Way, way, way up north, you’ll find the Bear Creek Ranch in Fort Ransom, North Dakota! If you know anything about us, you know that we love sheep. My kids grew up showing sheep at the county fair, and we’ve been raising them since 2006.
What started out with only a couple animals has turned into our extended family of Romney, Blue Faced Leicester and Wensleydale sheep that live right here on the farm—and for our gang, you can never have enough!
After two minutes of scrolling through this website, you’ll find a library of tips, tricks, and tools that will help you create beautiful designs using, yep, you guessed it, sheep’s wool.
But today, I want to offer up a few tips that will help you when using alpaca wool! As a creator, a simple shift in fiber can transform a project. I love the thrill of fine-tuning my methods to fit a range of fibers! What do you say?
Whether you’re brand new to needle felting or have been working with sheep’s wool for a while now, are you ready to try needle felting with alpaca?
The Alpaca Difference
- Alpaca is lovely to use for adding hair and specific details to animal creations.
- Alpaca fibers are hollow! Sheep’s wool, on the other hand, contains pockets of air.
- Alpaca is hypoallergenic, making it an excellent fiber to use if you have allergy sensitivities.
- Alpaca is often known as a cheap version of cashmere because of how soft it is to the touch!
- Without the same scales as wool, alpaca strains are smoother.
- Like wool, alpaca is eco-friendly and biodegradable!
There are loads of varieties of alpaca wool! Want to know the best type for your next project? Make sure to watch the video below.
In this episode of Ewe Tube, Chris Armbrust and I answer questions about needle felting with alpaca, how to re-purpose yarn, what to blend with alpaca when spinning it into yarn… and so much more! Check it out.
Are you new to needle felting and feel overwhelmed with how to start? Have you been needle felting for awhile but struggle to achieve the results you dream of? I’d love for you to join the Bear Creek Felting Academy!
Beginner and advanced video courses are added regularly to ensure you have everything you need to succeed! You have access to all courses at all times, old and new during your membership. I cannot wait for you to join us. Let’s make this your most creative year yet. Click here to learn more!
Learn to Needle Felt the Easy Way!
Join the Bear Creek Needle Felting Academy today!
i am very new to needle felting your video was very informative i’m enjoying my new hobby thank you
I have been needle felting for a few years, and tried alpaca wool. It is more difficult to work with. I made a cat that, over time, tends to have a “bad hair day” look. I have gone back over her with my felting needle to tighten it down again. She is my “library cat” where I work, and I have had people do a double take because they thought she was a real cat.
Awesome video! Thank you for this! When you spoke about blending alpaca with 20 to 30% with another wool, could you use rabbit angora? I raise and show English and French angora, and I have Suri and Huacaya alpaca.
Again, thank you!
Leslie in Colorado
Did you use a wire armature on your hereford cow? If so, what gauge is the best for animals that size. Thank you for all you teach!
Thank you so much for this you tube video. Very informative.