I know that line isn't original but it seemed so appropriate because in three weeks we'll be moving all of our stuff into our new home! We are getting so excited and find every day a little harder and harder to wait.
Breeding alpacas for fine fiber is a daunting task and not all alpacas have fiber fine enough for that super soft texture. I have read that fibers under 21 microns in size are wear-next-to-your-skin soft. Alpacas can have fibers as small as 15 microns (which fall in class 1 fibers that must be smaller than 20 microns) and can go up to 35 microns (which is a class 6 fiber), which is where most sheep's wool begins in size.
At Beth Brown's Odelia Farms, most of her alpacas produce fibers in class 3 (23-25 microns) or lower. Very ideal for knitting yarn elitists!
There are two types of alpacas: Huacayas who have shorter, fluffier fiber and Suri alpacas, pictured above and bred at Odelia Farms, who have long spirals of fine hair. It is estimated 95% of all alpacas in the US are Huacayas so you've probably seen those if you've come across an alpaca (which is, incidentally, not a llama).
I just fell in love with Beth's Suri alpacas and am pleased to announce that we'll be adding two of her alpacas to our new home! That gorgeous one-year old male in the first photo who is giving the camera the patented "alpaca stare" will be ours in a few weeks! Definitely more on that later.
The easiest way to shear an animal of this size is to strap it to a tape with its legs tied to the corners. It may sound a little weird, and I know many people find this disturbing, but they spend less than 5 minutes on the table and don't seem to show any significant nervousness or apprehension and definitely no discomfort at all.
Beth likes to collect the fleece in the same way that it's sheared off the body; this way she can identify the skirt of the fleece (the hair on the sides of the body) and more easily identify the finest fibers. Oh, and you can shear angora rabbits this way too. I may have to look into this!
The fleeces never touch the ground and are transfered from the shearing table on a board to a plastic covered table, again, exactly as it was sheared from the animal. Beth and her friends and volunteers gently picked through the fleece for any vegetable matter debris, which means grass and hay; then they scored, graded, and measured the fibers. A small tuft of fiber from each fleece was put in a scrapbook with the alpaca's name for future reference.
Finally, the fleeces are wrapped up in their plastic material so they can stay neat and tidy and be catalogued and then sent off to be washed and carded and turned into yarn.
What's that? You want to know what the ladies in the picture are looking at since they were obviously distracted from their work? Why, that would be my daughter tripping and falling over some farm tools by the barn. Her mother was too busy snapping some shots and I actually have a photo of her in the act of falling. Because that's what responsible mothers do.
The alpaca stare: indefinite moments of awesomeness where you are being regarded by a slowly advancing alpaca as though you were a creature from a foreign planet. The subtext for the stare would be a serious and studied, "And you arrrrre....?" The alpaca stare will last until you breathe or move, at which point the alpacas will scatter like minnows in a stream.
Here is a girl sporting her new haircut. I love that they're left only rocking some bangs and furry leg warmers.
This yarn below was hand-spun by one of Beth's friends using fibers from her huacaya alpacas.
The yarns above are spun in their natural colors.
Beth also has a store in her basement of yarn, hand-knit items, and clothes all made from alpaca fiber.
That herringbone skirt was so incredibly soft. I'm not usually in the mood for trying on clothes so I passed on buying anything but that skirt was truly tempting.
And now you probably know more about alpaca fibers than you ever wanted to know! I hope you've enjoyed looking at a few Suri alpacas and their fabulous alpaca-ness. And now, I leave you with a popular internet meme that makes me laugh. every. time.
