you to a website called “Backerkit”. In backerkit, you’ll be able to add more yarn, fiber, or whatever you’d like at the same prices as the campaign. Backerkit is also where you’ll select your yarn weights and colors.

The second option is to add up the total amount of pledges you would like, and change your pledge to that total. I advise to NOT also add the total shipping charge again, as that will be cheaper for additional items. Extra funds for shipping can be added in Backerkit after the campaign ends.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46

Sorry about this to my EU customers. I’m not making any money on shipping, but just transferring what the cost is quoted from USPS. Last year I had actually planned on using a distribution center in Hong Kong to ship things out and planned prices for that last season. This year, due to COVID19, some of the delivery options are not available from HK, and I have to ship everything back to America first.

Because of that, US prices are cheaper this year while EU prices are more expensive. I tried to add pledge options that give the best value for the weight brackets. For example, while 300g and 700g may be the same price to ship, so going to the higher package can make a lot more sense.

If I find anyway to reduce shipping internationally throughout the campaign, I promise to refund any overpaid shipping.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46

First and foremost, I’m raising money to make the minimum requirements for spinning. Any profits or surplus funding will go directly into inventory to continue providing yarn to customers after the campaign.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46

All of our fibers come from free ranged animals raised by traditional nomadic herders in Mongolia. The unique, bitterly cold Mongolian winters force these animals to produce super warm fibers to sustain them through the winters. In addition to being soft, Mongolian fibers tend to be longer than most comparable fibers in other regions of the world. Longer fibers make stronger yarn that is more resilient to pilling, letting your soft, warm, lovely items last.

After the great response in our first campaign, I made the decision to work with cooperatives that work directly with herders to procure fibers. The fiber is a little more expensive, but the cooperatives only work with herders that practice sustainable herding practices, so it’s definitely worth it in the end. They also hold trainings for things like proper brushing technique to help increase fiber quality.

This year, I’m also starting a relationship with a smaller co-op that works only with baby yaks. By creating a market for these lovely fibers, we’re able to add more value to herders. If the fiber from babies is too different from the big animals, it’s useless and would get thrown away in the sorting process. By keeping a small market but organizing just baby yak wool, it brings a fully new income source for herders.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46

Not at all! Animals are brushed when collecting their wool. Herders also wait until the spring when the animals naturally start to shed their fibers so the animals aren’t left in the cold. If the animals aren’t brushed, they will overhear and get very itchy in the summer heat.

Although the videos can be a bit awkward to watch, I compare the process to brushing a semi-feral cat. They aren’t being hurt, but they are probably a bit uncomfortable being held there for the process.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46

For our main goals, we are starting with natural colors. For cashmere, we will be offering the natural cream, followed by charcoal grey, olive green, and crimson red for stretch goals. For yak wool, we have Natural Dark Chocolate and then a Natural Milk Chocolate color, as well as a natural platinum grey for a stretch goal. For camel, we are offering the Natural Sandstone and a burnt copper as a stretch goal.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46

As a short answer, our cashmere and yak wool shouldn’t cause any reactions for those with wool allergies. Camel wool may cause the same allergies as sheep wool.

For those interested in a longer answer, get comfortable!

On the pictures I have of the goats and the yak on the campaign, you can see the difference of wools between what’s on their backs and what’s on their bellies. The really fine, soft, wispy fibers you can see on their bellies is cashmere (on the goat) and yak down, or cashmere, or something else on the yaks. It should really be called yak cashmere, but cashmere legally has to be from a goat, so we still call it yak wool or sometimes yak down.

The process is really the same for both animals, in that you brush their bellies and chins, and then separate the thick guard hairs from the cashmere/down, leaving only the softest fibers. This is different from sheep’s wool where the animal is sheered and the entire fleece is used.

I also say that to get into wool allergies. Some, albeit a very small % of people, have a true wool allergy. Specifically, they are allergic to the lanolin (or oil) that is found in wool. People with a true lanolin allergy will get a runny nose, break out in hives, sneeze, etc. The same type of response you’d get to cats if you were allergic. Camel wool also has a very high content of a coating similar to lanolin, which will cause reactions to those with true wool allergies. That being said, the lanolin also contributes to the qualities in camel wool that make it so durable and great for active people.

However, most of the people that have reactions to wool just have a reaction because the fibers are too coarse and rough, and aggravate the skin. If it’s the latter, a lot of people that are wool sensitive do not have sensitivity to cashmere and yak down because the fibers are much softer and finer, and don’t prickle or aggravate the skin.

For true wool/lanolin allergies, lanolin only comes from sheep, so cashmere and yak wool don’t have any lanolin and are both considered to be hypo-allergenic and appropriate for those with sheep wool allergies. That being said, some people that have super sensitive skin still find even cashmere uncomfortable on bare skin, so everybody has their own preferences.

In terms of thickness, yak wool is only slightly thicker/more course than cashmere, but both are well under the thickness that starts to cause aggravation and itchiness. Camel wool is going to be much closer to sheep wool in composition and coarseness, so I’d assume those with sheep wool allergies would also experience the same with camel wool.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46

YES! We will be organizing our campaign with the help of backerkit. During the survey at the end of the campaign, you will be able to combine rewards into a single package. For example, our 400g package might be $10 to ship, but two together will be much less than $20. I promise I’m not marking up shipping prices, and will pass on the same price to customers.

During my first campaign, I made mistakes with shipping prices that ended up really squeezing my margins and ultimately made me miss the opportunity to build an inventory after the campaign. I’m doing my best to avoid all those issues this time around and make sure this project will be sustainable. I know the shipping prices can look a bit steep, but I promise shipping this way keeps the overall price for customers cheaper.

Last updated: June 02, 2020 05:46