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Alpaca Fiber Halter Tube

Welcome Fiber Arts Friday Followers

I might be new to alpacas but have lived and breathed horses since I as 2 years old.  Now that I have these fuzzy creatures in my left I’m constantly thinking of ways to use their fiber for my equine love.  So far I’ve made lead ropes and reins but it was a minor injury to one of the horses that inspired my next project.  A custom felted tube for a halter crown.

One of the horses managed to get in a bit of a pickle and received a rope burn under the halter. (So much for having a breakaway halter when it doesn’t break!)  Long story short she’s hairless and a little sore behind her ears.  I thought about buying a sheepskin halter tube but thought, why do that, I bet I could felt some alpaca around the area and make a nice soft padding.

The results speak for themselves!  Perfecto!  Even though this is felt it is just as soft and squishy as if it were sheepskin.  Viva Alpaca!

 

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Poor Man’s Skirting Table

***NEW-Click Here for recent post for PVC Skirting Table with Supply List***

I spent Sunday afternoon skirting alpaca fiber.  Like the majority of new alpaca owners I’m broke after purchasing my foundation herd.  I feel like the blue collar redneck alpaca owner sometimes but honestly, I wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for anything.  It is hard work but very satisfying.

So what is skirting fiber you ask? Once the animal is sheared and the prime, 2nd and 3rd cuts are sorted in their baggies the hard work actually begins.  Each fleece has to be laid out and picked through to remove any short cuts and vegetation before it’s ready to send to the mill for processing.  A skirting table is what you lay the fiber out on.  This special table has holes in it so when you shake the fiber dirt, debris, and short cuts fall through while the fleece rests on top.  They even make fiber tumbling drums which rotate and toss the fiber around and let the crud fall through to the floor.  Tables or tumbles usually cost between $2-400.  That’s $ I don’t have laying around at the moment.

I’ve got 36 lbs of fiber to skirt and no table which is a problem.  So I started digging around the barn trying to think of what I could do to put together something at 0 cost to me. 

The solution?

–          (2) 4×4 approx 5 feet long

–          Chicken wire 24” x 5’

–          Some staples 

Tada, I give you poor man’s skirting table!  I was afraid the chicken wire would catch the fiber but it didn’t, the fiber rested on tope nicely.  The hole size in the wire was good too an anything shorter than 1.5 inches fell through.  I was surprised to see the amount of dirt and dust that fell out of the fiber. 

I’m happy with my little skirting table until I can afford to build a better one. So far I’ve managed to skirt all the prime fiber and will start on the 2nds next weekend.

Here’s a photo of my “table.”  I apologize for the photo quality, it was taken with my cell phone.

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Dog Collar – Braided Alpaca

Meet Twila.  She’s the first dog to have a hand braided collar made out of alpaca! 

I have gotten quite a bit of feedback from alpaca owners wanting to learn how to make cord and braid their alpaca.  Please stay tuned for information about a braiding class. 

Don’t forget to visit Alpaca Farm Girl to see other Fiber Arts Friday posts!

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1/22/10
I am awaiting the arrival of my new cord making machine so I can make the following without taking hours and hours to make just one!
– alpaca mecatet
-alpaca reins
– alpaca leashes
– alpaca show lead ropes for both horses and alpacas
– alpaca dog collars and more
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Alpaca: Fiber of the Presidents!

We’ve all seen portraits of Lincoln but did you ever wonder what that infamous black coat, vest and trousers were made out of?  Why alpaca of course!  How do we know?  Lincoln was the first president to have a paparazzi following.  Letters, articles, editorials were all written about him and what type of man he was and of course what style he wore.  Mention of his coat has been found in numerous readings and here are just a few:

“Portrait life of Lincoln”

“Lincoln became one of the first Republicans.  The oratory of this strange, serious man seemed to inspire the hopes of the people.  They looked upon him in bewilderment as they saw this giant of the woods, in a black alpaca coat, with his sleeves rolled up, hammering away at the institution which he believed to be unjust.”

“Old ABE” With Alpaca Coat and Grip-Sack”

“While we were sitting in the hotel office after supper, Mr. Lincoln entered, carrying an old carpet-bag in his hand, and wearing a weather-beaten silk hat – too large, apparently, for his head, – a long, loosely fitting frock-coat, of black alpaca, and vest and trousers of the same material.”

“Lincoln and the Tools of War”

“While Robert went in to invite Stanton along, Lincoln entertained the others with some of his stories.  Noticing a torn pocket in his black alpaca coat, he mended it with a pin taken from his waste coat. “It seems to me,” he said smiling, “that this does not look quite right for the Chief Magistrate of this mighty Republic.”

On your next visit to our Nation’s Capital, make sure to stop by the Lincoln Memorial and admire Lincoln and his alpaca coat.