Producer of worsted !00% Alpaca-fibre tartan?

**Fit2BKilted** · 24th January 10, 07:27 AM

I've recently become aware of alpaca wool, and it's incredible properties which out-shine conventional wool...

Being an avowed kilt wearer north of the 49th parallel, and its presently being winter here, I was thinking it would be a fine experiment to try having a tartan woven with 100% alpaca-fibre and made into a 'winter-kilt' for those -20ºC days...

There are several local alpaca farms where I live, and they can have the fibre spun to whatever weight desired; so, the question remains: how would I go about having it woven into tartan suitable for a kilt? I've heard of having a kilt-maker take buyer-supplied fabric; but what are the prospects of a tartan-weaver taking buyer-supplied yarn?

If the production is a success, Alpaca may become a viable alternative to Poly-Viscose for those allergic to lanolin/wool...

I wouldn't bother with having the alpaca fibre dyed, since it comes naturally (separated at source) in a wide variety of earth-tones: tan-to-chocolate plus black and white. So, that's one less hurdle to surmount, I suppose.

So, such a project is interesting to me from several perspectives: North American sourcing, Experimental Fabric, design opportunities, etc. Would anyone else like to collaborate?

**Canuck** · 24th January 10, 08:29 AM

Anything is possible depending on your pocket book.
I would start off with a design given the colours that are available. You will have to determine the weight of the yarn required to be woven. No doubt the people who spin the wool know someone with a loom, and they could weave it to a single width 28" x 324" length. Depending on the weaver this could easily take a month.
I doubt commercial establishments will risk taking customer supplied wool.
The obstacle a cottage weaver may face is doing the kilting selvedge. So you may end up having to hem it.
Now this might be a good project you can do. Here is a company that makes looms. http://www.leclerclooms.com/Lec_Cat4.htm
My father also makes looms but he's rather busy making kilt hose and celtic harps.

**Fit2BKilted** · 24th January 10, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by Canuck

Anything is possible depending on your pocket book.
I would start off with a design given the colours that are available. You will have to determine the weight of the yarn required to be woven. No doubt the people who spin the wool know someone with a loom, and they could weave it to a single width 28" x 324" length. Depending on the weaver this could easily take a month.
I doubt commercial establishments will risk taking customer supplied wool.
The obstacle a cottage weaver may face is doing the kilting selvedge. So you may end up having to hem it.
Now this might be a good project you can do. Here is a company that makes looms. http://www.leclerclooms.com/Lec_Cat4.htm
My father also makes looms but he's rather busy making kilt hose and celtic harps.

Great! Thanks... I've just tried getting in touch with these folks: Hand Weavers and Hand Spinners of Alberta because Alberta is the largest alpaca fibre producing province in Canada AFAIK.

Off Topic: My wife is a harper (currently knitting some alpaca kilt hose for me), and we're always interested in meeting new luthiers... Does your father have a website?

**Canuck** · 24th January 10, 09:43 AM

No sorry he doesn't have a website. He's too busy (he's doing OK for being 81)

**joecool** · 24th January 10, 10:28 AM

Alpaca kilts? Sounds awesome! I love how soft and warm the Alpaca wool is, and I think you have a great idea there! Keep us posted on your progress!

**svc40bt** · 24th January 10, 11:36 AM

This certainly has possibilities. Keep us posted on progress.

**vorpallemur** · 24th January 10, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by Canuck

The obstacle a cottage weaver may face is doing the kilting selvedge. So you may end up having to hem it.

That's actually less of a problem with a small loom. a "kilting" selvedge is just a pretty standard shuttle loom selvedge. Shuttle looms are slow (particularly at wider widths), which is why rapier and jet looms have supplanted them outside of specialty markets. But they're simple and reliable. The only tricky part of the kilting selvedge is the passing along of threads for stripes, but even that is a standard practice in fancier cloths.

I'd agree with talking to the spinners. They know who buys their product, after all.

**NewGuise** · 24th January 10, 12:45 PM

An interesting and attractive idea - either a dark tweed or an earth-tones tartan would be lovely. And John/Slohairt of Keltoi could turn the cloth into a fine kilt...

If you find someone in the Edmonton area to do the weaving, I could potentially serve as a local contact, but you might also want to check out folks closer to home such as http://www.studio3fibrearts.com/ in the Ottawa valley.

My mother used to spin and weave (on a Leclerc loom) and the selvedge would have been fine for a kilt. Pity she gave up the loom ...

**Fit2BKilted** · 24th January 10, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by NewGuise

An interesting and attractive idea - either a dark tweed or an earth-tones tartan would be lovely. And John/Slohairt of Keltoi could turn the cloth into a fine kilt...

If you find someone in the Edmonton area to do the weaving, I could potentially serve as a local contact, but you might also want to check out folks closer to home such as http://www.studio3fibrearts.com/ in the Ottawa valley.

I have been courting the idea of working with John (Keltoi) very seriously for some time now, and I would be pleased to own one of his works. The only downside, is that he's about an 8-hour drive away, still in Ontario, and therefore obligated to charge me PST :-| [buying from Scotland or out-of-country, I'd have to pay GST at most, since there is no duty on 'articles of ethnic costume' imported into Canada (q.v. Canada Customs Tariff number 9937.00.00)]

Thanks for the link to the local Fibre Arts society... I will be in touch with them.

Cheers!