Gorgeous Alpaca!

A couple of weeks ago I won 1kg of white alpaca on eBay.  Bit of a risk buying fleece on eBay but at a total of $20 including postage it wasn't going to be a big risk really lol.  It was dirty and a little smelly like an alpaca would smell so it needed to be shaken out and washed!  I don't bother to comb out seeds or burrs until I prep for spinning so it still has a few areas of grass seed to be removed later.  Now here it is washed and bagged.

Prepped for spinning.

No Merlin it is not another you lol! But definitely feels just as soft after carding.

This is a bit that I started spinning after plying off the last of the sock wool for Lance.  The thickness is equal to about 2 strands of embroidery floss!  So will make some lovely socks or delicate lace scarf! 

I was left with one area of about 60gms that was still a little tainted smell wise after the first wash so last night I set to and washed it twice and decided that there was nothing to loose so tried some red food dye to change its colour.  Hopefully it has taken as I'm not all that sure it would work for alpaca as it has for sheep.  But if it hasn't worked it was going to the bin anyway.  Will see when it is dry later in the week!

NOTE TO SELF:  Do not use a cheap brand of vinegar.  It does not work!  Use a good white vinegar like Cornwall's brand for dying fleece and fiber.  After this was rinsed I still had orange water so while thinking it didn't work very well I decided to try soaking it in warm water and Cornwall's vinegar and microwaved it again and let it cool.  Success.  No more orange water lol.  Mind you I have a suspicion that I might have felted it but won't know until it is dry.  The extra time in the microwave will have been the culprit.