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Author Topic: New Member  (Read 1432 times)

Barb

  • Joined Jan 2018
New Member
« on: January 05, 2018, 02:19:19 am »
HI, My name is Barbara Baker and I live in Rotorua, New Zealand.  I came across your site when I was searching for uses for carded fleece from my alpacas.  I am looking to earn some extra cash for a trip back to the UK next Christmas and I thought that using my fleece to make cot quilts seemed like a good idea, now I know the work involved to process it all by hand I am still looking forward to it but doubt I will earn a fortune in my spare time.

If anyone has any information on washing fleece both sheep and alpaca, then the caring process I would love to hear from you.  I am also looking forward to reading all the other useful information as well.  we have 6 apple trees and the last few years the birds and the wasps managed to have the majority so recipes for Cider or Apple Cider Vinegar seem like a good idea    :sheep: :llama: :wave:

nimbusllama

  • Joined Nov 2010
  • Near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
Re: New Member
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2018, 12:49:08 pm »
Hello Barbara and welcome to the best site around!  :wave: I am sure someone with more experience than myself will be along shortly  :thumbsup:  but good luck with your venture  :excited:

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: New Member
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2018, 01:52:28 pm »
Hello and welcome from dreich Carnoustie  :wave:

Bionic

  • Joined Dec 2010
  • Talley, Carmarthenshire
Re: New Member
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2018, 02:20:49 pm »
Hi Barb, how lucky you are to live in such a lovely place. I was there a couple of years go.


I have a few sheep and a friend with alpacas but I must say I'm not the best at preparing the fibre so hopefully one of the other experienced people on here will be along with some info.
Life is like a bowl of cherries, mostly yummy but some dodgy bits

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: New Member
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2018, 02:25:45 pm »
Hi Barb in the land of Ashford  :spin: .  Good to have you aboard.


I haven't worked with alpaca much at all, but of course it doesn't have the hooks on the fibres that wool does, so for your baby quilts you might be best to mix in wool from your sheep, to make the filling stay together and not clump.   Here we have places such as Wingham Wook Work where you can take along your fibre and use their big felting machine for making giant felted batts.   I agree that doing it all by hand would not be cost effective, but maybe you have somewhere similar in NZ.  You could try needle felting by hand as you can control how much felting you do, so you get just enough to hold it together without making it too heavy.


Start a thread in the 'Crafts' section where the crafty folk live, as they may not see this intro.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: New Member
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2018, 11:24:09 pm »
Hi Barb from Shropshire in the middle of England. There are mills in the UK that will wash and card small quantities of fleece so maybe you could find the same in NZ. That cuts out the hardest bit. Or you could even have it commercially spun and sell it as knitting.crochet wool. There are a couple of people on here who do that.

Possum

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • Somerset
Re: New Member
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2018, 10:25:45 am »
What a lovely part of the world to live in. My father was brought up in Whakatane, about an hour's drive from Rotarua and we still have distant family who live in the area. I have visited twice and felt very at home there. Very good farmland but better weather than the UK, as far as I can remember.

 

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