From Alpaca Pasture to Pullover

To bring you small-batch alpaca yarns, a group of intrepid farmers with vision and entrepreneurial spirit are balancing two careers: alpaca farmer and yarn-mill owner. Breeding and raising these fetching animals require an understanding of specialized animal husbandry. Spinning fleece into yarn and readying it for sale is where agriculture meets industry. Most of these businesses are family businesses with all hands on deck. We asked six farmers to shed light on their dual roles in this growing industry.

The baby takes center stage in this sweet family portrait of four generations of alpacas. Photo courtesy of Three Points Fiber Mill and Alpaca Farm

Herd First or Mill First?

All of the farmers we interviewed were alpaca farmers before they were mill owners. Each farm has a different origin story, and some started with their heads, while some started with their hearts. [PAYWALL]

Mike Christin and his family (Three Points Fiber Mill, Indiana) made the pragmatic decision to start with the animals first: “Our business plan was always to start with the herd first and then to open the fiber mill within a few years after the farm got settled. We spent three years researching alpacas, livestock guard dogs, and the idea of a fiber mill.”

Barbara Davies (A Simpler Time, California) reminisces about a much more emotional start. “We fell in love with alpacas 23 years ago on a family vacation to Pagosa Springs, Colorado,” she says. “It was the softness of a teddy bear made from alpaca that inspired us to visit an alpaca ranch in town to see what an alpaca was. We went from not knowing what an alpaca was to owning four within about five days after learning that alpacas are super-low-maintenance animals.”

Navigating Two Worlds

Most of these experienced farmers cited a lack of mills available to small alpaca farmers as the reason they decided to expand their business to include processing. The transition from rancher to yarn producer brought new challenges for them, as well as the start of a continuous-learning journey.

As Linda Dickinson (Painted Sky Alpaca, Maryland) related, “Very quickly after getting our alpacas, we realized there were not enough fiber mills in the country to support the growing alpaca industry, so we formulated a long-term plan and began our journey into both the farm and fiber-mill worlds.” She continued, “Once we decided to open a fiber mill, we saved two years’ worth of alpaca fiber while doing our research. When we opened our mill in March 2017, we spent the first six months processing only our own fiber before taking in customer orders.”

A former mechanic and mill worker, Mike Longstreth (Lazy Meadows Alpacas, Pennsylvania) had some experience with the equipment. He learned “from a great team of service people that helped us get started and go over things we didn’t know. From there it was working on about 100 pounds of our own fiber as practice, making everything from fingering to bulky yarns. Some were a success, and some not so much. But we do seriously learn new things all the time.”

For Jean Van Effen (Tahoma Vista Fiber Mill and La Vida Alpaca, Washington), it was a longer and thoughtful road. She took a number of classes and developed important skills with the fiber before she got into yarn making. She recounts, “We are always learning in both areas. Mostly, the alpacas are easy to care for, until you have a problem. Fortunately, there are a lot of alpaca owners who are willing to help when you do.”

She continues, “I learned to shear our alpacas when we first got them in the 1990s. There were no shearers to call back then, as alpacas were new in the United States, and you don’t shear them like a sheep. My next step was to become a Master Sorter, Grader, Classer through the [Sorting, Grading, Classing (SGC) program offered through] SUNY Cobleskill. That gave me a lot more knowledge about fiber. We had been using various mills through the years and had toyed around with the idea of starting one from time to time. The time was right as we were retiring from our jobs in 2016. My handspinning knowledge was also helpful in learning to spin yarn on the machines.”

As alpaca business flourishes, the need for mills that can process alpaca fiber has grown, to the point that many owners are in the same position as Linda Adelman (Six Paca Farm, Connecticut), who says, “When our client load becomes heavy, I now find my own yarn takes a back seat, and I am right back to where I was with waiting in line.”

Three colors of natural alpaca fleece going in to make tri-color roving. Photos courtesy of Tahoma Vista Fiber Mill and La Vida Alpaca

Alpaca Yarns Unraveled

What makes alpaca special? Alpaca fiber has a number of wonderful qualities: it is lightweight and highly insulating, wicks away moisture, and is hypoallergenic. Alpaca yarn has a signature softness, which makes it highly coveted among fiber enthusiasts, but it is still somewhat uncommon. “Because each alpaca will yield only between five to eight pounds of fiber per year on average, the amount of yarn realized per alpaca can be limited,” explains Dickinson. “Each fleece will be sorted into three fiber grades, and each grade is best suited for different uses. For instance, the prime (or first) is the nicest fiber the alpaca will produce and will generally be turned into yarn. Seconds come mainly from the neck, where the fiber is generally shorter and coarser than the prime. Seconds are generally used for rovings and rug yarns. Thirds come from the underbelly and are too short and coarse for fiber mills to spin.”

This photo highlights the variety of alpaca yarn from single colors, different colored marls, or even yarns from just one or two animals—that only a small mill can do. Photo courtesy of Lazy Meadows Alpacas & Fiber Mill

From the Alpaca to the Customer

Turning farm-grown fiber into premium yarn is more than just a business for many of these entrepreneurs; it is also about making this fiber available for fellow artisans. The creators and processors of these specialty yarns work hard to foster a sense of community with the makers who rely on them. Many of these mills and farms have become destinations.

As they look to the future, these farm-to-yarn producers are constantly innovating to produce skeins that their customers value. As an example, Dickinson points to the success her mill has had with a mother and daughter or son blend. She also attaches a tag with a picture of the alpaca whose fiber is in the yarn. Traceability is one of the most exciting reasons to seek out a local alpaca farm and mill—it is so meaningful as a maker to feel the connection from the fleece to the yarn.

Contributors

A Simpler Time Alpacas & Mill
Barbara and Dave Davies
1802 Alta Pl, El Cajon, CA 92021
ASimplerTimeStore.com

Lazy Meadows Alpacas & Fiber Mill
Mike and Elizabeth Longstreth
486 Lime Bluff Rd
Hughesville, PA 17737
lazymeadowsalpacas.com

Painted Sky Alpaca Farm & Fiber Mill
Mitchell and Linda Dickinson
95 Knight House Ln
Earleville, MD 21919
paintedskyfibermill.com

Six Paca Farm
Linda Adelman
25 Stockhouse Rd
Bozrah, CT 06334
sixpaca.com

Tahoma Vista Fiber Mill and La Vida Alpaca
Jean Van Effen and David Bagshaw
15631 159th Ln SE
Yelm, WA 98597
tahomavistafibermill.com

Three Points Fiber Mill and Alpaca Farm
Mike and Nancy Christin
7533 E. Hoff Rd
Sunman, IN 47041
threepointsfibermill.com
americanalpacayarn.com

Pat Olski is the editor of PieceWork.