# Spinning Alpaca



## ptober (Mar 24, 2011)

Finally took the plunge and pulled out my alpaca fiber today to try to teach myself to spin it.

I think I am in Love! It is wonderful to spin and slides so easily from the lock!! do not know why I waited so long.

Question: does one finish alpaca yarn like wool etc: wash, rinse and then hang to dry. Does one have to do this to set the ply?

Thanks in advance for any info.


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## lovey (Nov 11, 2011)

It is very hot to wear. I made mittens for cold weather and I have to take them off!


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## Minko (Nov 22, 2016)

Wash the dirty fleece in cold/warm water with Dawn detergent & a splash of vinegar. Add the dawn, vinegar and fieece to the water. Repeat as necessary. Don NOT agitate. Rinse in the same temperature of cold/warm water. If your alpaca is already washed, you can skip the above. 
Spin into yarn. Wrap yarn on a Niddy Noddy to make a skein. Tie the skein together with scrap yarn in at least 4 places. 
Wash (as before). Rinse as before. Thwak/Wak the skein from four different places on the skein against a door or wall to shock the yarn. Hang to dry. I put mine outside on a little fence I have, or hang on a rack in the house. A fan speeds the process. Wind your dry yarn into a ball when you're ready to knit something. I hope this helps!


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## Minko (Nov 22, 2016)

Wash the dirty fleece in cold/warm water with Dawn detergent & a splash of vinegar. Add the dawn, vinegar and fieece to the water. Repeat as necessary. Don NOT agitate. Rinse in the same temperature of cold/warm water. If your alpaca is already washed, you can skip the above. 
Spin into yarn. Wrap yarn on a Niddy Noddy to make a skein. Tie the skein together with scrap yarn in at least 4 places. 
Wash (as before). Rinse as before. Thwak/Wak the skein from four different places on the skein against a door or wall to shock the yarn. Hang to dry. I put mine outside on a little fence I have, or hang on a rack in the house. A fan speeds the process. Wind your dry yarn into a ball when you're ready to knit something. I hope this helps!


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## llamama1 (Jun 22, 2012)

I finish my spun alpaca the same way I finish spun wool. I do not wash the alpaca before spinning, because you do not have the "grease" to remove that you have in sheep wool.


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## ptober (Mar 24, 2011)

Thanks for the information. I would have felt terrible if I had ruined the yarn in the finishing.


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## lovethelake (Apr 6, 2011)

I wash my alpaca is Unicorn Scour or Blue and only the original blue Dawn. Warm water. Put a small amount in a mesh laundry bag. Push the alpaca into the water, and soak, no agitation for 20 min. Remove and push/squeeze out. Re-soak in a new soapy bath. Press out soapy water. Soak in warm water. Repeat until runs clear. I have never used vinegar. I only use vinegar if rinsing dyed yarn that has not been set. Put on a sweater drying rack and let dry. Takes a while depending on the size of the fleece. If you can, only wash similar length fiber together. You may have to throw out a good part of the fleece if it has not been skirted. If the different lengths of fiber are really different your yarn will pill. The 'seconds' that you discard can either be done separately and used for felting. I have drum carded my clean fleece and I am learning combing it and making clouds. With the left overs from combing, I am going to card it since it is all the same length.


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## crivitz (Apr 12, 2015)

I was taught to do that whacking thing only with cotton and linen, not with any animal fiber. Whacking isn't required for animal fiber unless you're trying to redistribute or straighten out some bad plying.


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## BirchPoint (Feb 12, 2016)

Alpaca does not have lanolin, but it does have lots of dust in it. It is easier to wash that out before spinning, rather than after. After spinning, wash and set the spin as for wool.


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## ptober (Mar 24, 2011)

One more question: Do you spin your alpaca short draw or long?


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## Alpaca Farmer (Jan 19, 2011)

I learned to spin with suri alpaca, because that is what I have from our animals. Yes, you finish it the same way as other wool. Although it does not have the lanolin, I wash the fiber before spinning because of the dust and dirt in it. Alpacas love to roll in the dirt, grass, dry leaves, etc.
Alpaca is very warm to wear and that is why it is valued up here in the colder temps. I have been blending my alpaca with merino, or romney, or coopworth. I just acquired some silk and will be trying a blend with that.
I am so happy that you love the alpaca. I have some beautiful 8oz batts of spin ready alpaca if you or anyone else if interested.


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## Minko (Nov 22, 2016)

You can spin alpaca fleece either short or long draw, depending on the kind of yarn you want to spin.


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## Linda6885 (Feb 13, 2011)

yes, you still have to finish it to set the twist. Did you wash the fleece first? Often alpaca is dusty but very clean, and after picking you can spin 'from the locks' and wash just once. I had trouble with my alpaca, but I did not not spin from the lock and I carded aand /or combed it first. The static build up was awful. I used spray on untangle conditioner for hair, which worked. Then I came across a video where the spinner spun right from the carder to keep the fiber inline without dealing with all the static. Which is what I will try next. What weight yarn are you spinning ? I like a fine yarn which I plied. (and dyed) Here is the final result. http://www.knittingparadise.com/t-457504-1.html


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## shepherd (Feb 25, 2012)

Minko - I love it when you use technical terms, like Twack-whak


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## lovelandjanice (Aug 8, 2012)

Is llama processed the same way as alpaca?? My nephew is sending some for my dtr who is new to processing fleece.


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## Goodshepfarm (Jul 20, 2014)

shepherd said:


> Minko - I love it when you use technical terms, like Twack-whak


LOL !!


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## llamama1 (Jun 22, 2012)

Llama is processed the same as alpaca---HOWEVER---for best results, remove the guard hair before spinning.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

Yup sounds right to me. lol all of the above. I do clean my fleeces before I spin I hate using dirty roving guess it is the mama in me. lol I also set the spin with dawn in hat water let it soak then rinse roll in towel and I do thwack , twack and whak then hang to dry. I use this method on all of my yarns/ fibers.


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