More ALPACA...

So i finally got to spin up a small skein of this scrumptious chocolate Alpaca i carded yesterday.

I experimented around a bit with different whorl sizes,speeds and yarn thickness.

I ended up with a very nicely balanced two ply with a wpi of 9 ,worsted. The color is just amazing, a deep ,rich ,dark chocolate.Yummy!

first i was a little disappointed about the feel of the yarn, i imagined it softer.

So i soaked it in warm water for a few minutes(with a little fabric softener) , squeezed it dry in a towel and whacked it against the counter a few times.And Bingo!! now it's the way i thought it would feel: very soft, no 'prickle effect ' on the skin and a nice drape. The yarn is light and fluffy, like a cloud but really strong ,i cant just break a strand between my hands, i have to cut it.

Yes, i think I'll be working a lot with Alpaca in the future, and why not? It is a lot easier to process than most sheep wool, is softer than merino(it has been compared to cashmere) and the price per pound is comparable or less than for most sheep wool ( at least on e-bay). It'll take me a while to process all this fiber, i got about 10 pounds in assorted colors (still looking for a good deal for a white fleece on e-bay).After I'm done washing and carding all of this i will offer some of it in my shop but i will safe a good chunk for myself, i really would like to spin enough up to use for weft for a big size shawl i can wrap myself into on cold winter nights (or days ).Maybe a variegated yarn with all the colors in it.

Next I'll be turning my attention to the fawn colored fleece,stay tuned...

Oohhh,heaven!!

I know I'm getting a little repetitive but i really can't get over ALPACA!!!

I won several auctions last week for raw alpaca fleeces and they are starting to come in.

this is 3# of a rich chocolate brown with a staple length of about 5 inches:

this is 1# of fawn with a staple of about 4 inches

and last but not least 2# of a medium tan with a staple length of about 4 inches.

I just cant get over how soft the wool is! Even unwashed and dusty its just heaven! I've heard that most people do not wash the fleece before spinning, i do because even though the fiber isn't visibly dirty it does contain a lot of fine dust and sand.Good thing is it comes clean very easy. Since it doesn't contain any lanolin it can be washed with lukewarm water and just a hint of soap.This is the water after the first wash:

So, not apparent but quite dirty after all.I dump the water ,fill up the bucket one more time, let soak for about 10 min., squeeze out the water,fill up one more time,no soap , rinse and spin in the washer.Dry it on a rack outside in the sun.I use those little mesh lingerie bags.Its a little tedious since the bags don't hold much fiber but they keep it from moving around too much and make the whole process a little more orderly.

I'll be washing and carding this soft goodness in the next week or so and start offering it in batt form in the shop.So come on by and maybe you see something you might turn into a next to the skin soft yarn!

Prices will be very competitive and Ravelers,remember there will be a 10% discount for you !!

I will post pics of the carded fiber later.

Now back to washing ALPACA :)

I'm in LOVE!!

I discovered ALPACA!!
i wondered about alpaca for awhile but was a little leery ( it intimidated me because it's just so exotic), so far i only worked with various sheep fibers.
So last week i came across a listing for 1lb of assorted colors raw alpaca fleece on e-bay. it listed for $5.00 so i thought,not much to loose there, I'll try it. a few days later my alpaca arrived. i opened up the bag and ... OH MY GOSH!!! Fiber heaven! It is sooo soft! It's like reaching into a bucket of silky body lotion. Gorgeous natural colors ,creamy white,fawn,dark chocolate and black,and it even smells good! They say that you can spin it without washing right the way it comes of the animal,but i washed it anyways and run it through the carder a couple of times,and if its possible, its even more scrumptious .The carding is a little tricky because the fibers are so fine and light.

but ahhh... the end result is worth it.



I'll be spinning some up in the next few days for Dave's spinning chalenge.....and I'm off to check e-bay to find some MORE...

Hunting for a local source

Hubster came home yesterday with the news that one of our neighbors had bought a bunch of sheep."Oh goodie" i yelled, clapping my hands. maybe he'll sell me some fleeces!!
told hubster to ask what kind they where and if he'd be willing to let me have some of the fleeces next time he'd run into him.false alarm, they are some kind of meat sheep with very short hair.
well, back to the drawing board. i think I'm going to contact the local FFA and 4 -H chapters and see if they can help me find someone with sheep, llama or alpacas. i also have some connections to professional AKC dog breeders, i might find someone with a long haired breed who might let me have theyre combings . I'm also going to put an add in the paper that I'm looking for fleeces.
something close by ,maybe a 30 mile radius. that will be efficient enough not using too much gas picking it up. frankly the postage on shipped fleeces (or anything else )is just killing me. I find a great deal on e-bay or other sites and by the time postage is added its not a good deal at all anymore.local, local is the ticket, pick it up in person.