July began with an exciting visit to a Twin Alpaca Farm and Fiber Mill in Millbrook, Ontario, organized by my local handweaving and spinning guild. On the first Saturday of the month, I arrived at the farm on a sunny day, greeted by green pastures and alpacas roaming around. It was my first time visiting a farm that raises alpacas and processes their fiber on-site. The farm also had a store selling roving, yarn, and handmade items made from alpaca fleece. In this blog post, I’ll share some highlights of my visit and how I’ve used alpaca fiber in my projects.
1) How Alpacas are raised
The first part of the tour focused on how they raise their Huacaya alpacas. Unlike suri alpacas, Huacayas have fleece that is fluffy and dense, similar to wool. The alpacas are shorn once a year, and they had been recently shorn when we visited. The farmers emphasized the importance of good husbandry, including a nutrient-dense diet and regular shearing, to produce high-quality fleece. This is important to consider when buying alpaca fleece, as a farm’s primary objective (whether for food, fleece, or hobby) influences their care practices. For hand spinners, good quality fleece is essential for an enjoyable spinning process and a beautiful final product. It was reassuring to hear that this farm prioritizes producing great fleece.
During the tour, we got to feed the alpacas oats. Initially cautious, the alpacas eventually approached us for the treat. Despite my initial apprehension about these relatively large animals (I’m barely 5 feet tall) approaching, it was a calming and enjoyable experience.
The farmers can identify each alpaca by sight, and the alpacas respond to their names. Alpacas come in up to 50 natural shades, eliminating the need to dye their fiber. Their fleece has a staple length (cut end to the tip of the lock) of 3 to 4 inches, ideal for hand carding, an important factor to keep in mind when considering to process their fleece by hand.
2) How Alpaca Fleece is Processed
Earlier this year, I visited a fiber mill called Wool 4 Ewe. This mill, primarily run by Barb, one of the Twin Alpaca owners, operates at full capacity nearly year-round, except in January and February. The mill has extensive equipment, including a dehairing machine and a spinning/plying machine to make yarn.
The alpaca fleece goes through the same milling process as sheep fleece, involving steps like picking and carding. The dehairing machine removes guard hairs from the alpaca fleece, which cause fuzziness, resulting in a smoother and shinier yarn. The mill typically produces DK and worsted weight yarn.
I discovered that using the spinning machine to achieve the desired final yarn is somewhat of an art, similar to hand spinning. Often, alpaca fleece is blended with other fibers, such as merino, bamboo, and silk, to enhance the yarn’s stability.
3) How I have used alpaca in my crafting journey
* Spun alpaca fleece to make yarn
A year ago, I was gifted a 2-ounce alpaca batt from a farm called Shear Joy Alpacas. I spun it into a semi-worsted 2-ply sport weight yarn. Initially, I planned to keep it as singles, but plying them together created an interesting marled effect. I intend to weave this handspun yarn with other commercially processed alpaca yarn to have enough yardage for a blanket. Since alpaca yarn has a nice drape and is super soft, it will make a cozy throw for the cooler months.
* Crochet a blanket
I started making a blanket with alpaca yarn about 10 years ago. Using a commercial alpaca and wool blend in teal, I began crocheting the Hexagon Panel Afghan by Marcia Walton. It’s still a work in progress, but I recently downloaded the pattern again to continue and hopefully finish it sometime this decade LOL!
The alpaca tour reminded me to broaden my interests beyond just wool in my crafting journey. Its soft texture could add a nice touch to many handmade items. I’m excited to learn more about it as opportunities come up. Have you worked with alpaca fiber? If so, what did you make and did you enjoy it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Your story was so vivid and clear, I could almost see myself following step by step behind of you and beholding what you were seeing and experiencing on the various visits to the different farms. Great job relating your experience. Your determination and appetite to master and perfect your craft has also been made unmistakably clear in your story. Love it.
Thanks so much 🙂 I appreciate your support and encouraging words