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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

RE: [AlpacaTalk] RE: fleece

 

It's used to wash horses and other animals. It is the main ingredient in most human shampoos.
Flossie

Flossie and Joe Carmichael
GentleGrangeAlpacas
Jamison,Pa.
Home-215-918-0339
Cell-267-614-9620
http://www.alpacanation.com/gentlegrange.asp


 
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
From: jelizabethfarms1@bellsouth.net
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:44:01 -0400
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] RE: fleece

 
<<<Hi Marsha, I used to use Dawn dish detergent but now use Orvus Paste which I buy
at the feed store for less than $20 for a large 7.5 pound container. I soak the
fiber in hot water with a few ounces of Orvus (I don't measure, just take a
scoop with my hand) for 30 minutes and then rinse a few times.
Flossie>>>


Hi Flossie,
what is the Orvus Paste's main use?   In other words, what section of the store would I find it in?
Janice

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posted by Chaddo at 11:02 PM 0 comments

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Re: [AlpacaTalk] I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you can answer for me.

 

Thank you everyone  for all the helpful and much needed advice!  (I get overwhelmed really easily). lol
I am so Glade I built up the courage to finally ask for help! :0)
 
We have both suri & huacaya, mostly huacaya and only a couple of suri's.
 
I have barely made a dent in all my fibers that I keep stored in my studio in the house for the past 3 years...
(it will be nice to have my studio back so I can get to my paints and other goodies).
 
I know I just got so overwhelmed that I just put it off and set it to the side burner till I could figured out what to do and how to do it, and also had so many other events got in the way that i hope are in order now. (Health and family things).
 
My hubby has been getting frustrated that it is still here, and keeps asking when are you going to send it off, didn't want to tell him I had no idea of how to do any of this no more than he does...sigh*
 
But I now have a good idea of how to get it more ready, been working on all the whites mainly, and was fixing to start on my fawns, so that part I think is ok, and since I have some of these babies for the 3 years, I think I'll have theirs processed as one big batch per animal per blanket and so on and that way I can know just how that animal' fiber turns out when processed into rovings or yarns and I like the idea of making a card to go with the rovings or yarn, etc. to show what they are getting....
 
I don't have a web site yet, but some day I hope to. And next is to learn to price things to sell, one step at a time, I will figure this out! :c)
 
I do have a couple of animals that are just companions who's fiber isn't the best that we got for companions and will use theirs for rugs & such.
 
Again, Thank you all for all the great advice!
 
Donna
Cuddly DD Alpacas
Point, Texas
 
.

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posted by Chaddo at 6:27 PM 0 comments

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[AlpacaTalk] RE: fleece

 

<<<Marsha
I am so glad you started this conversation! I have been worried about washing my fiber. My sister tried washing some of her best fiber and she ended up with dreadlocks!! You couldn't pull the fiber apart! I like the comment using plastic totes? I don't have a wire basket, but I have those cloth mesh pop up laundry bags. I have some that are short and rectangular with cloth handles. I bet one of them would work great for putting the fleece in and lowering it into a large plastic tote and the lifting it out for the rinses! I will give it a try! I want to learn handspinning, but have been afraid to wash my fiber. Great tips everyone!

Thanks
Jody>>>


Besides lack of time for the learning curve this has also been my hold up.   I likely would have long ago tackled learning to spin if I were not totally stumped (and frightened) by the cleaning process!
Great conversation!
Janice

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posted by Chaddo at 5:46 PM 0 comments

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[AlpacaTalk] RE: fleece

 

<<<Hi Marsha, I used to use Dawn dish detergent but now use Orvus Paste which I buy
at the feed store for less than $20 for a large 7.5 pound container. I soak the
fiber in hot water with a few ounces of Orvus (I don't measure, just take a
scoop with my hand) for 30 minutes and then rinse a few times.
Flossie>>>


Hi Flossie,
what is the Orvus Paste's main use?   In other words, what section of the store would I find it in?
Janice

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posted by Chaddo at 5:44 PM 0 comments

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[AlpacaTalk] RE: fleece

 

Glad to see this topic.   I have yet to get around to attempting to clean or do a thing with my years worth of fleece, but I am getting closer.    Did go thru them all this summer checking for moth damage and they appear to have held up well in extended storage, a bit musty smelling, but I assume that will wash out when the time comes.   I have put many projects that I long to do on the back burner in order to deal with less pleasant but more important tasks this year in my attempts to get back in some semblance of control of my life.

I love hearing all the tips for washing fleece' thanks for bringing it up Marsha, and great to see all the old regulars posting!

Susan Olsen....how are things for you these days?    I was just thinking about you the other day and hoping things had improved on several fronts for you.....esp the neighbor!

Janice

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posted by Chaddo at 5:40 PM 0 comments

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Re: [AlpacaTalk] Heather's email

 

whitelotusalpacas@gmail.com


Heather

Heather Zeleny
White Lotus Alpacas
Oregon

Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece






On Aug 24, 2011, at 5:23 PM, Judith Korff/Ladysong Farm wrote:

 

Heather, could you send me your e-mail address?  I have a female full Boli huacaya cria that I'd like to call to your attention, but don't have your private e-mail addy.  Thanks!
 
Judith Korff
LadySong Farm Bolivian Suri Alpacas
Randolph, New York 14772 
Cell: (716) 499-0383
Suri: Silk Without the Worm 


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posted by Chaddo at 5:39 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] Heather's email

 

Heather, could you send me your e-mail address?  I have a female full Boli huacaya cria that I'd like to call to your attention, but don't have your private e-mail addy.  Thanks!
 
Judith Korff
LadySong Farm Bolivian Suri Alpacas
Randolph, New York 14772 
Cell: (716) 499-0383
Suri: Silk Without the Worm 

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posted by Chaddo at 5:23 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

RE: [AlpacaTalk] I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you can answer for me.

 

We have only had alpacas since October 2008, so we are also pretty
new. I took my fiber to a mini mill the first shearing we had in 2009 and
then in 2010, I tried another mill, in addition to the first mill.

The first year, we put like colors/staple lengths together and
didn't identify the yarn by individual animal, but we knew who was grouped
together.

We kept it pretty simple. We had 10% merino blended with the alpaca
to give the yarn a little memory. It worked out great. Sport weight skeins
of 250 yds each. One pound of roving in white and one batt in black.

The second year, we got a little more creative and had fingering
yarn, sport wt and bulky. All in skeins, but this year I will go with
cones, too.
I also had black and white blended into a beautiful gray bulky wt....since I
don't have any gray animals, this will have to do, until I do! I had one
pound of roving in black and a batt in white. (I use the white for felting
soaps) I also had carpet yarn spun from the seconds and it is awesome.
Also we had all the skirting trash felted into sheets and I will use them
for dog beds.

Right now, I have about 30 bags of raw fiber in my garage. We keep
the cards in the bag until we decide to blend fibers. It is easier to
create larger batches if you put blankets together, but make sure the staple
lengths are pretty even. This year we will bank some with NEAFP and buy some
finished products at wholesale costs for this Fall and Winter vendor sales.

I don't have a webstore up yet, but that is in the works. I have
sold through our Farmer's Market and to friends for gifts, mostly. I also
have made gifts.......hats, scarves, wine cozies, felted bags, etc.

Also, I have a few that don't have the softest fiber and I will
blend them with another that is softer.

I also had my white suri blended with a white huacaya and it came
out very nice, too. My sister is familiar with the way the two fibers will
take dye and she said the blend dyes very nicely--so another experiment for
the future!

So, there you go from one newbie to another. I will warn you the
processing is costly and takes time. You didn't say where you live, but if
you are in the VA area, I can recommend a few mini mills.



Laura Roberts
R Half Pint Farm
Spotsylvania, VA

-----Original Message-----
From: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of jewl80fm47
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 12:02 PM
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you
can answer for me.

I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you can answer for me.

We are still pretty new to all of this, I have 3 yrs worth of alpaca fiber I
have been working on getting VM out of and getting ready to send off.

My question is, once it is all done, all VM out and ready to be sent off to
be processed....
Do you keep the card for each Blanket, Neck & Legs in with each Bag, or do
you remove it and put all of each color together to send off...
Like all White BLANKETS in one Bag,
All White NECKS in one bag,
and All White LEGS in one bag,
and same for each of the other colors & Section of body....All Fawns
Blankets in one Bag, etc.

I assume the CARD is for if you have a SHOW Blanket? (We've Never done that
yet).

And, What is the best way to have your fiber processed, into Rovings, Yarns,
a mix???

Who do you sell to and how does one go about doing it????
I feel real dumb when it comes to this, and finally have built up enough
courage to ask....

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks
Donna

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posted by Chaddo at 4:25 PM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Re: [AlpacaTalk] I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you can answer for me.

 

Hi Donna,

There are no dumb questions! 

It all depends on how you want your fleece processed. Some people like to have each animal's fleece processed separately, as it can be a good sales tool for customers to see which alpaca the fleece came from. People often make cards with, or add a picture of the alpaca and their name on skeins.

Some people don't care about that, and as long as you keep each grade of fleece the same for uniformity, then you are free to combine fleeces to process together. And, if neck is the same staple length and grade as blanket, that can be combined with prime fleece, as well. I have a really great girl whose 3rds (belly and lower leg) is nearly hair-free, so those are actually not 3rds at all. She's a keeper!

I don't know what cards you are referring to. If it is the tags from fleece shows, no, the processor doesn't need those at all.

Heather

Heather Zeleny
White Lotus Alpacas
Oregon

Holistic Farm and Elite Fleece






On Aug 24, 2011, at 9:01 AM, jewl80fm47 wrote:

 

I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you can answer for me.

We are still pretty new to all of this, I have 3 yrs worth of alpaca fiber I have been working on getting VM out of and getting ready to send off.

My question is, once it is all done, all VM out and ready to be sent off to be processed....
Do you keep the card for each Blanket, Neck & Legs in with each Bag, or do you remove it and put all of each color together to send off...
Like all White BLANKETS in one Bag,
All White NECKS in one bag,
and All White LEGS in one bag,
and same for each of the other colors & Section of body....All Fawns Blankets in one Bag, etc.

I assume the CARD is for if you have a SHOW Blanket? (We've Never done that yet).

And, What is the best way to have your fiber processed, into Rovings, Yarns, a mix???

Who do you sell to and how does one go about doing it????
I feel real dumb when it comes to this, and finally have built up enough courage to ask....

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks
Donna


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Recent Activity:
Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsibility of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.
.

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posted by Chaddo at 9:10 AM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

[AlpacaTalk] I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you can answer for me.

 

I have a couple of questions on the Fiber I hope you can answer for me.

We are still pretty new to all of this, I have 3 yrs worth of alpaca fiber I have been working on getting VM out of and getting ready to send off.

My question is, once it is all done, all VM out and ready to be sent off to be processed....
Do you keep the card for each Blanket, Neck & Legs in with each Bag, or do you remove it and put all of each color together to send off...
Like all White BLANKETS in one Bag,
All White NECKS in one bag,
and All White LEGS in one bag,
and same for each of the other colors & Section of body....All Fawns Blankets in one Bag, etc.

I assume the CARD is for if you have a SHOW Blanket? (We've Never done that yet).

And, What is the best way to have your fiber processed, into Rovings, Yarns, a mix???

Who do you sell to and how does one go about doing it????
I feel real dumb when it comes to this, and finally have built up enough courage to ask....

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks
Donna

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Recent Activity:
Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsibility of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.
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A better credit score can save you thousands. See yours at freecreditscore.com.
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posted by Chaddo at 9:01 AM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: fleece

 

The process I use is with a top loading washer. I turn off the cold water
to the washer so I don't mess things up (just a failsafe for me). Fill the
tub with hot water and laundry detergent. I put the fleece, fluffed up and
picked as much as possible, into a fine mesh laundry bag (Martha Stewart's
is great!). I put the bags of fleece in the hot water, but I don't turn on
the washer - just let the fleece sit. After about 20 minutes, I run the
spin cycle. Take out the fleece, fluff it up a bit, and repeat. After the
spin cycle, then I run same process with clean water only. Usually 2 soap
soaks and two rinse cycles are enough. I put the fleece on my sorting
table, which is a screen, and put another screen over it so it doesn't fly
away. Put the sorting table in the sun, and it's usually dry and ready to
work with in a couple of hours.

Suzi Dubay
Powder Puff Pacas
China, MI

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Sheri Hewitt sherih@woodlandmeadows.com
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:15:32 -0700
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: fleece

I washed my first batch and used warm water with Ecos detergent. I did
move it around a bit during the wash. I filled the sink twice with
rinse water and then just ran clear water over handfuls. It seemed to
work very well. The fleece smells clean and looks great. It's maroon
though so maybe I'm not seeing everything.

Although I used towels to wring it out it took days to dry. I
considered buying a centrifuge to spin it almost dry. I have a front
loading washer and thought that might not work well.

I haven't bought the centrifuge yet. I'm jumping into making felt and
figured I won't need it.

Sheri

Sheri Hewitt
Woodland Meadows, LLC
31542 Camas Swale Rd.
Creswell, OR 97426
541-895-0964
www.woodlandmeadows.com

On Aug 24, 2011, at 8:04 AM, Marsha wrote:

>
> I've been washing, spinning and making things with our fleece for a
> little while now. I have been enjoying all the info on how others
> do the cleaning. From what feed back I've seen so far....most use
> hot water to wash and rinse; yet another uses cold water and has had
> the same results. Time for me to experiment a bit....I washed some
> white fleece yesterday in HOT HOT HOT water, rinsed in the same;
> today I am washing some in cold water. It will be very interesting
> to see if I notice any difference once it is dried. Watching videos
> on youtube (as someone suggested) was great too. Those showed me a
> way to speed up my dry time. I used to take it from the rinse and
> spread it out over a sweater rack to dry. The towel use will speed
> the time to dry the fleece a lot.
>
> Marsha
>
> From: JoleneE <Jody_Ehler@hotmail.com>
> To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wed, August 24, 2011 10:35:12 AM
> Subject: [AlpacaTalk] Re: fleece
>
>
> Marsha
> I am so glad you started this conversation! I have been worried
> about washing my fiber. My sister tried washing some of her best
> fiber and she ended up with dreadlocks!! You couldn't pull the fiber
> apart! I like the comment using plastic totes? I don't have a wire
> basket, but I have those cloth mesh pop up laundry bags. I have some
> that are short and rectangular with cloth handles. I bet one of them
> would work great for putting the fleece in and lowering it into a
> large plastic tote and the lifting it out for the rinses! I will
> give it a try! I want to learn handspinning, but have been afraid to
> wash my fiber. Great tips everyone!
>
> Thanks
> Jody
>
> --- In AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com, hanabi62@... wrote:
> >
> > Do you clean/process your fleece yourself? If so, I would like to
> ask how do you get the white fleece nice and white? I'm fairly new
> at all of this and would love some input from those with more
> experience than me. Thanks to all that share their knowledge on this.
> >
> > Marsha
> >
>
>
>
>

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Message posts are the opinion of individuals posting and are not necessarily endorsed or approved by Yahoo! or the moderator of this group. The purpose of this discussion group is to ensure that all points of view can be aired. It is the responsibility of all individuals who post to treat others with respect and civility.
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posted by Chaddo at 8:34 AM 0 comments

Free Alpacas Newsletter- How to Profit from Alpaca Farming

Re: [AlpacaTalk] Re: fleece

 

I washed my first batch and used warm water with Ecos detergent. I did move it around a bit during the wash. I filled the sink twice with rinse water and then just ran clear water over handfuls. It seemed to work very well. The fleece smells clean and looks great. It's maroon though so maybe I'm not seeing everything.


Although I used towels to wring it out it took days to dry. I considered buying a centrifuge to spin it almost dry. I have a front loading washer and thought that might not work well.

I haven't bought the centrifuge yet. I'm jumping into making felt and figured I won't need it.

Sheri

Sheri Hewitt
Woodland Meadows, LLC
31542 Camas Swale Rd.
Creswell, OR 97426
541-895-0964

On Aug 24, 2011, at 8:04 AM, Marsha wrote:


I've been washing, spinning and making things with our fleece for a little while now.  I have been enjoying all the info on how others do the cleaning.  From what feed back I've seen so far....most use hot water to wash and rinse; yet another uses cold water and has had the same results.  Time for me to experiment a bit....I washed some white fleece yesterday in HOT HOT HOT water, rinsed in the same; today I am washing some in cold water.  It will be very interesting to see if I notice any difference once it is dried.  Watching videos on youtube (as someone suggested) was great too.  Those showed me a way to speed up my dry time.  I used to take it from the rinse and spread it out over a sweater rack to dry.  The towel use will speed the time to dry the fleece a lot. 
 
Marsha

From: JoleneE <Jody_Ehler@hotmail.com>
To: AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, August 24, 2011 10:35:12 AM
Subject: [AlpacaTalk] Re: fleece

 

Marsha
I am so glad you started this conversation! I have been worried about washing my fiber. My sister tried washing some of her best fiber and she ended up with dreadlocks!! You couldn't pull the fiber apart! I like the comment using plastic totes? I don't have a wire basket, but I have those cloth mesh pop up laundry bags. I have some that are short and rectangular with cloth handles. I bet one of them would work great for putting the fleece in and lowering it into a large plastic tote and the lifting it out for the rinses! I will give it a try! I want to learn handspinning, but have been afraid to wash my fiber. Great tips everyone!

Thanks
Jody 

--- In AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com, hanabi62@... wrote:
>
> Do you clean/process your fleece yourself? If so, I would like to ask how do you get the white fleece nice and white? I'm fairly new at all of this and would love some input from those with more experience than me. Thanks to all that share their knowledge on this.
> 
> Marsha
>



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posted by Chaddo at 8:15 AM 0 comments