I’ve been having a lot of fun being creative with alpaca fiber and silk. I start out with silk scarves. I’ve tried both black silk and white silk.
Silk scarves
I use some really soft alpaca fiber that I dyed. Most of the fiber I dye has some variation of the color.
Dyed alpaca fiber
I tease out the locks by hand until the fiber is puffed up into a big pile.
Fiber ready to be felted and before teasing
The silk scarves are too thin to go through the FeltLOOM alone, so the scarf is laid on a piece of polar fleece fabric. The alpaca fiber is arranged on top of the scarf. This is a black silk scarf with bright chartreuse fiber on a piece of blue/black fabric.
Fiber on scarf
All the layers are very gently and slowly put through the FeltLOOM, which needle felts the alpaca fiber into the silk. This process does cause the silk to shrink some and get a little puckered on the edges. After the entire scarf has been needle felted, the scarf with the alpaca fiber is carefully lifted off the polar fleece fabric. The scarf is then laid on the fleece again and run through the FeltLOOM again. Alpaca fiber can be added at this point to any bare spots where the fiber shifted. I usually repeat this a few more times.
Felting is repeated
Once the alpaca fiber is somewhat secure on the silk scarf, I put the scarf through the FeltLOOM a couple more times without the polar fleece fabric. This tightens up the felted fiber.
The scarf goes alone
The process is slow and delicate, but so worth it. The finished scarf is then pressed and ready.
As you may know, we are selling our farm and home this fall. Please share the link if you know anyone interested. We will be having on last Farm Tour here, Sept 26 – 27, Saturday – Sunday, 10 AM – 5 PM each day. We hope you will come out and see our alpacas, do some shopping and bring the kids for some fun fiber projects.
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