Fall 2010

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Three and a half million and counting, that’s how many alpacas there are in the world and prior to 1984 none of them were in North America. Well, maybe a few but they lived in zoos where everyone thought they were indescribably cute and deeply exotic. They're still cute. Not quite as exotic. But their past is a remarkable tale of survival and one that is rarely told.

You will also be fascinated by some very eco-friendly ideas taking place in the US that look at maximizing the potential of fuel (read: manure) and fiber animals. Perhaps someday your house will be heated with a little llama dung.

This issue also looks at a modern-day tale of survival in Tibet where a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on April 14th, 2010 shook-up an entire city and an American-owned yak yarn manufacturer as well. "Changing Lives" is an extraordinary feature article about man, and the changing world of fiber as well.

Changing Lives

We travel to Tibet for a story on an American company that produces traditional Tibetan textiles and a new line of yak yarn. Tragically, only a few weeks before our arrival an earthquake struck the town of Yushu where the company is headquartered. What was intended to be a wooly tale among the yaks rapidly turned into one of survival and hope. We cannot say enough about the work that Ken Shackelford and Philip Buys, managers at Jade Tree Co., are doing for the nomads in this town where 90% of the buildings were destroyed in less than a minute.

Vive Le Wool!

It’s time to celebrate European breeds of sheep and so they did under the watchful eye of Louis XVI. Thanks to the tenacity and dedication of Marie-Thérèse Chaupin of ATELIER and Nigel Thompson of Consorzio Biella, The Wool Company; the first exhibition to feature nearly 100 European sheep breeds along with fleece samples and finished products premiered in Rambouillet, France. With striking names like Walliser Schwarzenasenkschaf, otherwise known as one of the Swiss Black Nose breeds, the French certainly know how to wrap-up their wool with panache. Even Marie Antoinette was there in all her wooly splendor.

If I Were A Rich Man

There are currently more than 60,000 alpacas in the US and some believe the domestic alpaca market may someday rival Peru’s. We certainly don’t know so we’re not saying. But this issue of Wild Fibers not only looks at the history of alpacas in the Andes but the shepherds (alpaqueros) who have raised them and died beside them for centuries. In today’s world of fair trade “everything,” shouldn’t the alpaquero finally be given his due?

Grown, Spun, and Loved in the USA

From the hills of Amish country in Ohio, Morning Star Fiber Mill and Becca Smith of BagSmith, have created the most beautiful, bold, and Big Stitch bump imaginable. We are happy to bring you the second story in our new feature of fibers from America. Becca’s new yarn will have you clamoring for the cold!