Island Alpaca Shearing Day, 2017
Island Alpaca Co. also celebrated
the farm's
10th anniversary on island!---This
family-friendly
day represented one of the real highlights of the year on the
farm!
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| Matt Best, Shearer Extraordinare! |
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| Courtney and David, capturing fleece for skirting |
Professional alpaca
handlers and shearers, Matt
Best of Newport, New Hampshire was back again
this year, shearing the fleecy winter
coats off
their herd of 52 alpaca, averaging 7-1/2 minutes per
shearing and over 8-1/2 pounds of fleece per alpaca! Josepha Shu
of Boston was the lucky winner of the "Guess the Weight of
Fleece Harvest" winning an Island Alpaca online store gift
certificate. Every bit of the harvest of over 445 pounds of
fiber will be made into luxurious yarns and beautiful alpaca
products, both hand made and from their fiber cooperative in
Fall River, MA. Teddy Louie was the lucky winner of the entry
ticket drawing, winning an alpaca throw!
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| Eric and Cheryl DeWitt, Nicola Blake celebrate. |
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| Annamarie shows her skills at the wheel! |
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| Caleb and Oliver aim high! |
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| Annamarie spinning alpaca yarn as visitors observe! |
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Simone and Courtney share a laugh
Island Alpaca Staff and on and
off-island volunteers participated : Anna Marie D'Addarie -
spinning demonstrations, creating alpaca yarn. Eric DeWitt, Barn
manager, Dr. Cheryl DeWitt - healthcare, Nicola Blake, Courtney
Fitzgerald and David M. Hannon - prepping/skirting fleece once
shorn, Oliver Danielson and Caleb Hannon -
hosting/feeding/clean-up, Simone and Eve Brewer - fleece bagging
and weighing, Alpaca wranglers - Jack Calderella of Lexington, MA,
Sam Hannon, of Boston, MA, Neil Hartery of Westford, MA, Ethan
Howard of Falmouth, MA and Charles Ronchetti of Lexington, MA.
Rosmarie Jost - gift shop, Lizzy Kass of North Kingstown, RI -
alpaca sorting, Daisy Moreau - Admissions and Gift Shop, Jeanever
Moreau-food prep for humans, Olivia Rogers, Admissions, Tain Peck
- bagging fleece, and finally Mom-Luise Ronchetti of Lexington, MA
- the overseer!
Kudos to all, they could not have done it with out you!!!
|
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Neil sweeps while Nicola and Courtney skirt
Courtney and Nicola prepare fleece for show! |
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| Lizzy and Ethan calm an alpaca in queue. |
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| Eric, Charlie, Lizzy and Ethan ready and alpaca for shearing! |
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| Triton ready to go! |
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| Shearers clipping Silver Angel, Charlie, Jack and Sam getting ready for fleece. |
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Oliver keeping the alpaca fed!
Leonardo, AKA Mr. Nosy is continues to charm. |
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| Boondocker showing off his new coiff! |
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| "Big Boys" on their way home to their pastures! |
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| "Big Boys" back home! |
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| All done! |
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| Girls settling back in! |
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| Revelation, Atticus and Hunter cool and calm. |
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| Showing off their new Do's! |
Watch a prior
Island Alpaca Shearing Day Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRrM1rfVi8I--
Many thanks to the photographers, David Hannon, Lizzy Kass and Eric Dewitt.
THE FLEECE TO PRODUCT JOURNEY
Each spring, the alpacas are
sheared for their fleece. The animals are handled in a loving and
humane manner by our professional alpaca handlers and shearers
with
all safety protocols as a priority.
The highest-quality fleece ‘blanket’
(from the torso of the
alpaca) was 'skirted' (the process of removing sections of the
fleece
that are dirty or coarse), sorted, bagged and taken to the mill to
be
made into yarn specific to each animal. That yarn is sold by the
skein, or given to local knitters and weavers who make beautifully
hand-crafted items that are sold in our farm store.
The remainder of the fleece will be
brought to their alpaca-fiber cooperative in Fall River, MA.This
year's harvest yielded over 350 pounds, half of which will go to
the fiber cooperative. In return, the Fiber Coop provides hats,
shawls,
scarves, gloves, socks and many other quality products that Island
Alpaca also sells in their farm store. Barn Manager Eric DeWitt
explained that alpaca fiber Performance Socks are a "must-have."
Each alpaca will produce five to
ten pounds of fleece depending on
their size, age and density. Alpaca fiber comes in a spectrum of
over
20 shades which is more variation then any other fiber-producing
livestock. Although they are prized for their natural colors,
alpaca
fiber also dyes well. Alpaca fiber is hypoallergenic and warmer
than
sheep’s wool because of its structure. The hollow interior of the
hair follicle holds air inside, making it a better insulator. Not
only is alpaca fiber warm, it is extremely soft, without the
"itch-factor" often associated with wool.
