I am somewhat known for being a person who will try anything. It comes with the territory of being someone who bores quickly of a routine and is energized by something novel. Sometimes it gets me in big trouble (ask me about my stint in Leavenworth, for example) but most often, the biggest problem is that I get in to something without fully understanding what I'm getting in to.

Thus, the story of how my house came to smell like a petting zoo.

I love Alpaca. I fell in love with them at the Flagstaff, AZ Fair in the late '90s. Their long eyelashes look like a cartoon character. Their fleece is soft and comes in beautiful colors. Over the years, I've dreamed of owning Alpaca from time to time to shear and sell wool to those folks who enjoy the fiber arts. So obviously, when I saw a Freecycle ad for "Alpaca Fiber", I jumped on it! What a great opportunity for me to play with no/little financial investment.

Problem #1:

The fleece had been sitting in a bag on the Freecycler's front porch overnight. SE Michigan has felt more like Portland, OR for the past few weeks so the fleece got wet. Consulting with folks who know this kind of thing led me to the conclusion that the fleece could not live in this plastic bag until I was ready to work with it, lest it become mildewed. OK,then. I'll take care of that.

Problem #2:

"Seconds and Thirds". Ever heard of that? Turns out, that's what my fiber was. The Alpaca Farmers, naturally, sold the "Firsts" or the blanket that came from the Alpaca's back. Second and third cuts are the neck, legs and belly. Less desirable fleece, in fact, possibly not even good for making yarn. Eh, okay. I'll do a felting project.

Problem #3:

Sheep fleece is coated in lanolin. Alpaca fleece is not. Instead, to coat their fleece, they roll in the dirt. And rocks. And hay. And poo. And, apparently, rotten fruit. Consultation with the Fiber Dieties said if you've got a top-loading washing machine, that's the easiest way to wash it. I do, so I did. 5 times, actually, before the water started to clear up. It's still full of sticks and seeds that will come out when I pick it.

As I type, there's about 4 Alpaca worth of Seconds and Thirds drying in my basement.

I figure I'll take it a chunk at a time and hand pick it. Should be awesome, mindless activity.

Even if I'm not able to produce anything useful with it, I still think it's going to be a great learning experience. For when I get my own Alpaca, you know ;)