January 19, 2011 Water Repellant Alpaca

Among the many "virtues" of alpaca is the fact that it can be water repellant which is important in wicking away moisture for individuals who are out in the elements, such as hunters. It also means that if we are out in the cold and are wearing alpaca coats and hats, the rain and moisture don't reach us because it is water repellant.
This is one more amazing "virtue" of this incredible fiber!

January 18, 2011 How to Make an Alpaca Mug Rug

A delightfully simple project is to weave an alpaca mug rug (coaster) with alpaca yarn. Almost any color will do although I prefer darker ones and you can blend the yarn with other yarns or fibers so there is an unlimited variety of mug rugs that can be made.

Benefits of the alpaca mug rug are that the fiber absorbs any moisture from the glass or cup, and it does not pass through the fiber to stain the table! They do not stick to the beverage container and they can be shaken clean so they are ready to use the next time.

Just another wonderful item that can be made from alpaca. We use ours every day. They make great gifts or household items to sell. The incredible, versatile alpaca fiber!!

January 17, 2011 Weaving an Alpaca Rug

Weaving can be such a joy as you can start weaving and then set the project aside for another time. I learned rug weaving on an Ashford Rigid Heddle loom and I now have two sizes of Ashford looms.

The first step was to decide which color of rug to make to send to Morning Star Fiber to have it made into rug yarn. Since one of my favorite colors is rosegray, it was not a difficult decision. You could dye white or fawn fiber before sending it to the mill to be made into rug yarn which would add to choices of the 22 natural colors of alpaca.

The rug yarn was woven into a rug and a few different sizes were made. The small one pictured could also be used as a wall hanging. Additional felted items such as felted small alpacas could easily be added. Alpaca rugs feel soft and warm and would be the perfect items to step on as you get out of bed in the morning!

January 16, 2011 How to Make Alpaca Slipper Socks

There is nothing better than alpaca slipper socks on these cold winter days, especially when the floors are cold and you are trying to not turn up the furnace or you have just returned home from time out in frigid weather.

Some knitters use bulky alpaca yarn to knit the slipper socks and then sew them to slippers that can be found at various yarn companies or yarn stores with additional directions for putting them together. You can choose the color of bulky yarn that you would like to use and the color of the slipper which can be quite an advantage.

Those of us who are not knitters have to be a bit more inventive. I decided to use Extreme Alpaca Boot Socks for the sock part although you could use the Extreme Alpaca Socks just as well. I prefer the height of the boot socks. I sewed the Extreme Alpaca Boot Socks to a padded slipper that I found online and used a tapestry needle because of the thickness of the socks and before long I was toasty warm in alpaca slipper socks!

What a great "gift" for any freeze babies and for yourself!

January 15, 2011 How to Make a Felted Purse

Needlefelting is an interesting art form and much can be made with alpaca and llama fiber. For this project we used llama fiber which is a strong fiber to work with and spin as it has many of the same properties of alpaca.

First, we needlefelted the llama fiber around a thick piece of felting foam until it was thick and strong. Then we wet felted it and tried to determine how to make it in to a workable purse. Fortunately, Bagsmith carries leather purse straps to be attached and a purse lining that has various compartments and that can be removed to use with other similar purses. We then used the Knifty Knitter to make a large leather strip mesh bag to cover and decorate the purse. An interesting challenge that hopefully will last a long time!

Here is what we came up with.

January 14, 2011 An Alpaca Named Maximus

Maximus is one of my herdsires who produces phenomenal amounts of fawn fiber. I fell in love with him when I first saw him as I had never seen such dense fiber and so much fiber on the legs of an alpaca.

He is handsome all over and he has produced phenomenal cria. My favorite of all is my black girl, Libby.

Both have gentle temperaments, great conformation, and excellent fiber. Because of their sweet temperaments, both Maximus and Libby have special places in my heart. Alpacas are easy to enjoy and a positive addition to one's life!

January 13, 2011 Farm Blend Alpaca Fiber

One of the fun things to do with alpaca fiber is to clean and then blend colors of fiber to come up with your own original color. I love rosegrey and a kind alpaca farmer suggested that I make my own rosegrey fiber with the various colors of fiber from my herd. The recipe includes: some black from Libby, some white from Alexandria, some brown from Carmelita or Lucy, and add them together in

proportion to the fiber weight. Voila! Rosegrey fiber! So, I've been cleaning seconds (coarser fiber) in order to send this unique blend to the mill. Can't wait to see how it turns out!