Quick Links to Fiber Processing:

1.Shearing The Alpacas

2. Skirting the Fleece

3. Washing the Fiber

4. The Picker

5. Large Fiber Separator

6. The Large Carder

7. The Draw Frame

8. The Spindle Spinner

9. The Cone Winder

10. The Skein Winder

! The Final Product

Step 1 - Shearing The  Alpacas

Throughout the United States, alpacas are generally shorn once a year.  Because of the summer heat most breeders shear in April, May and June.  Alpacas have dense fiber therefore heat stress is a very real and deadly danger for them.   When shorn, each animal yields 5 to 10 lbs of fiber per year (2.5 to 7 pounds of prime fleece and 2.5 to 4 pounds of seconds).

The two main goals when shearing the alpacas are to minimize stress on the alpacas and sort the fiber into the following three catagories:

1.  Blanket - This prime fiber located on the back and sides of the alpaca.

2.  Seconds - Fiber from neck and upper thigh area.  Usually good but shorter in length and coarser than blanket.

3.  Thirds - Fiber from the legs, tail, and belly - usually discarded

Below:
Winkie day before being sheared

Below:
Winkie being sheared

Step 2 - Skirting The Fleece

The purpose of skirting the fleece is to separate and remove lesser quality fiber, contamination and foreign matter from the fleece.  After skirting all the fleece, the fiber is bagged up and ready to be sent to the processing mill.

Step 3 -Washing the Fiber

The Washing Recycling System.

The fiber washer will wash up to 20 pounds of fiber in a single operation, over a two or three hour period, depending on the number of cycles chosen.  Up to three types and colors of fiber can be cleaned at the same time.  The integrated recycling system allows reuse of approximately 40% of your water.  The fiber washer can be used as a centrifuge or to rinse or wash finished goods.

Shown opposite: after washing the fiber needs to thoroughly dry.

Step 4 - The picker

The Picker/Opener teases out entanglements and blends the fiber to give consistency in further processing. Blending of fiber types and colors can easily be accomplished at this stage giving a complete homogeneous blend. 

The fiber is thrown into a collection room where conditioning oils are applied.

Step 5 - Large Fiber Separator

This machine gently separates unwanted coarse hair, vegetable matter and other contamination from fine fiber.  The unwanted materials are collected in chambers underneath while the prime fiber is discharged from the output end. 

This machine is optional dependent on the fiber being processed and the required finished product.

Step 6 - The Large Carder

The Carder is the heart of a fiber mill. It separates randomly placed fibers from each other and individually aligns these fibers, presenting them in the form of a continuous web at the output end. This web is turned into batts which are used in quilts and felt making. Alternatively, the web can be consolidated into rovings which are further processed into yarns.

The Carder incorporates a vacuum system to aid in the removal of dust and other contamination. Exotic blending of colors and types can be created at this stage.

Step 7 -The Draw Frame

The function of the Draw Frame is to create a roving consistent in size over its entire length. The draw frame blends multiple rovings into one fiber stream and uses controlled drafting to size the output roving. Multiple passes through the draw frame results in strong, uniform roving of a size that can be easily managed at the spinner.

Blending at this stage can create very unique end products.

Step 8 - The 8 Spindle Spinner

The Spinners draw in rovings and direct them through a controlled drafting system, outputting an extremely consistent fiber stream. This fiber stream is then twisted into a finished single of yarn and stored on bobbins.

Draft, twist per inch and other production values and easily changed and constantly monitored and displayed.

Both the 4 and 8 Spindle Spinners can be adapted to ply the finished singles into multi-ply yarns. Many exciting effects can be created at this stage.

Step 9- The Cone Winder

Yarn passed through the Cone Winder is metered, waxed if desire and wound on cones. The speed at which the cone is built, tension at which the yarn is applied and length of yarn on each cone in yards or meters can be preset.

The Cone Winder automatically stops when the desired amount of yarn has been wound.

Step 10- The Skein Winder

The Skein Winder produces a two yard or a one and a one half yard skein. Yarn processed by the skein winder is metered and wound into skeins.

The speed at which the skein is built, tension at which the yarn is applied and length of yarn on each cone in can be a preset. The skein winder automatically stops when the desired yarn or meter count is reached.

THE MAGIC IN ALL OF THIS IS ENDING UP WITH BEAUTIFUL SKEINS OF YARN!!!