Mount Airy Alpaca Co. - Mount Airy Maryland

Spinning alpaca on the drop spindle

Alpaca is easy and fun to spin on the drop spindle, but make sure that you have the proper weight spindle. Alpaca fiber is not as cohesive as sheep wool and, in general, it requires a lighter weight spindle. For a fine alpaca yarn, I use the drop spindle pictured here which weighs only .8 oz. If you use a heavy spindle, you will find that the yarn breaks from the weight.

Notice that I keep the rest of the roving I'm spinning from over my shoulder. This is an easy method of keeping the alpaca roving from accidentally tangling up with the yarn you are spinning. The spindle in this picture is a top whorl spindle, meaning that the yarn is attached to the top of the spindle and you spin in that position. I find that the bottom whorl spindle does not work as well with alpaca fiber unless you are trying to spin a thick yarn.

Last year, I bought a Golding spindle because my friend Roseann (the uber knitter) recommended it. I LOVE it! If you go to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival, go to Goldring's booth and try one.