Riverdale Alpacas, Fibre Mill & Inca Secrets

What is the smallest amount of fleece I can get spun? We can spin a little as one blanket (fleece) though you will have more loss through the machines the smaller the batch is that we process for you why not...[enquire]
How much will it cost me to process my fleece? This depends on your fleece and which customer bracket you are in. Our prices are based on charging you by the inward weight for Stage One processing. This is 1st Picking, Washing, 2nd Picking, Dehairing, and Carding Then a charge by the finished weight for Stage Two processing This is Drafting, Spinning, Plying, and winding (cones, hanks or balls) Fleeces behave differently, and the loss at any stage will vary f...[enquire]
How clean do I need to have my fleece? The Machinery will extract some of the vegetable matter (VM) but not all. The cleaner your fleece is to begin with the better the end result will be. Thistle heads and dock will spread through the fleece in processing and spoil the yarn. Pull out the more obvious contamination and any bird nest of VM that sometimes accumulates at the base of the neck...[enquire]
Can I mix the length of fleece, I have some that are quite short and other that is long? We set the machine to process your length of fleece in the batch that is going through so mixing 1 inch fleece with 6 inch fleece will cause problems in the processing. The machinery can card and spin staple lengths as short as 1 inch and as long as 15 inches. Try and group your batches together i.e. Necks together then blankets together....[enquire]
How do I know what can go together and what I should process seperately? A good guide is how the fleece feels fleeces that feel similar in softness can go together. If you have one cria fleece and a fleece from an older animal which is a bit stronger, you might want to keep these separate...[enquire]
How do I know what can go together and what I should process seperately? A good guide is how the fleece feels fleeces that feel similar in softness can go together. If you have one cria fleece and a fleece from an older animal which is a bit stronger, you might want to keep these separate...[enquire]
Can you blend? We can blend colours together to get different shades and we can blend with silk or wool. There is a small additional charge for blending as this goes through the carder twice. We can provide the silk for you or you can supply your own. For blending with wool we will provide the wool. Check the web site for information on prices, if we provide the Silk or Wool ....[enquire]
Can you dye the fleece? We will be dying fleece but not for customers initially. We want to prefect the process in house first before we offer this service...[enquire]
Can you spin very fine yarn? The machinery can spin from lace weight to chunky. However there is some limitation on the fineness of the yarn that you can spin if your fleece is not fine. On the second page of the job sheet (see the web site) you will see the choices and a guide to the needle size, which will help you determine which to select for your yarn....[enquire]
I can not see 8ply or 4ply on the job sheet which so I pick? These terms are not universal terms in the industry 8ply is somewhere between Fine and Sport 4ply is somewhere between Super fine and baby. Check the needle size for a guide....[enquire]