Author Topic: Spinning alpaca (Read 2368 times)

Louise Gaunt · « **on:** February 18, 2014, 05:36:38 pm »

I am relatively new to spinning. When I bought my wheel second hand it came with some combed alpaca tops. I have tried spinning them but I am not getting a very good yarn, it doesn't have any strength and keeps breaking. Am I just not putting enough twist in, although when I take yarn off the spool it twists back on itself quite a lot. Any suggestions gratefully accepted!

Bionic · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2014, 05:45:24 pm »

Louise, I don't have a suggestion for you but have found myself that alpaca isn't that easy. It is more slippery than fleece. I don't think it has the barbs that hold sheeps yarn together.

Having said that one of the ladies that used to spin at our group always spun alpaca and she didn't seem to have a problem so perhaps it's just a case of practising.

Louise Gaunt · « **Reply #2 on:** February 18, 2014, 06:13:21 pm »

Thanks, it is much more slippery than wool, although I have managed to spin some very dusty alpaca fleece I bought from a local alpaca keeper. I think the dirt makes it less slippery but very dusty to spin!

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #3 on:** February 19, 2014, 11:13:21 pm »

I think you would be better to get some sheep's fleece to start with and save the alpaca until you have more experience.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2014, 06:55:44 am »

I haven't actually spun any pure alpaca, only blends. And although I have alpaca fibre in boxes, I've never got around to combing and spinning any of it. So I can't offer any help directly on that. However, if you go onto Ravelry there will be plenty of help. Ask in UK Spinners or Ashford UK Spinners - both very friendly groups where there'll be a few people you know

. If you go on AUKS, elainethehill is likely to pipe up - she's done a fair bit of alpaca, much of it when she hadn't been spinning very long.

As to checking the twist generally, I recently learned how to do this properly! Just letting the last few inches relax to see if they twizzle up into spirals doesn't tell you much about how much twist there is in the single overall, nor whether you will like the end result.

So pull a good arm's length off the bobbin, and bring the far end back to near the bobbin. Stroke the resulting 2-ply to settle it, and then see if you have enough twist. Also, if you like the resulting 2-ply, that's what you're aiming for when you come to ply your singles - a lot of people cut off that segment and keep it with the bobbin or fibre to remind them when they come to ply.