# How to spin alpaca



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

I got a bag of lovely black alpaca fibre for Christmas.

I am new to the wheel (been spinning now for 6 months on the wheel, and about 2 years on a spindle) and pretty adept with wool (near as I can tell!) ... but the alpaca has me a bit stumped.

It just .. feels different! Lovely and soft, yes, but not as springy. I tried spinning straight from the locks (it's clean and beautiful and it 'felt' like that oughta work) but it doesnt' seem to want to come out evenly. It does feel like it wants to come out in a very thin thread, nothing bulky.

Should I run it through the drum carder & try again? 

Blend it with wool?

Use a larger bobbin or smaller one? (ummm ... struggling for proper terminology here ... I use a Babe wheel, and I am talking about the ratio for spinning - I have bobbins with small ends that spin faster and bobbins with big ends that spin slower)

Tighten the tension or loosen it?

:help:


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## kellyprzy (Oct 2, 2007)

Alpaca can be tricky- especially if you are used to spinning wool. It is much more 'slippery'. THere are 2 types of alpacas- Suris & Huacayas (sp?) and one of these is more slippery than the other. (If there are any alpaca owners here, speak up...I am not an expert & alpacas are too expensive for my blood ;-) )

Anyway, You need to spin from the fold- take a lock of fibers and bend them in half and use those fibers in the bent portion to draft the alpaca fibers. Here is a link to a pictorial demonstrating this technique: http://www.graftonfibers.com/fold.htm

Hope this helps!

Kelly


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## Flwrbrd (Jan 14, 2007)

I absolutely ADORE alpaca and spin LOTS of it.....
My first time or two though..it scared me...made my fingers ache.....
Then I discovered the tension knob....and loosened it considerably...I had it pulling far too hard for alpaca....it's all been breezy easy from there!
Alpaca is soft and slickery, but once you get the hang of it...it's very easy to spin....and delightful thru the fingers as well....
As far as prep goes....I either spin from the 'fluff' in my lap..(from the fold).....or off of rolags made with my dog brushes....
I'm fortunate that my source of alpaca takes such great care with their animals (vacuum) before shearing...and I don't wash it before spinning it.
Good luck, have fun!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

When I spin it from the lock worsted. Less tension (take up), more twist.

I prefer to card with a bit of wool that has memory and sproing-i-ness though


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## Flwrbrd (Jan 14, 2007)

Muller...it kinda defeats the purpose if the yarn is for somebody who's allergic to wool...
Right now I have a lady who'll take all the alpaca yarn I can spin....because she loves to knit...hates acrylics...and is allergic to wools...
I've frame knitted hats out of my alpaca yarns....and they work just fine...soft with a lovely handle....
I love this craft....so many different ways to do it!
:dance:


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Frazzle has this fiber been washed? If not you may want towash it first, alpaca and llama like to roll in dust, take dust baths, their fleeces look clean but they can be really dusty.

It's slick and need more twist than wool. Keep in mind that whenever you make will not have the elasticity that wool does either. It will sort of drape.

Enjoy! Nice gift.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Flwrbrd said:


> Muller...it kinda defeats the purpose if the yarn is for somebody who's allergic to wool...


Allergic to wool??? :Bawling: 

I thought I had it rough being allergic to angora - but to wool???

Don't think Frazzle (OP) is allergic to wool. So, woolen would be spun from the fold w/o so much twist and worsted from end of locks with more twist


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## Liese (Dec 12, 2005)

Just out of curiousity since I haven't any Alpaca's  but when a garment is knit from all Alpaca yarn does it have a tendency to "grow"? Now I do use Lashes the Llama's fiber but I carded in at least 40% wool - with only one fibery Llama I want yarn enough for a good size poncho. So Frazzle what's cha gonna do with your paccy yarn?


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## Flwrbrd (Jan 14, 2007)

I'm not allergic to wool....or I wouldn't be spinning....but lots of people ARE allergic to it...I'm the only one of my sibs who can even get close to wool....and my mother, who knits, can't even get close to, or handle mohair....one thing about spinning...a little sumptin fer everybody! :baby04:


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## Corky (May 11, 2002)

I will step in here and say I have alpacas and spin ONLY alpaca.

I taught myself to spin with leg hair which is shorter and rougher than blanket.
That really worked out better than you might think for a beginner that holds the fleece too tight and pulls the fiber out in very short draws anyway.

I then took one spinning lesson at a fiber arts fair. That was wool and wool is easy to spin. I did learn to ply that day.
I finally realized I would not be selling all my fleece blankets so I began to spin those and had to learn all over again because the fiber was so long I did not know how to let enough out to prevent it twisting up in my hand.

I now spin blanket only and make all kinds of scarves and hats with the yarn.
I love alpaca. 
I don't see how anyone can spin suri though. Those firers are a foot long and longer.
No way I could do that.

I hand card with cotton carders or have a Friend card up a whole fleece at a time for me with his drum carder.

Over twisting is very easy with alpaca too. Be careful.

You can spin unwashed alpaca fleece just as easy as washed but it it is not vacuumed good before shearing it will be very dusty. There is no oil in alpaca fleece.

I wash mine first as the dust bothers me.

Alpaca felts very easy so wash a small amount at a time so if you do felt it you will not loose the whole fleece.

I run two pans of water at the same time to make sure they are the same temp.
They both cool at the same rate then so when you take your fleece out of the wash water and put it in the rinse water it is still the same temp.

DO NOT AGITATE the fleece. Just push it under the water and let it soak for 20 to thirty minutes and pick up a hand full and squeeze the water out.
I sometimes put that back into the water and squeeze it out a second time if it is really dirty. Put it in the rinse water and when you have it all in there just gently push it under the water and do the same as before.

I spread mine on sweater drying racks in front of my dehumidifier. I pull the fleece apart to fluff it some and let it dry till the next day.
Put it in a pillow case, not plastic. Plastic will cause it to sweat and rot quickly.


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## Corky (May 11, 2002)

These are pure alpaca made from two of my boys.
The ecru is from Dotson...He looks white.
The fawn is from Danny... he looks like a much lighter fawn than he is.

I made these for me... I always give my stuff away and never keep any for myself.

It looks like there are flaws and that the scarf is not the same length from stripe to end but it is just the way the scarf is laying and the camera angle.


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## swamp_deb (Jan 9, 2004)

Corky, what a lot of great info, THANKS! Your hat and scarf are beautiful and so is the tablecloth they are on, did you do that too? Beautiful work, just beautiful.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Corky, those are beautiful!!!!

Is that crocheted tablecloth one that you did??


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## Corky (May 11, 2002)

Thank you about the hat and scarf.

I did not make the table cloth though I do crochet.
I bought it at Care and Share for $4.

I also have a white,queen size fitted popcorn stitch bed spread that I bought at a flea market for $19. When I see something like this I get mad!
The maker did not put the item in the sale.
You can always tell. It is someone cleaning out the belongings of a departed Family member and they have no understanding of what they have or how many hours went into making these things. The table cloth is made with fine yarn and I covered it with a transparent shower curtain that I trimmed to fit.
The shower curtain is very thick so I know nothing will get through to the table cloth.


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