Alpaca Scarves
My most recent activity has not involved any dyeing. Instead, I have been spinning alpaca fleece from Sussex-bred alpacas and then knitting scarves from the beautifully soft hand-spun yarn.
The alpacas have been bred at Hartfield, East Sussex by Caroline Vickery, who together with her mother, Beverley Vickery, has a prize-winning flock of over 50 alpacas, whose natural fleece colours range from white, tan, dark brown to black. The fleece can be supplied in its raw state, just as it comes off the animal, or as washed and carded fleece. I prefer the washed and carded fleece, which is soft and wonderful to spin, and I have enjoyed experimenting with stripes or plying two different colours together to create a marled effect.
As the photos below show, the alpacas are charming, friendly, curious creatures and clearly thrive in the Sussex Weald. For further information look at the website www.alpacassale.net/ or enter “Alpacas at Wealden Sussex” into your search engine.
The photo below shows some of the scarves I have knitted. Now I just have to sell some before I start making more!
I'm not sure I think alpacas are beautiful animals, but they are friendly and charming. And also not so noisy as my sheep are. I've been spinning some fleece as well, from alpacas living nearby too. I spun it raw, though, I thought that was the way to do it. It was clean and untangled, so perhaps it wouldn't make a big difference if it was washed and carded.
Your scarfs are lovely, and looks soo soft. Love the long fringes!
I've been wanting to try and dye/spin some white alpaca, but apparently they are rare. You're lucky to have so many colours available 🙂
Hi Jenny I love your scarves. I have been spinning alpaca recently too as a friend got me a really soft black fleece, as I find it wonderful to ply with and use it in my art yarns where I have a very textured multicoloured singles. Mona, I bought some white alpaca from Chrissie Menzies who organisies Wonderwool -this is a link for her, http://www.smallholder-agriculture.co.uk/detail/chrysalis-alpacas-wales-213/
helen
Nice flock! We used to keep them on my old farm in Hampshire, but since I moved away, I can't wake up to that "wonderful" sound. Swings and roundabouts! Anyway, maybe I'll try and get my hands on some of that lovely wool. It's such a shame that it's quite hard to get hold of 100% alpaca on the high street. Such a great material, and so underused. I suppose its started to get trendy recently in the UK, but I just moved to Germany and its almost unheard of around here.