As I struggle through the process of listing my yarn for sale in various places (Ravelry at the moment) I find that I am stumbling when it comes to describing what exactly it is that I do. Most dyers buy their yarn pre-spun in bulk from somewhere, generally larger spinneries, though there are several yarn wholesalers who sell yarn ready for dying in various blends and weights. They essentially buy commodity yarn, and their artistry is in the creation of color. This is all well and good, but in addition to dyeing my yarn, I also source the fleeces, which is an essential part of what I am trying to do with Upton Yarns. Most people who start with individual fleeces seem to be hand spinners, which, while I do hand spin small batches to experiment with the fleece, I am not doing on any sort of scale, and the yarn I have for sale is not hand spun, though it is spun in very small spinneries. The yarn is spun to my specifications, so I could say that it was "designed by me" but I am also a firm believer that the people who operate the machines and make the thousands of tiny well informed decisions are the ones who actually created the yarn. The stages of making yarn can be broken down in A)choose fleece, B)spin fleece, C)dye fleece. Most dyers do C, leaving A and B up to others. Spinners do A and B, and sometimes C though not in any quantity. I do A and C and pay someone to do B to my specifications, what is the word for this? Seriously, what do I call myself? And how do I sum it up in 10 words or less?