FAQS
The Basics
Buying Yarn Online
FDF wants to be your local, online yarn shop, and we know how hard it can be to shop for yarn online. We do our best to make sure that the pictures of yarn online accurately represent each and every color and on each base. However, some variations in hand-dyed yarn are normal and what makes our yarn special. We update our pictures regularly so that they can be as accurate as possible, but due to screen settings and lighting, there may be some variation, so please keep that in mind while shopping.
To get the most accurate representation of color on the website, we recommend that you turn the brightness of your screen up as high as it will go, and remove any filters you may have. You can also sign up for a virtual shopping appointment and we can shop together over zoom. Although there may still be some differences, this gives you an opportunity to chat with someone who is looking at the colors and combinations in real time to give advice; like shopping with a friend. These are still best representations, and you may not be getting the exact skeins you see.
Dye Lots
Our yarns are hand dyed in small batches in a non-temperature controlled environment. This means that every skein we carry will be unique and may differ from batch to batch and even within the same pot! Because of this, we do not track dye lots, but we do our best to make sure that skeins match as closely as possible when you order multiple skeins of a color. If skeins vary drastically, we will re-dye your order so that you have the closest matching skeins possible.
Even when skeins match, some minimal variation from skein to skein is possible (that’s what makes them special!), so we recommend alternating your skeins to minimize the difference.
If you are on the fence about having enough yarn for a project, we recommend ordering that extra skein. We do not track dye lots and are unable to match skeins after the fact. The number on your skein is a barcode number, not a dye lot.
Best Practices For Working With Your Yarn
We cannot wind yarn for online orders, so when it comes time to wind your yarn, we recommend using a swift and ball winder. If those are not available to you, the backs of 2 chairs or a friend’s hands are great alternatives to a swift, and there are great tutorials for hand winding. Whatever method you use, when you untwist your skein, you should give it a good snap so that the strands un-stick from themselves and it will help to see any strands that may be twisted. Then you can stretch your yarn out on your swift. If you are winding something fluffy like Oh Dang! You can throw it in the freezer for about 20 minutes, and that will help the fibers unstick from themselves.
We do our best to make sure all of the excess color is rinsed out from our yarns, but some bleeding is still possible, especially during the first wash.We recommend blocking your knits in cool water first to check for color fastness, and washing with like-colors. If you are using high contrastingcolors, we recommend that you steam block instead of wet blocking your knits. Despite all of our best efforts, red dyes will almost always bleed.
Managing Your Subscriptions
To cancel, pause or change your subscription address please log into your account (upper right hand corner with the person icon).
If you cannot log into your account there is a good chance you did not create one upon signing up for your subscription. You will need to make an account using the same email you used to sign up.
Once you are into your account you can change your address, cancel or pause.
If you have questions please email Dave at dave@thefarmersdaughterfibers.com
Token, Discounts, And Gift Cards
Tokens
We are so happy that we are able to offer a tokens and rewards system. For every $1 you spend you earn 1 token. 500 tokens can be redeemedfor a $25 discount code and 1000 tokens can be redeemed for a $75 discount code. To make sure you are earning tokens on every purchase, youneed to make sure that you have created a customer account with your email (you can also view all of your past purchases here!). Once you arelogged in, you can view your token account, redeem your tokens, and access your discount codes; just click on the button in the bottom right handcorner of your screen. Once you have redeemed your tokens, you can copy and paste the discount code at checkout.
Discount Codes
Discount codes must be entered at the time of check out and cannot be applied retroactively, so please be sure to check that you have entered yourdiscount code when you are checking out. You can only use one discount code (from the newsletter, sales, or tokens) at a time and cannot becombined.
Gift Cards
Gift cards can be purchased in store or online, and can be used in store or online. For security purposes, once the gift card is purchased, we are unable to see the code that you are given, so please keep it in a safe place.
When using a gift card code that was emailed to you, please copy and paste the code from the email into the appropriate box at check out, do not type in the code. You need to make sure that you copy and paste the entire code into the box, so slide your cursor all the way over in the email.
Discount and Gift Cards cannot be used in the same transaction; you can only use one at a time.
Shipping + Returns
Basics
We ship orders Monday through Friday. We try our best to ship out orders the day after they are placed (if not the same day), but please allow 5-7 business days for fulfillment.
Please be sure to check your email regularly after you place an order. We try hard to keep our customers up to date on the status of your order, and most of our communication regarding your order will take place via email. If we need to dye your yarn, we will email you to let you know, and it could take up to 10 business days to ship out. Please let us know if you need to make any changes to your order at that time.
Purchases over $150 will receive free domestic shipping on their orders, and we will choose the shipping speed. If you need expedited shipping, you can select that for an additional cost.
Shipping Costs & Speeds
Shipping, costs and speeds will be calculated at checkout. If you’d like to see what shipping costs and speeds are available, put all items into your cart and head to check out. You will see all of the options available to you.
You can choose your shipping speed at check out. If you choose an expedited shipping speed, please know the fulfillment times still apply. If you need your order shipped out sooner, please send us an email and we will do our best to accommodate your request depending on the product and volume of orders.
Combining Orders
If you place two separate orders on or about the same day and they have not shipped yet, you can leave us a note or shoot us an email to combine your orders. We will combine the orders and refund any excess shipping costs.
We are unable to combine orders for subscriptions. Subscriptions like Sock Squad ship from a different location than non-recurring orders, so they cannot be combined.
Preorders
If you have ordered something marked as a pre-order, you can find the estimated shipping date in the listing. This is an estimate; if there are significant delays, you will be notified. Once an item marked as a Pre-Order has shipped, it cannot be returned or refunded.
If you ordered multiple items along with your preorder, all items will ship together. If you need us to split the order and ship any items separately, you can shoot us an email and we can send you an invoice for any additional shipping costs.
Subscription Shipping
If you order additional items when you initially sign up for Sock Squad or the Indigenous Collective, those items will ship with your first shipment. If you would like those items to ship sooner/separately, please email us and we will send you an invoice for any additional shipping costs.
If you place an order ahead of a recurring order, we cannot combine those orders together. Subscriptions and one-time orders ship from separate locations, so we are unable to accommodate that.
Returns
Returns must be made within 5 days of delivery and include a $2 restocking fee per skein/item + Shipping Charges.
Exchanges must be made within 5 days of delivery and include a 100% store credit once the item is received.
If orders are not returned within 5 days after the return request has been approved, the return approval will be denied and packages not accepted.
Subscriptions, Preorders, Kits/Collabs, Custom Orders, OOAK Bundles, Fabrics, Nail Polish, and other personal items are non refundable and non returnable. Virtual shopping orders can only be returned for store credit.
Damaged packages & any discrepancies on our part will be taken care of ASAP
After filling out and being approved on the return portal, returns can be sent to:
The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers
320 Central Ave
Great Falls, MT 59401
Damaged, Lost, Or Stolen Packages
We offer Route shipping protection on every domestic order at checkout due to increasing instances of theft and damage in transit. Route is an optional add-on for immediate assistance if your package gets lost, stolen, or damaged on its way to you. When Route is added to your order, it provides full protection for a refund or replacement in case something happens to your order in transit. If you need to file a claim with Route, follow the link that was in the email with your order.
You have the option to opt-out of Route Protection, if you wish; however, we cannot assist with claims for any orders where Route protection is removed at checkout. Route is the only protection for damaged, lost, or stolen packages. The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers is not responsible for lost or stolen packages, and refunds or replacements will not be provided.
International Shipping
Depending on your country you may see import or customs fees that we are not able to estimate. These fees are determined by the Country of the recipient and we do not have control of these. You are responsible for paying these in order to receive your order. If you choose to refuse the package, your local customs office may charge to return your package which you will be required to pay. We will not be able to provide refunds until we have received your return, which may take several weeks.
Yarn Support
Yarn Support
Thank you for your interest in Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Yarns. We are grateful that our yarns inspire your creativity and that you are interested in choosing us for your upcoming project.
We are happy to offer yarn support as well as collaborative promotion for qualifying design ideas. We base yarn support around potential release dates, how that fits into our schedule and design concepts. Please read through the information below to see if we are a good fit for you
What we need and expect from you:
- Send us your design concept. We would love for you to send us a sketch and/or a detailed description of your pattern idea.
- What yarns would you like to use? We are happy to give color advice, send pictures of color combinations or you can setup a virtual shopping appointment.
- Potential release dates. To maximize the benefit for everybody we need to know when you plan to release the pattern. We have our schedule booked out 4 to 6 months in advance, and we work hard to accommodate everyone’s release schedule along with our own. If you can be flexible on the date, that will ensure the best benefit for everyone. If you have a release date that is immovable, that’s fine, just let us know!
- About our timeline - our schedule is booked 4 to 6 months in advance, and our marketing plan is ideally set 6 to 8 weeks in advance. So the best thing you can give us is time; we like to have as much info as early as possible. We understand as creatives, some things don’t happen until the last minute or things change, but the sooner we have info the better the marketing works out in the end and the better success we have seen for everyone. More time also means that we can ensure we have the necessary inventory to ensure your pattern is successful.
- Your design should be size-inclusive. We are only interested in working with designers who are size inclusive in their pattern grading. This means that garments should include sizing up to 60” in bust circumference not including ease. (So, for instance, if you recommend 5” of positive ease for the correct fit for your sweater, your largest finished size would be 65”.)
- Tech-edited pattern. Your pattern should be tech-edited and graded to ensure ease of accessibility for customers. Successful patterns are tech-edited patterns.
- Advance Copy of Pattern during testing. To ensure that we have enough time to make a shop sample we will need an advance copy of the pattern that you send out during testing. We will also connect you with the sample knitter that we use so that you may include them in your test-knitter correspondences for any changes in the pattern. We do not need to keep up to date on minor design/ construction changes to the pattern that may happen during testing, but we do need to know ASAP if there are any yardage changes to ensure accuracy in kits, yardage guides, inventory, and marketing.
- Communication. This is one of the most important things. We do not need to part of the design process, but it is essential that we are kept in the loop. Changes in design, yardage, release date, and everything else happens and is perfectly fine. But the sooner we know about these changes the better we can accommodate and help make everyone successful.
- Links to the pattern: Ahead of the release of your pattern, please provide us with links to purchase the pattern so that we may include that in any and all marketing materials (see below).
- High Quality Photos. In order to be able to cross promote on our social media, in our newsletter, and our website we need your professional and/or high quality photos: high-resolution (72dpi and long edge must be at least 1080p); well lit (whether natural or studio lighting); at least 3 different angles/shots to truly showcase your beautiful FO, preferably on a human - and that human is ideally you, the designer!
- Marketing. Please include links to the FDF yarns or kits used for your pattern in all marketing that you do for the pattern (i.e., your newsletter, social media, Ravelry, etc.) If the design and dates work for both of us, here is what you can expect from us:
- Yarn Support + Shipping. We will provide the yarn you need for your pattern development and cover the cost of domestic shipping. If you need us to ship internationally, we do ask that you cover the cost of the shipping.
- Discount for testers. We will provide a discount code for your testers for 10% off the FDF yarn used in your pattern.
- Newsletter Feature. We have about 18,000 subscribers to our weekly newsletter. As part of our cross promotion there will be a feature of your pattern in our newsletter coordinating with the release of your pattern. This will include information about and links to your pattern.
- Instagram Feature. Our Instagram has about 65,000 followers and as part of our cross promotion we will have an Instagram feature of your pattern including information and links.
- Potential Shop Sample. We love to have samples made of new patterns featuring our yarn. We use these samples for marketing, have them in the shop for people to try on and to find inspiration, and they may travel to shows with us. We typically have samples of shawls/scarves and sweaters made.
- Either kits for the design and/ or Yardage Guide. Depending on the pattern we will have kits and/ or yardage guides for your pattern. We have found that people having the ease of kits or even just a yardage guide with the suggested yarn has increased success for both us and the designers. These kits/ yardage guides will typically be included in the newsletter, on the website, and in Instagram posts.
- Feature in our Pattern Matchmaker (coming soon!). We are working to create a Pattern Matchmaker on our website that will suggest patterns for people based on yarn they choose. This will live on the website forever and will always provide another access point for your pattern from customers.
- If all of this works for you, please email us at info@thefarmersdaughterfibers.com and let us know what yarns, color, and quantity you would like and we can send that out to you. If you need any color help please don’t hesitate to ask or schedule a virtual shopping appointment. We are excited to work with you and create success for both of us.