I decided to
try to spin some "raw" alpaca that Em got for me when she went to the alpaca farm last fall. Meet Florence and Fernando. That's the names of the alpacas that the fiber came from. Florence is black
and Fernando is a beige color. Em got a bag of each. I didn't know what to do with it so I went to that font of all knowledge, Youtube. I found a video on how to card alpaca. So, I found my hand carders and loaded one side up like so. Then I used the carders the way the video instructed. It's much harder to do than it looks. Either that or I have the w
eakest arms ever.
try to spin some "raw" alpaca that Em got for me when she went to the alpaca farm last fall. Meet Florence and Fernando. That's the names of the alpacas that the fiber came from. Florence is black
and Fernando is a beige color. Em got a bag of each. I didn't know what to do with it so I went to that font of all knowledge, Youtube. I found a video on how to card alpaca. So, I found my hand carders and loaded one side up like so. Then I used the carders the way the video instructed. It's much harder to do than it looks. Either that or I have the w
eakest arms ever.After a bit, I had a puff of fiber that looks like this. I mixed both colors of alpaca and added a little bit of white merino. The little cloud-like puffs were easy to spin and after several hours of spinning, I had a bobbin 3/4 full of this. It was har
d to take a photo without the flash and still get the variations of the colors. It was an experiment and I'm calling it successful. I didn't clean the alpaca first and you should have seen how dirty my fingers were when I got done. Someone online suggested washing it after it was yarn because it's much more slippery when clean. There is a good amount of vm in the fiber. Alpacas like to roll in the dirt and it shows.
d to take a photo without the flash and still get the variations of the colors. It was an experiment and I'm calling it successful. I didn't clean the alpaca first and you should have seen how dirty my fingers were when I got done. Someone online suggested washing it after it was yarn because it's much more slippery when clean. There is a good amount of vm in the fiber. Alpacas like to roll in the dirt and it shows.It kept me busy all day. Then I decided to work on the lace which has been ripped back more than once. For some reason, when I get to row 7 of the lace pattern in the middle, my stitch count goes plooey. I checked for errata but the search only turned up finished shawls and they're beautiful. So, I am forced to admit, it's me. I've started again and hopefully I'll be able to make it through at least one repeat.
That's my weekend. I was going to sew on Saturday but didn't feel like dragging out the machine. I can't wait for the day when I have a craft room and can leave it out. I'd sew more often if I didn't have to lug it out and then put it back. When Kate and Holly move out, that's our plan for their room. Pk and I get a craft/hobby room. Soon.
I hope the weekend was a good one for you.
9 comments:
NOt over yet! Here's hoping the weekend is awesome! YOu're BRAVE to spin al paca-it's soooo slippery as a yarn, I can't even imagine what it would be as a fleece or a roving.
well I hope the weekend has helped you to not worry too much about Em. I know it must be so hard. We just need to take one day at a time, don't we?
I'm still chuckling about PK wanting to demonstrate how the cosy in the last post worked....he's a hoot.
Is there a mom alive who is not dreaming of the someday craft room? When my sister (the eldest) moved out my mother kept her room just as it was for years. When I moved out, I think my room was painted, recarpeted, and repurposed within a few months. (Sewing room/computer room.) I'm the youngest, of course. ;)
i love those colors and the names florence and fernando!
Lovely, lovely yarn! And I think you are wise to work it in the grease. You will be astounded at how black the water turns for the first couple of soakings, but the glory of the finished work will astound you even more.
Breathe in, breathe out. plan a random act of kindness for a stranger. Plan what you will knit with the handspun alpaca. Make a list of what you love about PK. And use stitch markers to mark every repeat of your lace in row 7 so you can find that blip.
I've never worked with alpaca but yours looks soft and lovely. Enjoy your spinning.
Gorgeous spinning! I hope that it kept your mind off things, and that you had some time to relax.
Crossing fingers that you hear good news tomorrow!
How beautiful your spinning looks - one day I hope mine will look that nice - and lovely to know your fibre!
Hugs for you all - and positive thoughts for Em!
Oh, I really like the blend of natural colors! Thank you for sharing this, I will try it soon. I am a new spinner, and we just sheared our alpacas, so even after sending bags to the mini-mill, I'll have plenty to work with on my own.
I've mixed in bits of mohair, which adds some shine. I just happened upon your blog - enjoyed the visit!
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