I’ve probably mentioned it before but my first love has been horses. I’ve been in love with them since I was 2. So when I found the alpaca I’ve been thinking of how I can incorporate their fiber with my first passion.
I’ve been braiding custom reins for customers for quite a while which brought me my newest project; a custom show halter for a Moriesian ready in time for her inspection later this year. This request introduced me to a new method of working with alpaca fiber, card weaving. Also known as tablet weaving this method involves the use of cards with 4 holes punched in each corner. Depending on how you manipulate the cards you can create intricate patterns. I’ll get into more about card weaving and how to warp a loom and simple patterns in another post series.
As for the halter, I’ve weaved a 1” wide strap made from a 3 ply sport weight alpaca/wool blend yarn. I hand sewed the strap to halter hardware and will eventually ad the “bling” trim. The trim is a metallic blue/gold color to match the colors of the customer’s farm. Photos are of the halter crown and with the trim laid out over the crown to get an idea of the finished product.
Stay tuned for more posts as I continue on with this project and to see the end result.
As always be sure to check out Alpaca Farm Girl’s Fiber Arts Friday for other projects.