My First Fleece

I purchased my first Alpaca fleece yesterday. Actually, I got three. It was a great experience. I learned so much about microns and alpaca fiber. I got the fleeces unwashed. I tried to skirt the caramel colored one yesterday but it is such a fine fleece I couldn't really find any problem fibers. The hairs in it are minimal and they are super fine and soft. There is some vegetable matter in it and I am still working on getting as much out of the fleece as possible. Since this is my first time doing this I can't say for sure if I am doing it "right" but I am having fun.

The fleece is massive!

I only washed 9oz yesterday. I got it clean and dry.

Today I took 3oz and ran it through the drum carder. I think 3oz is too much on my drum carder so I ran 1.5oz batts. They are so fluffy and soft! Next time I will focus on making them 2oz batts. This was just a test run. There is still some VM left in those batts but I am picking it out.

This fiber is super soft! I have never felt alpaca this soft before! And I have dealt with all kinds of alpaca since I am allergic to wool and other animal fibers. Except for camel and bison.

Anyway, I am going to try to get all three fleeces washed this weekend. It is supposed to be sunny and warm. The brown/reddish one is absolutely gorgeous! The color is amazing and the fiber is softer than the caramel fleece I have been working with so far. The black fleece is a tiny bit coarser than either one of the other two but still really soft.

I have a lot of work to do but I am really looking forward to it. I have become attached to the fleece I am working on now. It is kind of a weird thing. It is a completely different experience than buying manufactured fluff.

I also got to meet some of the alpacas while I was there. They are so darn cute! Three of them ran up to me and made their little kazoo noises. I got to rub the neck of one. The watch dogs were nice and so were the barn cats. It was a fun morning.

I will be visiting another farm tomorrow. I still have money in my fiber budget/savings so I might be getting another fleece or two.