I have had to learn quickly what is important when it comes to alpaca fiber so I thought I would share;

First some terms-

  raw- this means the fiber has been taken straight from the animal and has not been washed  dirt and all included.

  picked- this means the fiber has been gone through and vegetable matter such as grass has been removed, keep in mind it is almost impossible to get all vegetable matter from a fleece.

  staple - this is the length of the fiber and can determine the ease of working with

  crimp- this is the kinking that the fiber has some people feel that the more crimp a fiber has the softer the fiber will be.

  carded- this means the fiber has been combed either by hand or machine to align the individual fibers. This creates a batt or a roving.

  cria- this is a baby alpaca and a cria fleece is the first shearing at about a year old.

  roving or batt- fiber that has been carded and is ready to be spun or felted.

  opened fleece- this means the fibers have been separated and fluffed to allow for cleaning and to prepare for carding sometimes referred to as picked.

  blanket- this is the best fiber of the animal and is taken from the sides behind the neck and in front of the hind quarters.

  2nds- this is the fiber from the neck, legs and back quarters of the animal and is also good fiber.

Some helpful tips for your fiber;

  I like to wash my fiber before using (some prefer not to) to do so I use Dawn dish detergent and place the fiber in lingere bags. I fill my washing machine with hot water and then add the soap, I then dip the bags of fiber up and down in the water. I then let the fiber soak in the hot water for about a half an hour, next advance the washer to spin and spin out the fiber. Do not allow the fiber to agitate as this will cause the fiber to felt. I then rinse as many time as needed for the water to be clean when the fiber is placed in. Dry layed out (I use an old screen to lay mine on).

  Make sure the fiber is completely dry before closing up to store. A good test is to seal the storage container and sit in the sun for a few minutes, if any moisture forms inside the container then the fiber is not dry and should not be sealed.

  I like to store my fiber with a small lavender sachet. This keeps the moths out and helps to remove any animal oder that might linger after washing.

                  to search for alpaca fiber just click

I do hope these tips have been helpful in some way, and happy spinning or felting to all