Alpaca Fleece

One of the biggest challenges I face as an alpaca breeder is to educate the general public about the opportunities surrounding the luxurious fleece alpacas produce, but more importantly, that we are livestock breeders first and the fleece is a sideline of our breeding business.  The way it has been best explained to me is that the U.S. doesn't have sufficient alpacas to produce enough fleece to build a viable fleece market.  We have maybe 190,000 registered alpacas in the US.  We need a million alpacas to begin to meet the demands of the textile industry. So until we get to that point, most often we sell our annual clip to spinners and have much of our fleece made into yarn by cottage mills.  Playing with the fiber in my studio..... a little dyeing, spinning, weaving and some alpaca yarn knitting for fun. 

The good news is that there are efforts underway by the first certified fleece sorters in the America to educate alpaca farmers as to how they can profit from their fleece.  The Course Broads as they are known, have developed the only known American Fleece Sorting Certification program offering apprenticeships. Visit their website at www.fibersorting.com.

In the past five years, as lapsed knitters have returned to the craft and new needle crafters have become more fiber-savvy, interest in quality natural yarns has increased.  Knitters, crocheters and weavers want better quality and are willing to pay for it, and a lot of people are thinking "American Made." 

The good news is that cottage mills are starting up all across America and include a growing number of entrepreneurs who are manufacturing specialty yarns on a small scale. They are serving alpaca breeders, wool, cashmere and angora growers.  Cottage mills make it possible for clients with as little as a few ounces of fleece to come away with rovings, batts, felt or yarn.  Enabled in part by economic conditions, social momentum and technology, these cottage mills are steadily becoming the microbreweries of the yarn manufacturing industry. 

Some attribute the increasing number of boutique mills partly to the "buy local" mentality, in which consumers consciously purchase local products in an attempt to conserve energy and bolster neighboring economies.  There's a certain appeal of knowing where something comes from and who produces it.  Some say they really do feel more connected to the earth when they knit, and even more so when they knit with yarn made from all-natural fiber.  There's a certain appeal to small-batch yarns that are locally produced, especialy one-of-a-kind offerings such as hand-dyed and farmer-created yarns.  Most knitters seem willing to pay for things they've never seen before. 

More importantly than producing rare, intriguing yarns, cottage mills are the essential link between alpaca breeders and the larger world of spinners and knitters.  Cottage mills are the link that can help save endangered breeds and preserve sheperds' lifestyles and pasture lands.  The fiber movement is all about quality and satisfaction, about cultivating sensitivity to fibers and yarns that can't even be understood by people who have only known generic yarns.  These fibers can command premium prices and reward the buyer with a depth of satisfaction that's worth far more than the cost of the yarn!

What Are Alpacas For?