Dear Friends,
I often receive messages on social media from fellow fiber farmers asking, “What mill do you use to make your socks?”
It is interesting how anonymous spaces can sometimes create a demand for information with no context or relationship.
When those answers aren’t as simple as expected, frustration can follow.
That’s just part of the landscape small business owners navigate today.
But the truth is, the answer isn’t as simple as naming a mill.
And I wouldn’t be doing anyone a favor by giving them the answer.
Before that question can be answered, there are many other questions that come first.
What kind of sock are you trying to make?
What fibers will it contain? Who is it for? How many will you produce?
Every one of those choices shapes what comes next.
Making socks was a steep learning curve for me.
I am a shepherd. I know Angora goats and I know mohair. I spin and weave.
I’m a student by nature…always learning, always refining, always trying to do better. And still, I didn’t have all the answers.
I think back to my first conversation with a yarn spinning mill.
They asked, “What is the micron count of your mohair?” I didn’t know.
I only knew that it was soft and had a beautiful handle.
The conversation ended there.
Mills don’t have the capacity to teach nor the patience to work with those who don’t speak the language.
So I went back and did the work.
I micron-tested my herd. I learned what those numbers meant.
I studied my fiber more closely, and it changed how I bred and managed my goats.
It helped me focus, refine, and intentionally lower micron over time.
Asking “What mill do you use?” is, in many ways, putting the cart before the horse.
It skips the years of learning required to understand the textile industry, to build trust with mills, and to shepherd fiber from pasture to finished sock.
When that first door closed on me, I realized that I needed to put in the work.
I wrote a business plan and worked through every detail right down to the smallest decisions.
I researched. I learned. I became a student of an industry that values precision, patience, and process.
Only then did the answers begin to come together. And that is how our socks came to be.
Caprine has never been about shortcuts or easy answers.
It’s about honoring the learning, the missteps, and the long road between an idea and something you can hold in your hands.
Thank you for being part of this journey, for valuing craft, patience, and the quiet work behind the scenes.
These letters are my way of inviting you into that process, and I’m grateful to be walking it with you.
With love,
Angela
Angela
Click here to explore and enjoy our cozy mohair socks and throws.