Herders to Home 2025: Luxury Mongolian Yarn and Fiber

Yarn has finally arrived, final distribution starting!
5 days ago – Tue, Mar 31, 2026 at 02:36:51 PM

Hey Everybody,

I finally received all of the yarn early this afternoon, so moving into the last phase here! You should have received an email with your shipping label information. If you haven't received it, please make sure you're checking the same email linked to your backerkit/kickstarter account and you've checked your spam/promotion folders as well. If you still haven't received it, please send an email to [email protected] and I'll try to locate it for you.

PLEASE NOTE: YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL WITH TRACKING INFORMATION WHEN THE LABEL IS PRINTED, THIS DOES NOT MEAN IT HAS SHIPPED!

It will still be until end of next week at the earliest before packages actually get in the mail and you start receiving tracking information, but it could be the week of the 13th until things finally get out. Everything will get delivered to couriers in one large batch, so things won't start tracking until then, and sometimes even 24 or 48 hours after that as everything gets deeper into the distribution network and finally scanned in.

I will send the next update when everything is finally in the mail and when tracking numbers will start giving information.

Here's the what 2000kg of yarn in boxes looks like! The picture doesn't quite do it justice though, I think the video gives a better idea. Time to get the fulfillment line set up!

Thank you to everybody for their patience so far! I don't think I'm built for the waiting and uncertainty around ocean freight, so I don't think I'll be doing that again. But happy that everything is finally here and can finally get things moving. You'll here from me again in 10 days or so when everything is finally IN THE MAIL!

Thank you!

-Jon

Shipping Update, Final Add-Ons, and Small Inventory Issues!
17 days ago – Thu, Mar 19, 2026 at 12:25:12 PM

Hey Everybody,

Sorry for the long time between updates, but I finally got an update yesterday that the yarn is slated for final delivery to me at the end of next week. If that final delivery sticks, I'd expect everything to get in the mail sometime later during the week of April 6th, depending on how things go.

So because of that, we're ready to start the final round of addons!

Final Add-Ons

Still something you want more of? Everything is live on our website, www.ulaandlia.com at near Kickstarter prices until I receive the yarn and start printing shipping labels. When making your order, please use the code "KICKSHIP" to get free shipping, but also to let me know to link this with your Kickstarter/Backerkit order. Using the same email address is also helpful, but I'll check names and addresses as well to link orders if needed.

I'm still feeling the 12 hour time change from Mongolia a bit and there's quite a lot going on, so please do let me know if there are any mistakes from the website update that you notice, particularly with pricing! I know the weight of the yarn in the photos may not match the listing, but colors/pricing/descriptions/etc should be correct. I'll get new skein photos when everything arrives.

Name Changes

Just a quick reminder that the "Russet" Camel is now "Dune", Baby Cashmere is "Vanilla" while the Baby Blend is "Almond". These will also be getting updated soon in Backerkit.

Inventory Issues

Today, some of you may have received emails about refunds to your order. In short, I'm a dope, and miscounted some inventory of old stock that was sold through Backerkit. Mainly, I miscounted a lot of DK Cobalt Sheep Wool Yarn that was actually the fingering weight, so I was short 66 skeins. I had much smaller accounting errors for Yak Wool Evergreen in Bulky (18 Skeins), Sheep Wool Olive Green DK (17 Skeins), Camel Wool Sand Bulky (7 Skeins), and Dark Chocolate Yak DK (4 Skeins).

For those that received refunds, I added around 20% extra to what was paid. Sheep wool was around $16.50 on the campaign, and I returned $20 for the errors. For camel wool, cost was around $21, and I returned $25. For yak, it was $23 paid to $27 returned. Obviously feel free to keep the refund, or put it towards an upgrade or swap on our website during the sale and I'll add it to your order.

If the refunds cause any issues with your order or projects you had planned, please send me an email to [email protected] and I can further adjust your order before shipping. Very sorry about this again, I know it's a huge bummer to wait all this time and then I can't deliver these items. It can be a bit of a juggle to keep my inventory straight selling both through my website and Backerkit, and not being in the USA with my inventory to do checks and counts. I usually have small mistakes every year (a skein or two in a few options) but especially the Cobalt mistake this year hurt. I'll have to get better about this going forward.

Baby Cashmere/Baby Cashmere Blend

I only had a couple extra skeins of the Baby Cashmere (Vanilla) in Fingering weight, so there's only extra inventory in the DK. If you were planning to add on to your order in the same lot to what you previously ordered, let me know and I can switch your order to the Baby Blend Cashmere (Almond) in fingering if you'd like so there won't be any color matching issues. If you don't plan to add on/care about the color match, no worries!

Next Steps

-If you'd like, make additional addons at www.ulaandlia.com and use the code 'KICKSHIP' for free shipping and so I can link your order to your Kickstarter shipment.

-I'll make a quick update when the yarn is finally delivered and we are 24 hours away from starting fulfillment.

-If all goes smoothly, I'm hoping the yarn gets out sometime around April 8th-10th.

-If you'd like to get back to your Backerkit survey to see what you have on the way, you can get to it here: Backerkit

If you have any issues, please send an email to [email protected]. 

THANK YOU!

-Jon

Yarn Has Left Mongolia, Addresses Locking, and Fiber Tests!
2 months ago – Tue, Feb 03, 2026 at 10:23:06 AM

Hey Everybody,

Update time now that everything has officially left Mongolia!

Here's the vlog format for those interested:

Here's what I'll cover in the update:

• Shipping Update
• Color Swatches
• Fiber Tests
• Notes for international Backers

Yarn Has Left Mongolia!

Everything finally cleared customs on Friday and then left the country on Sunday. It's currently in Korea where it will go on a boat next Monday. It's slated to get into New York on March 10th. From there, I'm hoping it gets to Pittsburgh in a week or two where we can start final distribution. We've got quite a lot of packages to go out, but we should be able to get everything sent out in a week or so after we start picking and packing.

Addresses Locking

After this update gets sent out, you'll also get an email on Backerkit about confirming your shipping address. If you need to change it, now's the time to do it! Easiest way is to just follow the links if needed. If you're all set, no need to do anything. If you run into any issues changing your address, please send me an email. In the past, those needing to change their state in the USA or changing countries in general might require me to do it on the backend myself.

Color Combo Requests?

I'm going to be updating the website soon and am trying to add more pictures than just the skeins that I usually have on product pages, so I made swatches of all the different colors and weights. Here are all the different fiber groups for this year. Any color combos you'd like to see? Let me know and I'll put them together for photos in the next update.

Fiber Tests

A lot of different tests to post! The most important parts are the fiber length and diameter. In general, the cashmere is in the 16.5 micron range while the baby cashmere is in the 15.5 micron range. Camel is in the 17 range, yak in the 19 range, and sheep wool in the 20 micron range.

I actually forgot to save fiber for the camel and baby cashmere blend, so I had yarn tested. However, I feel like these results are way off. There's really no difference this year with the camel and between the baby cashmere and baby cashmere blend, however, the micron results are about 1.5 off in the tests. I'd guess the baby blend is actually in the 16/high 15 range, while the camel is in the 17-17.5 range (like last year). Here are the results regardless:

Hope those of you that are interested enjoy digging through the fiber tests.

Note for International Backers

All orders over 3 or 4 skeins will be shipped with FedEx when possible. It's around the same price, but substantially faster, more reliable, and with much better tracking. To be honest, I can't deal with delayed/lost packages anymore, even though they aren't very common anyways. This will be for where the service is available. FedEx sometimes charges a brokerage fee, but I've been told by a few customers that having a FedEx account will help you duck these, as well as getting alerted when the package is inbound. You will still need to pay VAT where applicable. Here's a link to FedEx to create an account if you'd like, although it's completely optional: https://www.fedex.com/register/contact

Also just as good to wait until I print the labels for final shipping. You'll get an email at that time that notes what carrier your package is being sent with, and you'll be able to register at that time if you please.

So I think that's it! Next update will be when I get all of the yarn in Pittsburgh and we're opening up for a last round of addons before final shipping. 

THANK YOU!

-Jon

Everything is packed and export processing is underway!
3 months ago – Sun, Jan 11, 2026 at 03:44:36 AM

Hey Everybody,

Everything is done and export processing is currently underway. In this update, I'll go over:

1. Export Processing and Scheduling
2. Some Projects With This Year's Yarn
3. Hand-Dyed Black Yarn
4. Socks

For those that would like to watch the update instead, here's the video:

Exporting and Scheduling

Everything is packed up and all the paperwork is complete, and everything has been handed to the shipping company for export processing. Last year, this process took about a month, and I'm expecting the same timeline this year. In short, exporting the fiber bags that we do requires an extra few steps to export, including extra testing, certifications, and stamps.

I'm still on the fence if I will send things via air cargo or via ship. Air cargo will be about two weeks, while ship will be 6-8 weeks. This final decision will depend on exactly when the export gets cleared from Mongolia, and if the import tariffs are still in place when the export clears. This year, I didn't raise prices for any of the yarn or products, so shipping via sea was the only way I planned to recoup some of the added expenses. However, depending on how long export processing takes, I really don't want distribution to be any later than early/mid March. I'd still expect final shipping/delivery around that time.

Not a ton more to show off at the factory, but here are some of the cones!

Playing With This Year's Yarn

A few different things to show off! I've done a bit of swatching and projecting with both the baby cashmere and baby cashmere blend. In short, I can usually tell the difference between the two swatches, but they are very close. And on top of that, both are already the softest cashmere I've ever felt. Here's a neck warmer I made in the baby blend:

The white/cream cashmere tends to have more of a silky/soft feel to it with a bit more structure, while the warm gray tends to have more of a fluffier, down type of feel. These two definitely fall into the latter category.

Here's a couple more projects from the baby cashmere that were then dyed:

Had some fun with the yak wool too! I took some before and after photos of a sweater's warm, soapy wash. A reminder that our yarns do still have spinning oils in them, and they will bloom and even out SUBSTANTIALLY after a hot bath with a dish washing liquid!

Beyond the washing though, the yak wool is lovely as always! A baby camel wool is next up on the docket.

Hand-Dyed Black

This project is completed! It ended up being around 40kg of yarn (400 skeins) that were dyed in my apartment. This isn't something I'd want to do again, but everything turned out really good! 

Apart from this being a bit much (and messy) to do in an apartment, the hand-washing was probably the most difficult part of everything. They all got thoroughly washed and rinsed, but I'd advise everybody to kind of treat these like a new pair of jeans for the first wash or two, as there might still be some dye left and I'd expect some bleeding.

Socks!

Our sheep/yak wool socks are also finished and all packed up. These are made with the Stone Fleece blend. They might not be the most durable socks ever made, but they might actually be the warmest and most comfortable. They've turned into a bit of a cult classic, but those that like them, love them! And they turned out lovely as always. It's going to hit around -35 in UB next week, so I'm planning to get good use out of mine.

Closing/Extra Addons

But that's about all I can think of! I am getting fiber tests together and will have them in the next update. I'm still going to wait to lock addresses on Backerkit, but I'll do that in the next update when the exact export date is confirmed.

If you'd like to add on more items, you will be able to do so AFTER everything exports. I will do a two or three day sale in the days directly before shipping.

If you'd like to get back to your survey to check what you've ordered, you can do so by following this link to Backerkit.

Please send an email to [email protected] regarding any issues with your order.

THANK YOU!

-Jon

All of our new colors!
4 months ago – Tue, Dec 09, 2025 at 04:27:07 AM

Hey Everybody,

Here for a production update with some pictures of all of the yarn colors. Here's a link to the vlog version of the update if you're interested in watching along instead of reading: 

In the update, I'll cover:

• Photos of colors
• General Progress/Export Schedule
• Backerkit Address Locking/Next Steps
• Final Addons

All of our new colors!

As our fingering weight yarn is finished up, I've got pictures of everything! The natural colors I have aren't skeined up or labeled as I'm using them for our hand-dyed black options. But in short, everything looks and feels incredible as expected. I'm very happy with the final products!

Starting off with our cashmeres! They are incredible and all look great next to each other. The photo has the baby cashmere, but the 70% cashmere/30% female cashmere blend is the same color. I just got back from the factory today and haven't swatched anything up yet, but I'll have tasting notes for the next update!

Our lovely baby camel colors. As mentioned in previous updates, the natural camel wool color didn't come out as dark/red as we initially hoped for and is quite similar to the natural sand colors of the past. Here's a photo of the two next to each other:

It's a bit darker but nothing drastic! If it's still an issue for you, please send an email to [email protected] to change things up.

I wasn't picking up the natural colors because I knew I had the blanks for hand-dyeing that I could use for pictures, but forgot that we were only using the milk chocolate for the dyeing, so apologies for not having a platinum gray hank! I included a platinum gray hat for comparison. 

Once again, everything looks great here. The midnight navy is very dark as expected, but still has some blue to it. This was the color dyed with the dark chocolate yak natural color. We usually use the milk chocolate or platinum gray for dyeing, but those are also the more rare colors. Having some more options to use the dark chocolate yak wool is great for both us and the herders! I'm really happy with how this came out and am excited for the future when using it for more colors on its own or blended with other colors.

Last but not least are our sheep wool blends! Once again everything feels great. The stone fleece is also what we are using for our new batch of sheep/yak wool socks. The lilac and teal are 15% cashmere, while the stone fleece is 20% yak wool. The stone fleece and natural platinum gray are very similar in color, with the fleece being a bit lighter. It is made with 80% white sheep wool and 20% milk chocolate yak wool.

As mentioned in previous updates, the autumn teal didn't turn out exactly as expected and isn't as green as planned. It's actually the same color as the Aegean sea from last year. Here is a picture of the two together.

If this is an issue for your order, please email me at [email protected] to switch things around.

Here's a quick photo of all the natural colors together!

General Progress/Export Schedule

As it is now, all of the fingering weight is finished up and we're working on the DK. I'm still expecting everything to be ready for export and hopefully leave Mongolia next month. After switching shippers last year, the export paperwork became a bit more difficult with the fiber bags, and it caused about a month delay for exporting. I'm hoping to get the export processing cleared for the fiber bags earlier this year to reduce that lag time, although it's still a bit unclear if I'll be able to do that before all of the paper work is completed for the entire order.

 I'm still planning to ship things via ocean freight this year, so I'm expecting 3 weeks to a month of transit time between Mongolia and the USA. This still puts things for final delivery sometime later in February, I'd say.

Backerkit Address Locking/Next Steps

I'm planning for the next update to be around this time next month, where I'll also share photos and videos of the hand-dyed black yarn and hopefully our socks! At that time, we should hopefully have everything wrapped up and be in the final stages of export processing. Whenever I know when things will ship, I'll lock addresses on Backerkit. At that time, you'll get a notification to change your address if needed.

Final Addons

If you'd like to add on additional items to your order, we will do one final round of addons directly before final shipping. I'll do a 72 hour sale on my site for Kickstarter backers and combine those final addons with your Kickstarter order before shipping. I need to wait for final production numbers to come out so I have solid inventory numbers, as well as get home and recount my old inventory to make sure I don't over-extend myself in preorders. I'll give plenty of notice for this with updates!

Other than that, feel free to leave a comment or send an email to [email protected] with any questions, comments, or concerns! You'll hear from me again around this time next month.

THANK YOU!

-Jon