How to Scour Alpaca Fiber

[@cauteleuse]

As I am preparing to process my first ever alpaca, my first ever fiber, thank you for this very comprehensive demo of the process. It doesn't look as scary as it sounded on paper. Wish me luck

[@jkfiberarts]

You don’t need luck, you got this! Spin Happy!

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

I’m in the process of working myself through the most gorgeous chocolate coloured alpaca fleece. Hardly any guard hairs, soft as a whisper, and barely any VM. I tried spinning it unwashed and within minutes my fingers were black. So I changed gears and washed a sample. Boy, was it dirty! The water turned dark grey and despite shaking it out thoroughly, the amount of sand that came out had me gobsmacked. You’re right, processing alpaca fibre is easy. And a spin dryer is a blessing, as it means that on a warm day, the fibre is dry within an hour. And then, you get to play… I don’t have a carder, so I comb it into little nests that I spin as fine as I can to knit into gossamer shawls. The lace it produces is like a dream. I now want two more fleeces, a white one and a grey one. To be able to switch things up and possibly blend them into undyed gradients. The farm my fleece comes from is only a 10-minute drive from where I live and a raw fleece costs less per weight as the cheapest merino top I can find… around half. So it’s well worth the effort! Besides, it’s really nice to be able to tell someone the animal’s name and age when you gift them something you made out of homespun yarn. 😊

[@jkfiberarts]

Glad to hear your success! I am also glad you washed your alpaca so you can appreciate its full beauty! If you spin it dirty, you will never be able to wash all dirt out once it’s yarn. I am jealous of your fleece connection! Spin Happy!

[@judygibbens2025]

Thankyou for showing us your method👍

[@beth1979]

The use of the cooler to wash to fleece is genius. Thanks for showing me this, it looks so much easier than how I’ve been doing it and I think I’ll use some old coolers and give it a try.

[@jkfiberarts]

I still use it even though I have upped my scour game this year! It works great in hot weather!

[@iceberg232323]

I'm giving this a comment to help with engagement. Because I think this is great and I appreciate you taking the time to make the video!

[@jkfiberarts]

Awesome! Thank you! I don’t think there are as many people who scour fleece as there are who spin, blend and dye so I really appreciate your comment!

[@silvie-p8z]

Thank you so much! So useful for me.

[@orangeorangepanda]

You are so good at explaining the why of your process! So helpful

[@jkfiberarts]

Thank You!

[@reneap9049]

Can you share a link for the spin dryer?? My sister and I could really use this!! Love your videos!!

[@jkfiberarts]

It took a long to deliver of if I remember correctly, but worth it! laundry-alternative.com/products/ninja-3200-rpm-portable-centrifugal-spin-dryer-with-high-tech-suspension-system

[@lyrebird9749]

Great video. Do you have any instructions for scouring alpaca yarn that is already spun ? I'm keen to do some natural dyeing.

[@jkfiberarts]

If it was spun dirty then it is very hard if not impossible to get the dirt out, and it will affect the way the yarn takes the dye. If it was scoured pre-spin then you don’t have to do anything other than the mordanting for whichever natural dying process you choose.

[@lyrebird9749]

@@jkfiberarts OK, thanks. It looks pretty clean so I might just give it a simple wash. I bought it directly from the farmer at a market so I don't expect it to have had chemical treatment, unlike some wool you buy. I am used to scouring cotton and wool but I am keen to try dyeing alpaca. It is so soft!

[@butchncasey]

Would you go through the same process if you were going to felt it? I saw a video of someone saying its not necessary because it will be washed in the felting process but not sure, it's my first time working with it raw

[@jkfiberarts]

Great question. I am not much of a felter, I spin the yarn, knit and then felt my finished object, but I would scour it first because you would want to get the oils and dirt out. Usually the VM that is left after scouring will fall out when you comb it, but If you felt it before scouring there will be no way to get the vm out and It will be trapped in your fiber. Also, alpaca has a lot of dirt. If you see my bucket and how much dirt was in the water- you would definitely want to rinse it and not felt it in the same wash water. Hope that helps!

[@butchncasey]

Thank you so much, very helpful 😊