Thanks for the demonstration, especially showing how far apart you hold your hands, and the rate at which you draft! How much twist do you add? I keep hearing that alpaca has a very narrow range of tolerance for twist: too little, it breaks; too much, it gets wiry and all that soft drapey virtue is lost.
Hi Robin, Sorry I am just now seeing this comment. I would agree that alpaca has a lower tolerance to the twist than wool, but find it to still be fairly easy to spin. I haven't really had an issue with the roving breaking while spinning (even as a beginner) or that it gets wiry. But I think one key is to use a processed roving (much easier than trying to spin the raw fiber) and to consider blending with some wool (even just a little) to help keep it together and give some extra stability. Starting with a good alpaca roving is probably key.
Thanks for the demonstration, especially showing how far apart you hold your hands, and the rate at which you draft! How much twist do you add? I keep hearing that alpaca has a very narrow range of tolerance for twist: too little, it breaks; too much, it gets wiry and all that soft drapey virtue is lost.
Hi Robin, Sorry I am just now seeing this comment. I would agree that alpaca has a lower tolerance to the twist than wool, but find it to still be fairly easy to spin. I haven't really had an issue with the roving breaking while spinning (even as a beginner) or that it gets wiry. But I think one key is to use a processed roving (much easier than trying to spin the raw fiber) and to consider blending with some wool (even just a little) to help keep it together and give some extra stability. Starting with a good alpaca roving is probably key.