Email christine@naturallyalpacas.com
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Silks
Click here for a range of
Dyed and undyed silk products
Alpaca
Fibre
Alpaca fibre is a rare, speciality fibre, it is a ‘wool’ not a ‘hair’ due to its cuticle structure, it is warm, lightweight and incredibly soft. It has 3 times the tensile strength of merino. It has amazing thermal and water-resistant properties, keeping the wearer warm in winter yet cool in summer. It can be spun, knitted, woven and felted. Alpaca comes in wide
range of colours – 22 or 26 depending on
which book you read, but 12 colours are recognized at shows for breed
standards, ranging from pure white, through shades of fawns through browns
to rose greys and even black. It
can be dyed and blended with other fibres, such as fine merino, silk,
mohair, angora or other fibres. As
it is available in so many natural colours, it means the use of harsh
chemicals is not really necessary. As it is a
‘clean fibre’ albeit often dusty, it can be easily spun in the raw state
and is a handspinners delight.
We specialise in coloured alpaca, with all the wonderful natural shades alpaca comes in though we do have white fibre for sale as well. We sell it washed and carded, in 100gm (approximately) bags of pure alpaca. Availability we have found it almost impossible to keep the details up to date on the web site so please E-Mail for current stock details. Best choice is always a month or so after shearing ie:- March/April Natural Coloured Alpaca The following colours are normally avaliable :
Price $10 per 100gm bag
Please Note : we actually bag the fibre up separately in small batches so please try to order enough to suit your project, as for example 2 light fawn batches will have variations in both tone and micron, so unless you blend them together from the onset - variations will occur. If you do order for example 3 bags of a colour we will, of course, send 3 from the same batch. or let you know if this is not possible Dyed Alpaca Dyed alpaca is normally available in the following bright colours:
Price $15 per 100gm bag
Quality : As a serious fibre worker Christine will only sell our best hand sorted fibre for craft use. We do not supply seconds (felters need the best too). Postage:- Sorry but due to the new postage by volume rates the price is now dependent on the no ordered 1 bag $4.00 2 or 3 bags $5.00 4 to 9 bags $7.50 10bags or Post free Ordering and Payment:-Unfortunately we can only accept Cheques by post or direct deposit into our account and we will send fibre by return post. But we will hold any order placed by E Mail or telephone for 7 days. Advice : Please feel free to contact Christine if you require any advice on using alpaca - as a keen felter and spinner she has now gained considerable knowledge on using this wonderful product. Phone 06 753 2522 or E-Mail christine@naturallyalpacas.com Fibre Handling tips Alpaca is a silky fibre and when spinning - due to its slippery nature, extra twist is needed when spinning a single but enough twist must be released when plying two singles to allow the yarn to bulk up and become softer - it does not take too much twist to turn the yarn into a harsh "string"! Correct tension is essential when knitting alpaca and open lacy type patterns are best saved for scarves or very small items. Finished alpaca garments are best stored flat. When washing alpaca, use warm soapy water, rinse well, spin to remove excess water and dry flat in the shade - don't use a tumble dryer. Press with a steam iron, or with a damp cloth. |
Website by Steve Hart www.naturalperceptions.com |