Haberdashers

This post is to answer my dear mom who after seeing a purple hat I made out of alpaca fleece said, “How in the world did that happen?” 

 So here is  the rest of the story……

But first, credit where credit is due!  My felting mentor is Gail of Fiberdoodles in Georgia, who once upon a time drove all the way to Utah to teach us how to make felted hats!  You can visit Gail ‘s site here.

Now back to the story of the purple hat ….. First I took a white alpaca fleece, wet it  and shoved it in a big pot.  Then I doused it with purple dye ( I used Jaquard dye and a little vinegar),  brought the pot to almost boiling, then turned if off and let it sit over night. The next morning only clear water remained, which means the dye was fully exhausted. I did also put a few skeins of white yarn and some roving on top just to see what would happen. They also turned out great!  The purple split into shades of blue and pink along with the purple which was what I was hoping for.

purple dye pot

Then the fleece comes out to dry. We have very little humidity in Utah so this part goes really fast!

out of the dye bath and on to a drying table

Next I got to use my friend Linda’s carder again.  This aligns the fibers in one direction.  If I wanted to , now I could take pieces of this batt to the spinning wheel and make yarn, but a felted hat was in my mind for this fiber.

after carding the colors start to blend

Now you must invite some friends over to help you with the felting. It’s not that hard, but does take hours and it helps if these friends own alpacas , and have fleece they want to play with!  You can see all 4 stacks of fiber which will soon be turned into felt!  It was raining so we had to work under the covered porch.

invite friends who like to have fun!

This is actually four layers of the purple batts that have been wet with very hot soapy water and as I agitate it, it will begin to turn to felt.

4 layers of batting get wet

Then using very hot water and soap, you rub and press the fibers molding the to the hat form. It really does take a long time but it is very exciting when it starts to take shape!

this part takes hours- she is just starting

Hours later – she is trying really hard to smile, but getting really anxious for the hat to be finished!  She is using a razor to shave off some pilling. We later decided that perhaps the rubber gloves caused some pilling and bubble wrap might be a better option.

she's getting tired and trying real hard to keep smiling

Bubble wrap with the bubbles facing down can make the process go more quickly.

using bubble wrap to help with the felting

Oh it’s just a little fruit punch to help move the afternoon along!  And to celebrate that it stopped raining.

Oh it's just fruit punch!

We used the hose to rinse the soap from the hats and started to plan how we would trim up the fiber.  

using the hose to rinse out the soap

Not quite finished yet, but definitely looks more like a hat than it did in the morning!

still drying but looks like a hat now!

I want a new toy!

carding alpaca, having fun!

After I discovered the joys of working with alpaca fiber the first thing I bought was  spinning wheel. Well I did try a drop spindle , but they don’t call it “drop” for nuthin.  I still hope to master it, but I really love spinning on a wheel. However, I always send my fleeces out for carding and had to wait to get them back before I could spin.

So just this week I got to try my hand at carding!  My friend Linda brought her Patrick Green Super carder over and showed me how to use it. What a blast!  And yes now I want one. 

The batts that come off the carder will be perfect to use for the felted hat I plan to make next week.

making alpaca batts

Lucky for me, she agreed to leave it for the weekend so I can really be sure I love it!

Mindless knitting

I so admire my friends who knit beautiful sweaters with complicated cables, socks and other fabulous creations. I do have half a sock I started about 5 years ago, but there it sits in my knitting bag just laughing at me.  

I have come to realize I am a passionate alpaca farmer who knits occasionally and I guess that suits me fine.  But I did discover a super simple project – well suited for alpaca yarn and I am having a ball knitting again!   Not using too many brain cells in my knitting is OK with me for now.  I haven’t had to rip one stitch out yet.

alpaca baby cocoon

A baby cocoon!  Can you imagine having a super soft alpaca cocoon to put your baby in?  Well I don’t actually have a baby (or grandbaby yet) but my dolls are filling in so I can be sure my cocoons are the right size.  This is my preemie or newborn size and I’m working on a slightly bigger one.  What a great photo prop this would be for a real sleeping baby.

I’ll list a few in my Etsy store once I get them finished.

Alpaca breeders! 5 tips for your success

 

1. Define your success

 We might automatically think of success in terms of $$, but if you  think a little harder, maybe what you want is to be your own boss, to be able to take a vacation when you want to (after you find a ranch sitter) or to work outside every day or to be in charge of your own destiny.  Perhaps you want to raise your children in a farm environment that teaches them naturally about birth, death and responsibilities.  Money does not always equal happiness, there are many people who have lots of money and are very unhappy. 

 

 

2. Believe in your self

Now using your terms for success, can you see yourself as a successful alpaca breeder?  If not, better work on getting that picture in your head!  Details of this picture are good too!  For years we raised our herd on dry lot, but in my head I pictured them grazing on grassy pastures.  So when the opportunity came to move the farm to grass pastures, with a stream and trees, we did it! I could see people from the city coming to visit us just because of the beautiful environment…. And you know what?  They do!

 If you talk with friends or family who are discouraging you, you sort of need to tune them out. Don’t let them change the picture of you success that you hold in your mind.

3. Set realistic goals, identify obstacles and know how you will overcome them.

 “I want to make lots of money” isn’t specific enough and it’s more of a wish than a goal. I want to sell 3 of my fiber boys before the end of the year is more specific.  What about the obstacles?  Well, they need to be easy to handle.  So get out there and train them!  And I need to get them noticed.  Maybe try a specific pen sale at Alpaca Farm days? Try the county fair or create your own event at your farm?  And I need to price them right for today’s market. Follow the same line of thinking with females or herdsires – You’ll be amazed what you can do!

 

4. Remember to have fun.

Enjoying the process is actually part of our mission statement. If you need a break, take a break.   Trade ranch sitting with another breeder and take a mini-vacation.  Sing to your self and your alpacas while you work.  It makes me laugh just to watch them listen to me! Enjoy the life! Why would anyone want to buy in to your life style if you look miserable or desperate to make a sale?

  don’t worry be happy

5. Be yourself.

You can learn from other successful breeders you see, but what can make you stand out from the crowd is YOU.  People are more comfortable doing business with genuine people.   What makes you different from the other breeders?  When I look at Alpacanation or Alpaca Street as a buyer, everyone starts to look the same.  Egad! I think of those sites more like a phone book, or directory, but then I want to find out what makes you different – I hope you have a personal web site to direct me to and tell me why I should do business with you. Finding the animals I want is not so hard, but it will be the person I deal with that makes my decision.