A few years ago I learned how to felt a hat with raw alpaca fiber.  I have always wanted to start doing more felting, but just couldn’t get it all together.  Instead, I focused on knitting beanie hats and felting those knit beanie hats.  That’s been real fun, but I still want to do some wet felting.

In the last couple of months I finally got some hat forms and ordered a drum carder (thanks Dad) so that I can ‘get on with it’, felting that is.   My first project will be to make a hat for my Dad for being so generous in funding the purchase of the drum carder.

This is the drum carder that I got.   It is a Louet Drum Carder with a fine cloth.  This carder will produce batts that I will use in making felt hats.  I will be using alpaca – go figure.  I love working with alpaca, it is so easy and fun to knit with.  And another benefit is I have 25 of these beautiful animals out in our pastures and I will be working with their fiber.  Whoo hoo.

The weather has changed significantly after Hurricane Ike and it’s beginning to feel like fall.  With the change of weather it has brought a heightened feeling of getting my hands in alpaca fiber.  I will keep you posted with pictures, etc. of my adventure in carding and felting alpaca fiber.