Ive been really lucky with most of the Alpaca fleece Ive purchased, it was unwashed but combing it got all the VM out of it with no issue. Ive got my first alpaca fleece at the moment that Ive ever needed to wash, so this will be a first for me, so thankyou for your video :)
Thank you so much for posting this. I bought some raw alpaca at a fiber show and was told that technically I could spin it the way it was, but that didn't seem right to me. I'm so glad I watched your video first. You made cleaning my fleece so easy. =D
Thank you for your videos! I just bought my first fleece and your instructions are very helpful and thorough. Now I am looking forward to my first felting project!
Thanks for sharing this! I have some raw alpaca fleece on its way to me. Good to know that since alpaca fleece doesn't have any lanolin, I can just use the hot water from the tap (120 degrees).
I know your post is an old one, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on this topic. You know, it's really just a personal preference, I don't wash sheep or alpaca fleece before spinning, I wash it once it's all skeined up and it looks just as pretty. I find it can have a deadening effect on the lustre of the fibre, especially if you wash it again after skeining when it was already pre washed. And the more its handled, the more it is likely going to start felting, and with some fleeces it feels like all you have to do is look at it and it felt, so I try not to double handle where possible. Happy spinning and crafting. Cheers!
@@howlingwind1937 hi there, I realize this post is a couple of years old, but I've got a question about it. I have raw alpaca wool, which is pretty clean on its own. I want to felt a blanket out of it and am wondering if washing is preferred. I can't quite seem to understand why washing would be necessary. Isn't the lanolin going to make it more water proof and antibacterial? Why wash that away? Thank you :)
@@hemaartje hi, if you have the raw alpaca fleece, what I do is I put it into a net bag, like what oranges come in or onions, then I tie the bag to a tree branch and use a leaf blower to blow the dirt out, it may not blow twigs and other harder material, but half the battle is won when the actual dirt isn't there. Alpaca doesn't have a lot of lanolin in the fibre like sheep do, it's quite dry but slippery to spin. So if you were intending to spin it, I usually just comb it, or if you have a picker you could put it through that then card it, my preference is I generally don't do that, I just pull locks out and comb them or if it's a really soft one I don't bother I go straight into spinning, once I've spun and plied, then I wash it with shampoo and conditioner and rinsing it well then I knit or crochet or weave from there. If you want to felt it, blow out the dirt with the leaf blower, and card it if you can, it just makes nice batts and easier to lay out then, place bubble wrap to the size you want it to be, then layer the alpaca in one direction on the bubble wrap until it's covered, then layer more fleece but in the opposite of what you first put down, so if first layer was put down horizontally, the second layer goes on vertically, then you get a spray bottle with hot water and a bit of washing up liquid and spray it over the fleece, then do another couple of layers and spray again, you need to then decide how many layers you want as that determines how heavy or thick the blanket is, so you just repeat the above until you're satisfied, I usually do 4 lots of layering. Once that's done cover with more bubble wrap and with your hands rub gently at first in circular motion checking from time to time to see if the fibre has matted together and not sliding. Once it's matted a bit together then roll the whole lot up and tie it closed, then you can sit or stand and use your feet to roll the bundle on the ground, much easier on the back that way. Continue like this for about 30mins then untie and lay it back on the table and open it to check its progress you should be seeing very noticeable matting or felting happening, while it's open check for areas where the fibre may have moved and fill in any holes with some dry fibre and gently rub until it has joined a bit with the rest of the blanket, now put the bubble wrap on again and flip the fleece over so you are looking at the other side again check for holes and fill then replace the bubble wrap and this time roll the whole lot up long ways tie it up again and roll with the feet. Continue in this way until it's completely felted checking about every 30mins by unrolling etc, and reroll end to end and alternate long side to long side, and checking its progress and filling gaps, if you think you want it thicker, because it does compress, then add more fibre like you did at the beginning and continue doing what you've done, it will look and feel like felt when finished. As you may have noticed it's labour intensive, others may have a better way, that was how I was shown how to do it, I lust after a felting machine, which is way out of my budget though, while it's on the table and still covered with bubble wrap you can put an orbital sander in a water proof bag and run it over the fiber, but it needs to be slowish otherwise you'll be wearing bubble wrap and felt all over you 😁, being mindful of the dangers of water and electricty. This is very long, but I hope it all makes sense to you, try and have fun, happy felting. Cheers!
Ive been really lucky with most of the Alpaca fleece Ive purchased, it was unwashed but combing it got all the VM out of it with no issue. Ive got my first alpaca fleece at the moment that Ive ever needed to wash, so this will be a first for me, so thankyou for your video :)
is there anything special to know about combing alpaca fiber, compared to other fibers? any advice you might be willing to share or refer to?
@@ozok17 it felts faster than wool, so be very gentle
Thank you so much for posting this. I bought some raw alpaca at a fiber show and was told that technically I could spin it the way it was, but that didn't seem right to me. I'm so glad I watched your video first. You made cleaning my fleece so easy. =D
Thank you for your videos! I just bought my first fleece and your instructions are very helpful and thorough. Now I am looking forward to my first felting project!
Thank you
Thanks for sharing this! I have some raw alpaca fleece on its way to me. Good to know that since alpaca fleece doesn't have any lanolin, I can just use the hot water from the tap (120 degrees).
can you do this same method with bison fur?
Thank you for your help in learning this skill. It is very much appreciated. :)
I've read that you don't have to wash alpaca fleece. How do I know when to wash it and when to leave it be?
I'm sure if you don't have large clumps of mud or hay in your fleece, you should be fine
I know your post is an old one, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on this topic. You know, it's really just a personal preference, I don't wash sheep or alpaca fleece before spinning, I wash it once it's all skeined up and it looks just as pretty. I find it can have a deadening effect on the lustre of the fibre, especially if you wash it again after skeining when it was already pre washed. And the more its handled, the more it is likely going to start felting, and with some fleeces it feels like all you have to do is look at it and it felt, so I try not to double handle where possible. Happy spinning and crafting. Cheers!
@@howlingwind1937 hi there, I realize this post is a couple of years old, but I've got a question about it. I have raw alpaca wool, which is pretty clean on its own. I want to felt a blanket out of it and am wondering if washing is preferred. I can't quite seem to understand why washing would be necessary. Isn't the lanolin going to make it more water proof and antibacterial? Why wash that away? Thank you :)
@@hemaartje hi, if you have the raw alpaca fleece, what I do is I put it into a net bag, like what oranges come in or onions, then I tie the bag to a tree branch and use a leaf blower to blow the dirt out, it may not blow twigs and other harder material, but half the battle is won when the actual dirt isn't there. Alpaca doesn't have a lot of lanolin in the fibre like sheep do, it's quite dry but slippery to spin. So if you were intending to spin it, I usually just comb it, or if you have a picker you could put it through that then card it, my preference is I generally don't do that, I just pull locks out and comb them or if it's a really soft one I don't bother I go straight into spinning, once I've spun and plied, then I wash it with shampoo and conditioner and rinsing it well then I knit or crochet or weave from there. If you want to felt it, blow out the dirt with the leaf blower, and card it if you can, it just makes nice batts and easier to lay out then, place bubble wrap to the size you want it to be, then layer the alpaca in one direction on the bubble wrap until it's covered, then layer more fleece but in the opposite of what you first put down, so if first layer was put down horizontally, the second layer goes on vertically, then you get a spray bottle with hot water and a bit of washing up liquid and spray it over the fleece, then do another couple of layers and spray again, you need to then decide how many layers you want as that determines how heavy or thick the blanket is, so you just repeat the above until you're satisfied, I usually do 4 lots of layering. Once that's done cover with more bubble wrap and with your hands rub gently at first in circular motion checking from time to time to see if the fibre has matted together and not sliding. Once it's matted a bit together then roll the whole lot up and tie it closed, then you can sit or stand and use your feet to roll the bundle on the ground, much easier on the back that way. Continue like this for about 30mins then untie and lay it back on the table and open it to check its progress you should be seeing very noticeable matting or felting happening, while it's open check for areas where the fibre may have moved and fill in any holes with some dry fibre and gently rub until it has joined a bit with the rest of the blanket, now put the bubble wrap on again and flip the fleece over so you are looking at the other side again check for holes and fill then replace the bubble wrap and this time roll the whole lot up long ways tie it up again and roll with the feet. Continue in this way until it's completely felted checking about every 30mins by unrolling etc, and reroll end to end and alternate long side to long side, and checking its progress and filling gaps, if you think you want it thicker, because it does compress, then add more fibre like you did at the beginning and continue doing what you've done, it will look and feel like felt when finished. As you may have noticed it's labour intensive, others may have a better way, that was how I was shown how to do it, I lust after a felting machine, which is way out of my budget though, while it's on the table and still covered with bubble wrap you can put an orbital sander in a water proof bag and run it over the fiber, but it needs to be slowish otherwise you'll be wearing bubble wrap and felt all over you 😁, being mindful of the dangers of water and electricty. This is very long, but I hope it all makes sense to you, try and have fun, happy felting. Cheers!
My fleece has a lot of small VM. How can i take some of it out? I heard I can shake it out?
Why did u kill him?!?! U are heartless!
Who got killed? Did you reply to the wrong video?
You cannot be serious…….No alpaca or sheep is killed for the fleece. They are shaved.