What a yummy fiber. I just started knitting a new scarf (my third knit project!) with an alpaca blend. It is tri-colored with a creamy white, light brown and dark brown. I began to wonder if alpaca raised in warmer climes and lower elevations is as good as Alpaca from the Andes. As far as I have researched, the fiber looses some luster when the animals live in Australia or the U.S. and the fibers aren't quite as fine. Most alpaca still comes from Peru, Bolivia or Chile. Alpaca is very fine, less than 34 microns. Compare that to a human hair which averages 90 microns.
Photo fromSnow Mountain Alpacas from Keenesburg, ColoradoAlpacas are sheared just like sheep, usually annually. The best fleece comes from the blanket of the animal, the part covering the back, side shoulders and rump. Baby alpaca fiber comes from the first clip that commands a premium rate because of its extra fineness, 22.5-23.5 microns. Shearings can produce 5-6 pounds of wool. Alpaca is hypoallergenic and less itchy than wool as alpaca has no lanolin. Vicuna, alpaca's wild cousins, have wool that is only 12 microns thick. They are rounded up and sheared every two years. What a chore that must be! You can buy a ball of vicuna yarn for a mere $300!
Oh, and if you want to buy and alpaca they run $1000-$16,000!
Theresa, Ommama
Photo fromSnow Mountain Alpacas from Keenesburg, Colorado
Oh, and if you want to buy and alpaca they run $1000-$16,000!
This is my silly little hanukia covered in glitter. I lit my first candle tonight for the first night of Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish (though I've wanted to be since I was 10ish due to a dancing bagel at a Noah's Bagels grand opening) but I wanted to explore other cultures and traditions this winter. I'm trying to talk Dale into playing dreidel with me tomorrow. I need to find some dark chocolate gelt though. I don't like the traditional gelt. And I need to remember the dreidel symbols.
Last weekend we went to my friend Nicole's mum's house to make wreaths. She had all the swag cut so we brought our wreath frames, wire,and wire cutters. There were three types of tree limbs and some holly we incorporated into our wreaths. Though it was a chilly rainy day, we were warmed up with tea and crafty fun.
After all the swag was attached to the frames, we trimmed off the wonky bits and gave the wreaths nice round shapes. They all turned out different and all looked really great. I decided to add some of my vintage Shiny Bright ornaments to give my wreath some flair. I had so much fun making my wreath that I want to make more. They look so nice and smell so good and would be great for gifts and holiday party presents!
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