Article by Helen Hornbake
Published in Alpacas Magazine Winter
2006
How do I…
Skirt a Suri Fleece?
by Helen Fritz Hornbake
The beginning alpaca breeder soon learns that
seminars, clinics, and classes are the lifeblood for achieving
success with these "huggable investments." The
next logical step for us after attending a seminar on laying
out pastures, a neonatal clinic, a class in alpaca "handling"
(as in haltering, giving shots, and avoiding spit), and
a presentation on alpaca genetics and breeding was a class
on dealing with fleece.
Thus, after building, buying, breeding, and birthing, it
was now time for… "skirting," which is defined
as it applies to alpacas as "the process of trimming
the inferior parts of a fleece." When I signed up for
a suri fiber skirting clinic last summer, I knew little
more about skirting than that dictionary definition. Our
first-year fleeces were stored in a plastic bin in a farm
outbuilding, and our 2005 fleeces were in several bags,
serving as nothing but an aggravation whenever I needed
to retrieve some farm tool or grooming instrument.
I was looking forward to this clinic, if only as a way
to "get rid of" the unwelcome intrusion of shorn
fleeces in our usually clean and well organized new barn.
I knew that Michael Lipinski, from the Georgia Mountain
Fiber processing mill, would be giving a presentation to
the group, and that he was also willing to take along back
to the mill any fleeces brought to the class by breeders.
Could I talk him into taking at least some of this fleece
and doing something with it? "Please, please take it,"
I rehearsed as I drove the two hours south to my first skirting
clinic, "Just get rid of it please!"
There were fifteen of us from a dozen farms there for the
clinic, and most of us had never done anything with our
fiber. "I have all of this fleece that I don't know
what to do with," one participant noted. Admittedly,
I was probably the only one who considered fiber a nuisance.
The others were excited about the prospect of actually skirting
suri fiber correctly. And we were not disappointed.
 The
clinic took place at Wild Rose Suri Ranch in Havre de Grace,
Maryland, and owner Patti Anderson was the main presenter.
The seminar focused on all aspects of fleece preparation,
from selecting fleeces for showing and filling out forms
to preparing fleece for processing. Patti invited us to
consider the fact that fleece competition should occupy
a much more important place in alpaca shows than it currently
does. "After all," she reminded the group, "isn't
that what we are about as an industry?" She encouraged
all of us to take fleece showing seriously and to get other
breeders to do the same.
Of special interest to the student fleece skirters were
tips on how to prepare alpacas before shearing to minimize
the amount of work that must be done with fleece after shearing
tips that apply whether one will be showing the fleece or
simply sending it off to be processed. First and absolutely
foremost, is to remove as much debris from your animals
as possible using skirting wands or "kwik 'n slick"
grooming tools available from several industry suppliers.
These grooming instruments do not damage fleece and do a
rather good job of removing hay, straw, weeds and dung that
adhere to the fleece.
After removing as much debris as possible, suri fleece
can be well-rinsed with plain water only,
using a garden hose held close to the fleece until the water
runs clean from the alpaca. I couldn't wait to get home
to try this as we have several "white" animals
on our farm that I had never seen really clean. It was a
matter of faith and trust in their ARI certificate designations
that caused me to call them white!
With the animals well rinsed, the fleece can be partially
dried with a sort of gentle squeezing motion with towels.
The animals must then be left to air dry to avoid destroying
lock structure. No blowers for suris! The plain water
washing process should be done several days before shearing
to allow the fleece to dry thoroughly and allow the locks
to return to their natural state.
 The
job of skirting begins at a skirting table after shearing.
Our clinic participants had the good fortune to be seated
at about a dozen skirting tables constructed by Patti's
husband, Alan. The 3' x 6' tables (a few were 3' x 3' squares)
were of simple but serviceable construction, using 3"x
1/2" x 6' firring strips as the frame, and 1/2"
x 1/2" galvanized welded wire mesh. The legs were made
either of wood or PVC pipe with PVC caps attached to the
frame to make the legs removable for storage. Stapled to
the frame under the mesh was a piece of heavy plastic to
catch the debris and short fleece. This can be removed and
discarded later. Cost of materials to construct a table:
approximately $10.00. Time involved in construction of one
table: approximately one hour.
Our class notes included a very detailed page of steps
for skirting and steps for processing. The steps for showing
fleece are similar to those for processing with a few important
differences. In the interest of saving space, I have combined
the two lists noting the important differences between showing
and processing preparations (at right).
Our morning session included valuable hands-on practice
with our own fleeces as the presenter pointed out the differences
between preparing for fleece shows and preparing for processing,
the latter requiring considerably less effort. "The
amount of debris that must be removed (for processing) is
much less than I expected," one participant happily
noted.
While having a well-skirted fleece minimizes processing
costs, the fleece does not have to be completely free of
foreign matter, Michael pointed out. He gave a detailed
presentation of costs associated with processing, and it
was clear that the better a fleece is prepared, the less
expensive it is to process, as there are costs associated
with washing, picking, and dehairing (removing vegetation,
short cuts, etc).
HOT TIP!
It is better
to skirt out any questionable fiber, even if that
means less fleece in the bag and therefore lower
weight. By not skirting out poorer fleece, all of
the other judging criteria are affected.
|
I was pleased to learn that many mills offer the gamut
of services to deal with fleece that might not have had
optimal skirting done. Such was the case with my own fleeces,
which I had packed up and brought with me to this clinic.
I was able to select out those fleeces that I wanted to
show, and the mill representative took the rest back home
with him. He called me about a week later with suggestions
for processing options, as well as an estimate of costs.
In a few months, I will have yarns of various weights to
use or sell, including a cone of yarn from our black alpaca
that I hope to have made into a garment some day.
The time and trouble to attend the clinic has paid off.
I have a new appreciation for the importance of "doing
something" with my fiber. And I now have the tools,
know-how, and self-assurance to skirt fleece and save significant
processing costs next year. I also learned how to evaluate
fleece to determine what might be "show quality,"
and I returned home with several fleeces destined for my
new fleece table that I hope to enter into next year's spring
and summer shows.
|
Quick Instructions:
| 1. |
Lay the fleece out on the skirting table. |
| 2. |
Check the fleece for soundness by taking a sample
of the staple or blanket and putting tension in the
middle to see if it easily breaks. For fleeces with
a high degree of staining on the tips (usually cria
fleeces), pull on the tips to see if they are brittle
and break. If you find that the fleece breaks, DO NOT
SKIRT THIS FLEECE FOR SHOW! For processing, you may
have some options. |
| 3. |
Check to establish the color of the fleece. Use the
ARI Suri Color Chart to determine the main color. |
| 4. |
Remove excess dust and debris by bouncing the fleece
on the table. Small debris will fall through as well
as some "second cuts" (very short fibers caused
by the shearer making a second pass over a portion of
the fleece). |
| 5. |
For showing, determine what part is the prime fleece
or blanket. Take a small sample from the middle of the
fleece and compare it to other areas of the fleece.
Remove anything that doesn't match for color or length.
Look for areas that are discolored, different lengths,
medullated, matted, or contain pieces of dung or hay,
and remove them gently. (Medullated fibers are often
called "guard hairs" and are much coarser
than those in the overall blanket.) BE CAREFUL NOT TO
DESTROY LOCK STRUCTURE! In preparing your fleece for
processing, it is not as important to separate out all
varying lengths. According to Michael Lipinski, fiber
for optimum processing must be from three to six and
one half inches in length. Fleece shorter than three
inches can be used in needle felting, rug yarn, batting,
felt and several other ways. Fiber shorter than two
inch-es is processed as "seconds" or "thirds"
and is used for batting or felt. Anything longer than
six and a half inches must be cut either by the customer
or the mill for an additional charge. When cleaning/preparing
for processing, there is no need to worry about destroying
lock structure. |
| 6. |
For showing in solid color classes, pull out the odd
color patches or spots that may be significantly lighter
or darker in the fleece and put them aside as "seconds"
to be processed. For multi-colored classes, the colored
spots need to remain with the blanket. Similarly, in
processing, for solid color yarns only, pull out the
odd color patches and spots. For other varied color
yarns, the spots may remain and produce beautiful heather
yarns. |
| 7. |
Repeat the steps for skirting your fleece until it
is ready to show or process. |
| 8. |
Finally, place the skirted show fleece, lock ends
to the outside, into a clear plastic bag, making sure
to place the best area (center of the fleece) at the
opening of the bag. Place fleece to be processed in
a clear plastic bag marked with your alpaca's name,
your farm name, date shorn, fleece weight, and perhaps
how you would like it processed (type of yarn, roving,
felt, etc.). |
Seven Criteria for Judging Suri Fleece:
· Fineness and handle
· Uniformity, including micron count, length, color
· Character and style of lock, as well as density
· Luster
· Lack of medullation
· Lack of impurities, stains, and fleece damage
· Clean annualized weight (weight adjusted to reflect
the length of time between shearings)
|
