How to Clean Raw Alpaca Wool
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- We started raising alpacas about 10 years ago. Being a knitter and crocheter, I was very interested in using the wool from our animals in my projects. In this video, Marie and Emmaline from Wisdom Preserved teach you how to clean raw alpaca wool to later be used in your favorite craft projects.
Alpaca Fiber For Sale: tidd.ly/2Ps0F0F
After our first shearing, I looked at their dirty fleece and thought, “What am I supposed to do with that?” I have figured out a few things over the years. Even if you don’t have your own animals it is much less expensive to buy the raw fiber from the farmer and prep it for spinning yourself. This 4 bucket method for cleaning the fleece is the best I have found.
The supplies needed for this task are 4 medium buckets, dawn soap, water, and a drying rack. Optional items are towels and rubber gloves. An inexpensive place we have found to buy buckets is from our local bakery.
Fill all 4 of the buckets about halfway full with very hot water. Use about 1 tablespoon of Dawn soap in 2 of the buckets.
Fill all of the buckets at the same time so that they cool at approximately the same rate. If there are large temperature differences between the water in the buckets then the wool has the possibility of felting together.
Place the wool into the first soapy water bucket. Gently press it down under the water and wait 15 minutes. Gently remove it from the first bucket squeezing out excess water (again gently) and put it in the next bucket of soapy water. Wait another 15 minutes. Continue in this way with the next 2 rinse water buckets waiting 15 minutes before removing it each time.
When you pull it out of the first two buckets you will be amazed how much dirt came out without any actual washing, plunging, or scrubbing.
By the time it comes out of the final rinse water, it will be pretty clear water. There are still small bits of the barn in the wool but as it dries and during carding and spinning this should all come out nicely.
A drying rack is a good idea as it allows airflow on the top and bottom of the wool fibers. If you do not have a rack you can always place it on a towel, turning it regularly to expose the wet portions. A fan can help speed up the drying process.
When you place it on the rack, try to fluff it up and separate the locks as much as possible and it will dry much faster.
By the time it is done drying it is a mass of soft, fluffy, alpaca fiber, ready to be made into yarn.
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Music: Porch Swing Days - faster Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Intro: (00:00)
What we are doing: (00:11)
Supplies: (00:50)
Bonus - Buckets: (01:25)
Cleaning Process: (02:15)
Drying Process: (08:10)
Outro: (09:15)
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THANK YOU! I was gifted a huge box of alpaca wool and have been so intimidated to do anything with it. I'm excited to us it and the rancher will likewise be excited to see what I (finally) do with the wool.
Wonderful! I felt the same way when I first started. You''ll get comfortable with some experience behind you.
I'm ready to clean my first alpaca. Thanks for the info!
Glad to help.
Thank you, very helpful.
Thank you so much for the presentation. Your video was very helpful!
You're very welcome!
Thank you! Thank you! You made it more easy than what i thought. Very Very Helpful!
I am so glad it was beneficial.
I just bought 3 alpaca fleeces and I am so excited! This is so informational and I am so excited to try cleanning, carding, and spinning my own yarn
Congratulations!! It is so much fun to produce your own yarn. You have so many options.
This video is so helpful! I just picked up a hefty bag of fiber labeled "alpaca" at the thrift store, and I'm excited to get it cleaned, spun, and dyed!
What a great find. I’m glad this was helpful. Happy spinning!
Also, when I was washing the llama & alpaca wool it was just like you both said and you can see the difference in the water too. very easy. Thank you!
We are so glad the process worked perfectly for you.
What I’ve learned today: I wring my hair out in the shower like one milks an animal 😂
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video! A friend just gave me bags and bags of the fiber from his alpacas. I will clean it as you showed. I will then have to find someone to spin it for me if you have any suggestions. Also, do you have any idea how much fiber it takes to make an adult sweater? Thanks again and much success to you in your business.
There are a few companies that will spin up fiber but I would probably look for your local spinner's guild. Maybe someone there would be willing to help you.
Thanks ladies, a great video to inspire my giving it a go! Is it best to not dry the alpaca out under the sun? Or just out in the open under shade maybe on a still day? Obviously one needs to be careful of wind blowing it away!!!
I usually dry it in my greenhouse on wire racks. There are many options though.
How much Dawn do you add to the water?
Thanks for the video. How do you pick outs e veggie matter?
I usually lay it out on a wire rack beforehand and hand pick out any bits. Washing the alpaca before shearing can also be helpful to reduce dirt, etc.
Also, is washing the same for goat fiber too? I have goat hair from 12 of my wethers. It’s not lot to make yarn I don’t think but going to try to see how it comes out because it’s so soft some of their hair. I’m not sure if it’s mohair or cashmere or both or not? I have 2 pygmy goats, 1 alpine/toggenburg mix, 9 nigerian dwarf goats.
I imagine it would be similar. The key concept is to cut the grease so it releases the dirt.
Dawn isn't a natural cleaner.
How much soap did you add to the buckets? And do you rinse the dirty water out every time if I need to process quite a bit of fiber? I was gifted three bags! So I’m trying to figure out what to do. Thank you
I add approximately 1 tablespoon of soap in the wash buckets. I wash it out and refill the bucket with hot water every time I pull out the wool. If I am doing a large batch I get a chain going. ie. Take the wool out of bucket 1, put it in 2, dump out 1, refill 1, put new wool in 1. If I do it this way I always start the timer after the last bucket was filled. Have fun with your fiber!
Thank you!!!!
@@WisdomPreserved yes that works. It’s exactly what I did since the fiber I took was a lot. I def had to add more buckets and start a chain system…lol. It works though and is faster and I set timer too each time.
I just picked up three bags yesterday. I have off-white, black and white and blonde. I don't know anything about this. That's why I'm watching your video. Can I do this in the bathtub? And my goal is to felt?
The reason I do 4 buckets is so that the water cools at approximately the same rate. If there are large temperature differences in the water it will clump together. That is the risk with just using the tub. As you add new water it is hotter or cooler than what you were using. Plus, trust me, the wool will clog the drain. Even when I just dump the buckets I have trouble at times. Pouring it through a colander can help or I often dump the water outside. The birds love to add the wool to their nests. Congratulations on your new adventure. There are so many fun things you can do with alpaca wool.
Do you have any videos of carding and then spinning the fiber?
Not yet. That will probably be a winter project.
Looks good, I wonder if you feel really hot water is really needed as there is no need to melt lanolin?
Also, is it ok to soak fibre that has lots of clay stuck in it?
Thanks for advice!
I know some people who use cold water and try to preserve some of the natural oils in the wool. For me, I feel like it comes clean better with really hot water. Sometimes those oils trap and hold dirt in the fiber. It all depends on what is most important to you. It should work very well for the clay. If there is a large amount you might have to add a few more soaking buckets.
@@WisdomPreserved thanks, that helped! The clay has indeed dissolved nicely!
My fleece unfortunately seems to have loads of brown cocoons, a few dead flies and some wiggly maggots which have survived the wash… I picked out what I could find but wonder what would be the best next step?
@@barbarav847 The next step is exactly what you have described. After it dries I go through and pick out all the bits of the barn. I like to place it on a mesh surface for this. If there are big pieces I will try to take them out before I even wash it. Then I move on to the carding.
@@WisdomPreserved Cool, so, after it's thoroughly dried I don't have to worry about surviving bluebottle eggs etc?
@@barbarav847 It usually takes the blue bottle fly eggs only 2-3 days to hatch. If they have been in your wool longer than that I wonder if they are even viable. That being said You might want to put it in the freezer just in case. Temperatures below freezing for an extended period of time would likely kill them. I would recommend 2 weeks or so just to be on the safe side.
Have you had to clean a fleece that had some dead lice eggs in it? If so, what did you use?
Luckily I haven't. From the information I have read, it sounds like it isn't usable now. Sorry!
Mine came with a lot of plant matter - is there a magic way to clean it out, may be with brushes or a salad apinner ??? Also, do you boil it with soap, too ???
Thank You !
The best way I have found of removing "bits of the barn" is to lay it over a screen and hand pick it out. It is a pain but easier to do before you wash it because it is all in one area. Even better is if you can wash the alpacas a few days before sheering as it is easier on the animal. If it is too bad, I simply remove that section of wool. I would avoid boiling the water as it might cause the wool to felt. Good luck!
@WisdomPreserved
Thank You !
I have done 5 soaks with dawn soap of 3 hours each and the last one with vinegar. Super diry tips were separated and soaked overnight with vinegar, too, after the soap. Turns out they are sticky and help with felting. Then I dried it. Got a small comb, a plastic one, and it became my picker. After picking, I still have put it all into the water right after it has boiled to get rid of parasites and have dried it again. It's a long process. I did try hand picking per your advice for larger bits and use a comb for smaller ones. It takes patience for sure, not easy.
Best Regards
what do you do when after you wash it, it still smells a little? how do you get the animal smell out?
That is just part of using wool. It will fade as it dries. You can use any of the laundry scents to improve the olfactory experience as well.
thank you! Getting ready to card it soon. let you know how it turns out. Appreciate!
How much Dawn to water in the first two buckets?
I use about a tablespoon for half a bucket of hot water. It's not an exact science. A nice healthy squeeze will do.
how much dawn dish SoAP DO YOU USE?
OOPS I saw the response below thanks
:)
How much Dawn do you use?
I just drizzle across the bottom. Probably somewhere around 1 tablespoon.
I tryed it with goat fibers. However, I think the wool felted because of the hot water.
I haven’t tried goat fiber before. Maybe try a cooler temperature and see how it goes. The key is to have all buckets the same temperature. The hot water tends to cut the oils better but with goat that might not be as important.