Thinking Outside the Alpaca Fibre Box

This article was printed in Camelid Quarterly in March 2009. Thought it would be good to rethink at shearing time....hopefully it will inspire. Thank you to Karen Childs and team for always making our shearing a pleasurable one. Your table manners are so appreciated :). I do have to mention all the dedicated volunteers who come out to our farm each year to lend a hand and join the fun. Thank you..

Don't miss Fibre Mania May 28th, 2011

Shearing season is an exciting time for most alpaca breeders. We wait all year for this luxurious, soft fibre to grow into a healthy, long staple length so it may be processed for resale. This cash crop brings alpaca fibre producers excitement, stirs the creativity, and provides concrete evidence that our breeding program is working. The fibre is carefully shorn and separated into 1sts (blanket area) and 2nds (neck, rump and upper legs). But what about the 3rds? Does most of this less than desirable fibre get thrown out or left on the ground to be swept up after an exhausting day of shearing? Alpaca 3rds are judged unfairly against the beautiful, soft and lower micron of the blanket and seconds.

When we think outside the alpaca fibre box, we find there is a lot that can be done with alpaca 3rds. Fibre artists have been very creative using 3rds for a variety of projects. At Spinning Wheel Alpaca Farm they are collected and skirted as carefully as the other precious fibre from the animal. Though some may scoff at whether 3rds are worth processing, beautiful items can be created by utilizing this selection of fibre. Spinning Wheel Alpaca does utilize thirds from their alpaca herd, so it is sorted, skirted and sent off for processing.




Some of this fibre is processed into a 4-ply chunky yarn that is then hand woven into rugs; a beautiful swatch of colours to make European designed area rugs.These rugs wear beautifully, look great against hardwood or ceramic floors, and are very therapeutic for the feet. You do not need the finest of the alpaca fibre to create beautiful things.

It is very important to chat with the operators of the mill where you plan to have your alpaca fibre processed. They may or may not want to bother with thirds. Provide all relevant details about your fibre and be specific in describing how you would like your fibre crop to be processed. Some mills will even felt 3rds or kick outs, creating beautiful felted rugs. These rugs stand up to high traffic, feel great beneath the feet and look spectacular as home décor. The best place for this type of antifatigue cushiony rug, is in the kitchen on the floor in front of the kitchen sink. Makes doing dishes heavenly (well, almost). We also use these felted rugs as yoga or Pilate rugs. Great for relaxing and meditation. namaste.....

All alpaca fibre has its use…especially 3rds. By being creative and thinking outside the box, we can design the most practical household items while utilizing all the unique characteristics of the fibre - its warmth, thermal properties, colour variation and strength.

This fibre artist has what it takes to make alpaca 3rds and boiled alpaca yarn look fantastic in a house hold setting; a one-of-a-kind, hand crafted uniquely Canadian Alpaca Tea Cozy.

Warmth is a great characteristic of alpaca, we all know that. The “Butt Buddy” was created to provide warmth and comfort while waiting for our vehicles to warm up. It also helps keep us from getting chilled while we sit on the frozen bleachers watching arena sports or any time we need warmth - from the bottom up. The Butt Buddy works great and looks awesome.
There are other unusual uses from alpaca thirds. Some breeders have used 3rds as a mulch in the gardens. This helps retain moisture in the soil and provides a slow release protein to feed the plants. Some gardeners who have incorporated alpaca 3rds into their horticulture have noted that their geraniums and impatiens do extremely well with alpaca mulch and thrive even in our Canadian summer heat. Other breeders sell their fibre to bird enthusiasts who love to watch the natural nesting behavior of their feathery friends. Alpaca 3rds are a great material for birds to use when building their nests. The fibre also helps keep the eggs nice and toasty while waiting to hatch.

At your next shearing session, think outside the Alpaca Fibre Box, and start creating. It is fun and can enable you to use all your alpaca fibre. Use it to fill your cat’s or dog’s bed, insulating the walls of your cottage, or another small building, there are many uses. Be creative, and for crying out loud ‘Don’t throw out the 3rds!’


The Camelid Quarterly 1 March 2009



Don't miss Spinning Wheel Alpacas' annual "Fibre Mania" held the last Saturday in May. This year our on farm event will be May 28th, 2011, from 10am-5pm. Vendors, demonstrations, learning about alpaca farming, and local producers will entertain everyone. Thank you Pine Ridge Hand Spinners and Weavers for joining us this year. Admission is by donation, with proceeds being donated to Hearth Place Cancer Centre Oshawa,

"Once you go alpaca, you don't go backa"

It's No Fun Getting Old...

I never thought that my lifestyle would create such a path on meeting some many interesting people. This week has been no exception....
One of our geriatric furry family member just turned 14 yrs old in February. In dog years, Lucy is 91 and still thriving, until this harsh winter brought out the worst in her arthritic body. The ice patches around the farm did not help either. With a little bit of anti inflammatory, some new raw diet and homeopathic remedies, it was a start on making our precious Lucy feel a bit better.

We have been studying the "raw" diet for our dogs. It has many benefits for our canine family members so the thought was to try our "inside" gang on this new meal plan. With the help from my sister in law and our employee, who were both feeding raw diet to their dogs, we saw long term goals and decided to contact an expert. Sheila is an experienced raw diet guru, and owns "My Dog's Best Friend". She was knowledgeable and fairly inexpensive having raw diet at about $1.40 a pound. Dogs should eat between 2-3% of their body weight. Sheila did tell us that our dogs may turn their noses up at the food at first. Our first feeding, everyone was interested in the meal prep...even devoured the main course. In the past, we would have to call the dogs for their dinner time...Spy our Border Collie is not food intense...until the raw diet.

We have a total of 6 dogs...yes 6 dogs. Three of our dogs live inside and are considered pets. The other 3 dogs (also considered pets) but are of a working breed and live with the alpacas. The outside gang are Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGDs) as they protect our herd of alpacas. This is a breed called Maremma which is an Italian breed, looking like a big white fluffy polar bear. Vito is a 7 year old Maremma (seen infront of Garth in the photo below). Seven is fairly young for a dog, but Vito is considered a geriatric dog as well. We met Colleen Cochrane thru networking. Colleen is considered a "dog whisperer" and has the ability to communicate with animals. She is a very unique and special lady who earns the respect from my animals very quickly. Colleen has an energy about her, that the dogs just seem to gravitate to. With her wisdom and holistic approach (along with my vet) we are working on arthritic issues that Vito has been experiencing. He is much happier these days and has gone back to working full time in the barn yard.

We still were looking for something else for our ol' gal Lucy Goosey. She had begun favouring her leg and we were worried that she may loose muscle tone in her right rear leg. The stars have been lining up for us this past month as we found this interesting business in a little town of Gore's Landing, just 45 minutes east of us. Shari's Quest is enhancing lives of animals and their humans. Shari as I have learned, offers massage and hydrotherapy service for horses and dogs to aid in healing of soft tissue injuries or post surgery. To aid in relief of muscle stiffness in athletic and older animals. A perfect solution for our Lucy, some hydrotherapy as she is an avid swimmer....that is in a lake.

When I spoke with Shari to set up our first session, she explained the process on how our dog would react...but being the mama of Lucy, I thought I knew how my dog would react. Little did I realize that Lucy behaved exactly as Shari predicted.

Our first session was this evening....a little bit of coaxing, some treats and a long ramp, Lucy had her first therapy session. It was great watching her swim in the mineral pool with her therapist, but she just was not sure about the whole adventure. But Shari was awesome. Very calm, very relaxed, which helped our precious Lucy settle down and get to work. Water splashed everywhere and our therapist just smiled. It was a great outing, and for the short period we were at our session, Lucy's session equaled about a 2-3 km walk. Not bad for an old gal.

Lucy seems to be tired this evening, but we will see what tomorrow brings or at least the day after that. We look forward to our next session and helping Lucy get back on all fours.

To learn more about Shari's Quest, visit her on line at www.sharisquest.ca

If you are interested in any information about any of the above people we have met this past few weeks, please email me at alpacas@xplornet.com.

We have some amazing people in our communities, those who are passionate about what they do.

Thank you Sheila, Colleen and Shari....the world is a better place for our furry family members when age is creeping up on them.