Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the questions we get asked most, covering shipping, returns, yarn care and choosing fiber. If what you need is not here, call us at (509) 536-7746 or email sales@paradisefibers.com. We are a real shop with real people in Spokane, Washington, and we would rather talk it through than have you guess.

Ordering, shipping and pickup

When will my order ship?

We try to get orders out the same day when they reach us by 1pm Pacific, Monday through Saturday. Sundays and holidays are the exception. If something you ordered is out of stock we put it on back-order and ship the whole order when it lands. If you need to catch an order before it goes out, call us at (509) 536-7746 rather than emailing, since we can usually stop it at the packing bench if we hear from you quickly.

Do you offer free shipping?

Yes, on orders of $99 or more within the United States. Free shipping goes out USPS Ground Advantage and typically arrives in one to six days. Free shipping cannot be combined with other special offers or discounts, and it applies to in-stock items.

Do you ship internationally?

We do. We generally ship international orders by DHL, and occasionally by FedEx depending on the destination. Import duties, tariffs and any processing fees are the responsibility of the buyer. We can sometimes prepay duties if you would rather settle them up front, and we will usually check with you first. If you are ordering from somewhere other than Australia, the UK, Canada or Mexico, reach out before you order and we will tell you what to expect.

Can I pick up my order at the shop?

Yes. Local pickup is available at 225 W. Indiana in Spokane, Washington, during store hours, Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm Pacific. We do not offer local delivery, only pickup.

My tracking has not moved in a week. What should I do?

Let us know. Weather delays happen and packages do occasionally go missing, and we would rather hear from you than have you wait. Call the shop with your order number and we will chase it down and tell you exactly where things stand.

Returns, refunds and exchanges

What is your return policy?

You have 30 days from the day your order arrives to send it back. Items need to be unused, in their original packaging, and in the same condition they reached you in. Contact us by phone or email first so we can set the return up, and keep your receipt or order confirmation, since we need it to process the refund. Send returns to us rather than to the manufacturer. Full details are in our refund policy.

My order arrived damaged, defective, or it is the wrong item. What now?

That is entirely separate from a change-of-mind return, and none of the shipping deductions apply. Contact us and depending on the situation we will issue a full refund, send a replacement, or send whatever is needed to put it right. If the item has to come back to us, we cover the return shipping. You do not need to argue the case with us.

Can I return yarn that has already been wound?

No. Winding a skein into a cake counts as using it, so a wound skein cannot be returned. This catches people out, so here is the practical advice: if you are not certain you will need every skein, have just one wound and leave the rest in skeins. You can always wind the others later, and anything still in its original skein stays returnable within the 30 day window.

What cannot be returned?

Gift cards, spinning wheels, floor looms, used equipment, bargain bin items, and anything bought on sale or at a discount. Discounted sales are final. Single items valued over $300 and highly customized items are treated as special orders and cannot be cancelled once production work has begun.

Should I take a refund or store credit?

Store credit is almost always the better deal if you think you will order from us again. Store credit returns the full price of the item with no deductions for return shipping. A money-back refund returns the price of the item, but the shipping you originally paid is not refunded and return shipping comes out of it. If your order shipped free, a money-back refund also has our original outbound shipping cost deducted, because free shipping was never free on our end. Store credit avoids all of that.

How long does a refund take?

When your return reaches us we inspect it, email you to confirm it arrived, and let you know whether it is approved. Approved refunds and store credit usually go out within five days. Money back returns to your original payment method.

How should I send a return back?

You can take it to your own carrier, or we can send you a label at our rates, which are usually cheaper. Mail returns to ATTN: RETURNS, 225 W. Indiana, Spokane, WA 99205. If what you are sending back is worth more than $75, use a tracked service or add insurance. We cannot refund a return that never reaches us.

Caring for yarn and handspun

How do I wash handspun wool without felting it?

Felting needs three things happening at once: water, a change in temperature, and agitation. Remove any one of them and wool behaves. Fill a basin with cool or lukewarm water, add a no-rinse wool wash, and lower the skein in. Let it soak rather than swishing it, keep the rinse water the same temperature as the wash water, and never move a skein from hot water straight into cold. Lift it out supporting its weight, press the water out or roll it in a towel, and never wring or twist. Dry it flat, out of direct sun. Superwash yarn is far more forgiving here, but the same method will not hurt it.

Why is my dyed yarn bleeding, and how do I stop it?

Some bleeding is normal, especially with deeply saturated hand-dyed colors. Reds, blacks and deep blues are the usual culprits, because those dyes are the hardest to exhaust completely in the dyepot. Soak the item in cool water with a wool wash and rinse until the water runs clear. For protein fibers like wool, alpaca and silk, a splash of white vinegar in the soak helps set acid dye. Wash a strongly colored piece on its own the first time, and a dye catcher sheet is cheap insurance. One thing to avoid: do not leave it soaking for hours, because loose dye can redeposit onto the lighter parts of the same piece.

Superwash or non-superwash: which should I choose?

Superwash wool has been treated so the scales on the fiber will not lock together, which is what makes it machine washable. It takes dye vividly and drapes beautifully, but it has less spring and memory, so it can grow or stretch over time, and it will not felt. Non-superwash wool keeps its scales, so it is springier, holds its blocked shape better, and is what you want for colorwork, steeking, and anything you plan to full or felt. Choose superwash for socks, baby items and anything heading for a washing machine. Choose non-superwash for sweaters you want to hold their shape, for felting, and for stranded colorwork.

My dye lots do not match. What can I do?

Alternate between the two lots, working two rows from one skein and two from the other, and carrying the unused yarn up the side. The transition disappears completely. If alternating is impractical, use the odd lot somewhere it reads as deliberate, like cuffs, a collar, edging or a contrast section. Always check lots in daylight rather than under shop or screen light, since two lots can look identical under artificial light and obviously different in a window. The best fix is prevention: buy the full project quantity in one lot up front, and buy a skein more than you think you need.

How should I store yarn and fiber?

Cool, dry and dark, in something breathable rather than sealed plastic for the long term, so moisture is not trapped against the fiber. Moths are the real threat, not time. Check your stash periodically, keep cedar or lavender nearby, and be especially careful with anything that has been worn before it goes into storage, since moths are drawn to skin oils. Stored properly, wool keeps beautifully for years.

Choosing yarn and fiber

What do the yarn weights mean?

Yarn weight describes thickness, not how much the skein weighs, and it runs from 0 (lace) up through 7 (jumbo), with fingering, sport, DK, worsted, aran, bulky and super bulky in between. Each weight has a typical gauge range and needle size. We keep a full breakdown, including gauge, needle sizes and common substitutions, in our yarn weight chart and reference guide.

How much yarn do I need for my project?

It depends on the pattern, your gauge and your yardage, but as a rough guide a scarf runs a few hundred yards, a hat one to two skeins, and an adult sweater somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 yards depending on size and weight. Always buy a little extra from the same dye lot. We walk through the arithmetic in our guide on how much yarn or roving you need, and if you tell us the pattern we are happy to check the number with you.

What is the difference between roving and top?

Both are prepared spinning fiber, and the difference is how the fibers are aligned. Top is combed, so the fibers lie parallel, and it spins to a smooth, even, lustrous worsted-style yarn. Roving is carded, so the fibers sit at more of a jumble and trap air, and it spins to a lofty, warmer woolen-style yarn. Beginners often find top easier to draft consistently. Most spinners end up using both. You can see the full range in our wool roving and spinning fiber collection.

Can I use the same fiber for spinning and felting?

Usually yes. Breeds like Merino and Corriedale spin beautifully and also felt readily. The one thing to check is that the fiber is not superwash treated, because superwash preparations are specifically designed not to felt. If felting is the goal, choose untreated wool, and if you are unsure, ask us and we will point you at fiber that does both.

Which spinning wheel should I start with?

The honest answer is that it depends on how you want to spin and where you want to spin it. A double-treadle wheel with a reasonable range of ratios suits most new spinners, and portability matters more than people expect if you plan to take it to a guild or a class. We carry Ashford, Schacht, Kromski, Majacraft, Lendrum, Louet and Spinolution, and we have most of them on the floor in Spokane so you can actually treadle one before deciding. Travis is our fiber and wheel person and is genuinely happy to talk this through. Call the shop or browse our spinning wheels to start.

About Paradise Fibers

Are you a real shop, or online only?

Both. We are a working brick and mortar fiber arts store at 225 W. Indiana in Spokane, Washington, in a restored historic bakery. It is four floors and 27,500 square feet, and it is genuinely worth the visit. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm Pacific. Paradise Fibers has served the fiber community since 1997, and Travis and Sara took over the business in 2005.

Where do your fibers come from?

We buy from mills and farms we know, and we prefer suppliers who can tell us which farm or region a fiber came from and how the animals were treated. Some of our fiber is processed to our own specification, and our tools are designed and built in our own woodshop. If you want provenance on a specific fiber, ask us, and if we cannot trace it we will tell you that too rather than guess.

Do you offer classes?

Yes. Sara organizes our class schedule and hosts a knit night once a month, and she is our in-house knitting expert, trained by national instructors. If you are stuck on a project, bring it in. Call the shop at (509) 536-7746 for the current schedule.

How do I reach a person?

Call (509) 536-7746 during store hours, Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm Pacific, or email sales@paradisefibers.com. For anything time-sensitive, like stopping an order before it ships, the phone is much faster. More ways to reach us are on our contact page.