Alpaca was my first fibre love. 

I found the only Alpaca Farm on Newfoundland and I was in love.

Why was I in love... is was sooooo soft!

As we continued to travel across the country my husband and I made a point of visiting as many Alpaca farms as possible. We even considered buying land and owning our own animals... maybe one day. For now I am lucky to get my Alpaca from a wonderful farm in British Columbia.

This past spring I helped with shearing and got to pick the best fleeces.

I like to work with Alpaca because it has a different quality from sheeps wool. It does not have grease in it, but it is super dusty. I wash all my alpaca first and make sure to wear an apron or have a cloth down when I spin it. I love working with high quality soft alpaca. Like any fibre you want to touch before you buy or find a reputable source. All alpaca has guard hair, the best alpacas have been bred to have a finer guard hair that blends with the softer hairs in their coat. Dehairing alpaca is not necessary if the guard hairs are the same diameter as the regular hairs.

My favourite way to spin Alpaca is straight from the lock. I like the thick and thin quality I can achieve and especially like the soft fuzziness the final yarn has once the twist is set.

Don't Count Your Pennies, even if you have to keep track of them.

I can't say for sure that this is sound advice, however, it is advice that works for me. 

It is advice I try and give myself when I get that sick feeling in my stomach as if I have lost out in someway by tipping someone more then I meant to or when I have committed to buying something that is a few more dollars then expected. I don't know where this reaction comes from, but when it happens I remind myself not to count my pennies.

I am not trying to say I should not know where my money is going. In fact keeping track of money and what is being done with it is major component in the recipe for success in a business and financially healthy home. More on this another time.

What I mean by not counting your pennies is: be generous, be aware, but give where you can, don't focus on the cost alone, focus on value.

How is this advice useful to me in a business sense? I am growing a business for myself and my family because I love fibre and I want to share that love. Of course the bottom line matters, but it is not all that matters. To me, Don't count your pennies is a reminder that the bottom line is not the major driving force behind my business decisions. Ethics, fair transactions, sustainability, community. These are the major driving factors, pennies play a role, but they are not the first consideration. 

While I will be keeping track of my pennies, I will not be counting them. 

Fibre Fridays Tip of the Week

I recently, last week actually, started Fibre Fridays on my facebook page. I am also going to share my Fibre Fridays Tip of the Week here on my blog.

Here is last weeks tip:

When working with raw alpaca tumble it before washing. Use a small laundry basket with a cloth tied to the top and shake the fibres around, with enough force to dislodge dust and vegetation, but not so hard that you shake the fibre out the laundry basket slits. Since Alpacas do not have lanolin after the pre shake you may not even need to wash it before spinning or felting.

Here is yesterdays tip:

When spinning wear a cooking or baking apron to keep the hairs off your clothes. I love to do this because it works really well. I don't have to be constantly brushing or rolling fibres of my cloths and I can spin in anything. This also gives me another reason to add to my apron collection

If you have a tip idea for Fibre Friday just contact me and I will feature you and your tip of the week:)!

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Spinning a Fabulous Textured Art Batt with Feathers from Nessaland on my Ashford E Spinner

I will be launching Sarah Elizabeth Fibre Works in September

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