FIBRE PROCESSING Liz Mason interviews Phil Allen from Two Rivers Mill
Photos: Matt Austin
What's your advice to anyone who is thinking about having their fleece processed for the first time? It's definitely worth doing ! Get in contact with a mill as soon as possible and find out what they want in terms of fleece quality and preparation. Most mills have similar requirements for the fleece they process but there can be subtle differences which may make one mill more suitable than another. They can also advise you on what is possible to make with your fleece and yarns. Will processing add value to fleece? Definitely. It will turn the fleece into a more usable and valuable form and if you are thinking of selling it on or even making products then there will be a substantial uplift in value – x10 or more ! What do you need in terms of fleece quality to make high quality yarn? We use the worsted process which involves combing the fibres so we need a good average staple length of at least 3 ½” (9cm). We’re also looking for good handle, lack of guard hair, good fibre strength and cleanliness. Coarse hairs significantly reduce yarn quality so by working hard at the shearing stage to avoid contamination of the blanket fleece by coarse hairs from leg, neck, belly and sweepings breeders can make a big difference to the final yarn quality. Breeding out guard hairs also provides a big long-term improvement in quality. Fibre fineness is an important factor in yarn quality. We find that fleeces with average fibre diameter in the 18 – 24 micron range (with a standard deviation of
12 Alpaca #88
fibre diameter less than 5.5 microns) make the best yarns overall when working with pure alpaca, giving good yields and an acceptably low proportion of coarse fibres. Can you do anything at the Mill with poorer quality fleece? Not at our mill – if it falls outside our specification range it is too difficult to process and won’t make a good worsted yarn so it is uneconomic for us to work with. There is a huge volume of poor quality low value fleece around which is not suitable for making yarn, mostly from animals more than six years old when the fleece tends to become shorter and coarser or from animals not bred specifically for their fleece quality. Are particular fleece colours easier to work with and would you advise blending alpaca with other natural fibres such as silk or mohair? We find that in general, lighter coloured fleeces come in with better quality than darker fleeces and fleeces with very dark pigments tend to be more ‘slippery’ through the process but we find excellent fleeces in all colours. Blends with other natural fibres – for example, lustre wools, mohair and silk - work well when they combine desirable properties to achieve specific improved outcomes for the yarn. There is additional cost involved but there can also be significant benefits to handle, softness, lustre, colour, wear resistance and strength depending on the blend. The very creative blends can be very popular with craft knitters. Continued on next page >>
