Alpacazonia Fiber Collection Update - 17 Sept 2011

FIBEROMETER:  We’re over 1/3 of the way to reaching our first 2,000 lb goal!

OUR PROJECT IN THE LOCAL NEWS:  Jandy Jones, of North County Life, has written an article about our ranch and our project. The Link: http://www.digital.yournorthcountylife.com/publication/?m=16099&l=1  Jandy taking notes and shooting photos at Alpacas at Crossroads Ranch in Paso Robles, CA

We can now publicly announce the name of the company we're working with....Weaver Leather in Ohio!  www.weaverleather.com. Take the tour on their home page and find cinches under Equine link. Currently they’re on back order for alpaca cinches! They also sell alpaca halters! Enjoy!

FIBER SORTING:   We’ve set up several sorting stations in our fiber barn to sort our own herd’s fiber. Dave and friend, Greg Cox, sorted up to the last minute for baling the following day. All told, there were 17 people throughout CA and AZ sorting for this initial collection, including 12 initial sellers.

  We’ve paid out over $600 to producers so far, at $1.50/lb, after inspecting and recording weights.  Not bad, since we started at zero just three months ago! The alpaca fiber for this project, to be made into horse cinches by Weaver Leather, can be any color, strong grades, including some guard hair, so sorting is not as exact as sorting for fine yarns to be used for garments worn next to the skin. Shorter length and clean is our consistent factor here. 

FIBER BALING:  14 September, Wednesday,  San Luis Obispo Cal Poly, Sheep Unit

Dave, with friends Greg and Altheo Cox, loading trailer the evening before baling. We waited until the sun went down, so fiber bags didn’t “perspire”. Moisture from condensation of air in the bag in direct sun could damage the collection. Each bag weighs between 20 to 25 lbs on average. Each contains tumbled and hand sorted fiber staples from between 1 ½ - 2 inches in length, coarse grade.

We took off in the morning to drive a half hour to the Sheep Unit at SLO Cal Poly, which houses the Dominator wool baler. With 32 large bags of fiber covered with a tarp, we had to stop a few times to readjust things, since wind got underneath and turned our open trailer into a sail boat. We arrived with all bags still intact, but it was an adventure.

                   Dave Wallace, Daphne Capaldi, Rob Rutherford, Professor, Sheep Specialist, Cal Poly's Animal Science Department, and student shepherd, Kathryn, getting started in the SLO Cal Poly shearing shed. The baler behind group is an electric model Dominator.  Our mentors soon had to leave for new student orientation activities.

Our first bale took us over three hours to fill with random assorted colors…

       The second bale only took one hour to fill; because Rob returned to show us what we were doing wrong…there’s an art to tamping down the fiber and loading enough in to get the hydraulics to work properly. We discovered that alpaca packs differently than wool and 360 or so lbs was the max we could fit into a single baling bag. We added a small percent of short Suri fibers into each bale, which is denser and heavier than Huacaya by volume.

Before – trailer partially unloaded prior to baling.

After – 711 lbs of fiber compressed into two bales – 3’x3’x5’, 350 lbs + 361 lbs, ready to ship – well, almost…

 

Daphne tucking loose alpaca fiber down into corners.

We purchased the used nylon wool baling bags from Peter and Carol Lundberg of The Blanket Project in Oregon, in order to recycle.  Sewing up prior holes did the trick to make them strong enough to reuse again.

Back to sorting and collecting, plus buying “U-Sort For Dollars” from other alpaca owner/producers, for our final goal of 1,290 lbs by mid November! The fiber is shipped next to Bollmans in Texas for scouring (washing).

Sandra Wallace

Alpacas at Crossroads Ranch

Paso Robles, CA       805-237-9640    swallace@rain.org      http://www.crossroadsranch.openherd.com/