SURI FIBRE Those Curtains of Silk

By Doe Arnot

uri alpaca fibre is considered to be amongst the rarest There is very little information available on the processing fibres of the world today. It is however more available and options of suri fibre. I imagine this is because suri represents Sharvestable than fibre such a small proportion of from the undomesticated processed alpaca fibre. It’s a vicuna and the infamous true specialty fibre generally shahtoosh (a rare Tibetan spun into a smooth fine antelope). Here in New yarn and woven into Zealand we are very fortunate a lightweight cloth which to have breeders interested in may be brushed to raise the farming these alpaca and nap. helping build up what has been a declining population In the raw fleeces I have in their native land. handled, there has been a variety of styles, from small Suri fibre looks fabulous tight locking in the staples to on the animal. A good suri a broader wave, larger exhibits that ‘wet look’ lustre and corkscrews. Some of and dense locked staples the twisting has been to the that make it significantly left and some to the right. A different in appearance to very good fleece exhibits an the Huacaya. The drape of evenness of lock style, i.e. these locks gives the alpaca pencil locking with a regular its slim elegant appearance. twist all across the fleece. The challenge in processing Uneven lock appearance this fibre is to do justice to on a single fleece can also something which is shown- show variation in fineness as off best on the actual animal. expressed in the handle and Suri is quite a specialist fibre also in the lustre. to work with. It resembles the lock structure of mohair Tightly twisted locks of and the behavior of silk. Like suri fibre may be desirable Handwoven suri fabrics - Lace and Shibon dyed mohair, once the fleece is off in the show ring but can the animal it opens out into be a challenge to process. loose uncohesive staples. Hand and drum If the fibre has become matted during its life on the alpaca’s quality can be disappointing unless the locks are thoroughly back, then it can resemble a Rastafarian’s bad hair day! Dirty opened first. The tight locks will even slip straight through ugust 2007 matted suri fibre has no commercial value. However if the fibre my mechanical picker without opening up. With commercial A

is overlong but good quality with some matting (cotting) at the carders any unpicked (unopened) staples may get caught A

root, some fibre may be harvested for use by cutting the locks between the drums, this can break the fibres and/or damage AC away from the felted areas with a pair of scissors, (felted tips the carder. So confession time, although I love the look of can also be removed). those fine, tightly twisted locks shining in a glossy heap on my work bench I actually find it easier and quicker to process Lustre and lock architecture are the main visual characteristics a straighter, fatter staple. The dichotomy here is that those of suri alpaca fleece. [See ‘Alpacas Australia’ magazine, tight smaller locks may be fine micron fibre which will spin issue 47 for an in-depth look at the structure of suri fleece by into a soft, high lustre yarn and could therefore be well worth

Cameron Holt.] Does the style of fleece affect processing? the extra effort. NEW ZEALAND ALP 15 A basket of suri handspun yarns and fabric in natural colour

CARDING SURI compromised a little. If your suri fibre comes back to you with considerably shorter staple length in the to how it was Traditionally suri fibre is prepared for commercial spinning sent this will be due to breakage during processing, possibly by combing to create a smooth lustrous yarn. The combing because the actual carding equipment is inappropriate for the process includes a preliminary carding. Commercial combing fine slick fibre (choose a carding company set up for fine and (and hand combing) removes any debris and shorter fibres and specialty fibres). Small lumps and neps (clumps of tangled therefore the percentage of waste fibre is quite high. Having suri fibres) in the roving may be due to debris and short cuts being fibre carded to be spun into a woollen style yarn is therefore left in at the sorting stage, static, the carding cloth being too not the norm. However suri can be carded quite successfully. coarse for the fine fibre, also those baby tips breaking off in If you are considering having your suri commercially carded a cria fleece. for the handcraft market check the processor can handle 100% suri. Get a spinner to sample your finished product to evaluate What are the advantages of a its suitability. Suri does not behave like either fine or carded suri preparation? huacaya fibre for that matter. It is slippery and lacks cohesion. Careless carding can damage the long fibres and encourage For hand spinners new to suri fibre, a carded preparation is clumping if the fibre is suffering from static or the drum speeds easier to spin as the enmeshed fibres in the preparation are less are too fast. Static can be a problem with fibre processing, but slippery. Custom carded suri is usually finished as a flat six ugust 2007

A particularly with suri. The fibres fluff out on the carder and centimeter wide roving. For fine spinning, this roving benefits can be very ‘flyaway’ creating a lot of waste. If the fibre is from being drawn out to the thickness of a pencil before A being removed from the large carding drum as a roving, future

AC commencing spinning (this is what commercial spinners do handling should be very gentle since the suri roving will break too). This light, thin airy roving is then very easy and fast to up easily as the slippery fibres glide apart. Check the finished spin by hand and create a lightweight yarn. Spin with slight product. Do the fibres attenuate (draw out) easily and smoothly tension on the wheel and add plenty of twist. or are they short and clumped together? Carding suri has the advantage of creating air spaces between the enmeshed fibre Carded and woollen spun suri is suitable for weaving and other web encouraging a lighter yarn to be spun. However the yarn textile crafts. It benefits from being spun finely and is ideal

NEW ZEALANDwill ALP be fluffier than a combed product and the lustre will be for lace scarves, shawls, and lightweight garments. Stronger 16 micron suri (30+) can be spun into a thicker thread for items Hand Carding such as throws, wall hangings and rugs. Bear in mind fibres will shed from fabric if there is not enough twist present in the Portability and relative cheapness also apply to using a set of yarn locking them in. This can be a particular problem also with double hand carders. Long suri fibres are virtually impossible yarn spun from carded suri due to its smooth scale structure to hand card effectively. They hang well over the edge of the and mixed staple lengths (combed preparations remove the brush and cause entanglement. I wouldn’t recommend using short fibres). Lack of twist also causes uneven tension on warp double cards on fibre longer than 120mm. There are many threads as the slippery fibres begin to slide past each other. spinning books which include methods for hand carding. I Blending suri with a little wool assists with this problem, the suggest Jo Reeves – ‘The Ashford book of carding’, published wool fibres having larger, more prominent scales which cling by Ashford Handicrafts, for a good introduction to all forms on to the other fibres. of hand and drum carding with lots of ideas for colour blending. Combing Suri Fibre If you are interested in selling your suri fleece to hand crafters At the present time this is a limited option commercially as very doing a little research into fibre preparation means you can offer few processors offer combing services for suri. Hand combing advice on getting the best product from your fibre, which in fibre is not widely practiced by hand spinners. A practical return may produce repeat orders and recommendations. tutorial by someone who has experience hand combing suri fibre is recommended. Hand combs are available here in New How much raw suri fibre is needed for Zealand. Combing produces a smooth preparation usually crafting specific items? referred to as top. All the long fibres are aligned and spun into a fine smooth thread which displays maximum lustre. The small This is a common question from fibre purchasers. It does depend double row hand combs I use produce a 10 – 14g top each time. on what is being planned for the fibre and the preparation method You can buy heavier combs which will hold a lot more fibre. selected. As a rule of thumb allow for 20 – 30% wastage to take Very long fibres can be combed successfully. Combed top is into account the weight of dirt and removal of any unsuitable wonderful to spin. It is my favorite preparation for suri. The fibre Allow 40 – 50% if the fibre is being combed. end result is a smooth, lustrous yarn which develops a soft halo (in a similar way to kid mohair) as the yarn is handled. A classic knitted scarf in a 4-ply weight yarn may require 150g I usually comb the fibre unwashed as a little dust cuts down of finished yarn. Add on 30-40g for wastage (75g if fibre is being the static, if washed first (for really dirty fibre) I add a small combed). 200g will make an average size scarf. You may also sprinkle of baby powder to help control the fibres tendency to require a bit more if weaving to allow for loom waste. If the fly away. Children’s ‘no tangle’ hair solution also works well. customer is buying carded fibre, less is required as all the fibre Combing (and carding) is a good activity to do on a rainy day in the package will be prewashed and spin able. or when the humidity is high (low static). Combing removes any vegetable matter and short fibres present. It also removes If the yarn is a fine lace weight yarn (half the thickness yarn some of the medium length fibre too which I keep for carding to the 4-ply) then less fibre will be required. The finished scarf and/ or blending with other fibres. Overlong locks can be may only weigh 70 - 80g. processed by hand combing. The true lustre in the suri yarn shows best after it is washed. Although alpaca yarn generally is considered slightly lighter in a weight to length ratio compared to wool this may not apply Flick Carding to handspun yarns which will probably be denser than their commercial equivalents. Suri produces a heavier, denser yarn This method of fibre preparation is only suitable for suri if than a similar size huacaya yarn. This is why it is recommended the locks are not too long. A small wire toothed brush with that you make a suri garment with a fine thread, so that it doesn’t a long handle is bounced onto the tips and butts of a staple sag and lose shape (remember those cotton crochet dresses of or group of staples to open out the fibre which can then be the 70’s). spun whilst the butt of the locks is held in the hand. Tightly

ugust 2007 twisted suri locks may not open easily with this method and Another way of measuring yarn/fibre needs is to weigh a similar A it is a time consuming method of preparation. Flick carded garment or article to the one you plan to make to get a ball park A suri locks are easy to tangle and mess up in storage. I admit figure. Then be generous in adding on a wastage allowance. If AC to not being a great fan of flick carding, perhaps I’m too you are using a commercial pattern add on at least 30% extra impatient. Flick carding fine suri locks is fiddly. The main to allow for preparing the raw fibre, the yarn advantage to this method is its portability, a flick carder take and sampling. up very little storage room and is a cheap piece of equipment. It works better with huacaya fibre because the staple lengths The suri challenge – to create a soft, light, gleaming article to and widths are generally similar to wool. reflect the beauty of the animal from which it came from. NEW ZEALAND ALP

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