Fiber of the Gods
Journal Entry, Week-06, 2021-12-17
Alpaca wool is called "Fiber of the Gods" for good reasons. Not only is Alpaca wool luxuriously soft & versatile, it's waterproof, mold-proof & a flame retardant! It can be made into yarn, thread, cloth, felt, & more. At the end of it's life, it can be composted! Though it naturally comes in over 22 primary colors (300+ variations) & it's easily dyed.
There are two main types of wool: Huacaya (fluffy) and Suri (silky). Each individual Huacaya fiber has a "zigzag curvature" structure making the fleece as a whole look much larger in volume than the Suri fleece, even though they weigh the same. In comparison, each Suri fiber has very little curvature & wraps itself around a primary fiber, giving it a "dread-locks" look. The Huacaya fleece can be used for things that stretch (e.g., socks, sweaters), while the Suri fleece is good for things that don't need to stretch (e.g., jackets, blankets, etc.).
Prime fleece (i.e., from the "blanket of the body" is used to score the "comfort factor" of the fleece's quality. Samples are sent to a certified lab & a laser scanner is used to score the comfort factor using a specific, standard criteria.
Exploring Shearing Packages
Before shearing, each alpaca is laid down on its own large rectangle of butcher paper. An alpaca is sheared while laying on one side in a specific order, neck-to-tail. Once one side is sheared, the alpaca is rolled to its other side and sheared on that side in the same order. When done, the alpaca is brought to it's feet and led back to its field. Meanwhile, the sheared fiber is rolled into its paper, labeled with the alpaca's name, date, age & other info, and sealed in its own plastic bag to inventory later. Each bag also includes a small Ziploc containing a sample of its prime fleece, which is sent to a lab for rating of the wool's quality. "Skirt" fleece (i.e., fleece having inconsistent form & pattern than the prime fleece) is removed from paper roll & put into separate bags, still within the original paper-rolled fleece package, for later processing.
Felting Playtime
Cindy has a felting machine we (she) played around with, showing me how to create a felt base which is used to create any number of products. Shortly after we met, we both wanted to create alpaca-felt rain ponchos. Today we brainstormed all kinds of felt-based product possibilities: table runners, drier balls (to replaced disposable dryer balls), vests, jackets, 3 sizes of ponchos, & more. She showed me an example of layering other fabrics on one side of the felt base to mesh different designs, such as paisley, onto the felt base. I have an assignment to find fibershed-based organic, naturally died, locally sourced fabric we can use. She also demo'd how applying different types & colors of alpaca wool (from batts, i.e., washed & combed wool) can create lush, abstract patterns. I could imagine these panels as the fronts of a unique vest or jacket.
