Alpaca FeltLOOM® Workshop: Hands-On Felting with Farm Fleece

Alpaca FeltLOOM® Workshop at the farm's fiber studio (location details not provided by the host) is a slow, tactile retreat for people who want to transform raw alpaca fleece into usable art and gear. The program runs as a multi-day, self-paced workshop for Guild members, family, and guests; it’s designed so participants move from meeting an alpaca to carrying home a finished scarf, rug, handbag panel, or pillow top. Begin with a day in the fiber studio: you’ll meet an alpaca, tour the studio, and learn how alpaca fiber is graded and skirted—removing hay, second cuts, and edges. The first day lasts roughly seven hours (10 AM–5 PM) and focuses on fleece selection, skirting, and the first wash. The fleece is then left on the farm to finish washing and drying over the week. Later sessions cover picking and carding, finishing the felting process, and assembling the felted article. Additional studio hours are available for purchase if you want to extend a project. What makes this workshop special is the direct connection between animal, raw material, and craft. Alpaca fleece behaves differently from sheep wool: it’s silky, lightweight, and insulating, with a fine scale structure that felts when handled correctly. Working inside a working farm studio adds sensory context—the smell of clean fleece, the sound of animals grazing, and hands-on instruction as fibers are layered, wetted, agitated, and finally fulled into fabric. This is not a performance class; it’s a practiced, communal process. Students work at their own pace under experienced guidance, following an itinerary that pauses between intensive hands-on days to allow time for washing and drying. The multi-day rhythm mirrors traditional textile practices of communities that have used camelid fibers for centuries, bringing a living cultural thread to a modern craft. Practical takeaways: you’ll leave with skills in skirting, washing, carding, and wet felting, and with a finished piece tailored to your chosen form. The program welcomes a broad range of makers—from makers who want to experiment with natural fiber to fiber artists seeking deeper facility with alpaca. Because the workshop happens on a farm and involves animal handling, wear durable clothes and expect informal, farm-style logistics. Reservations are handled via the host’s booking link; the host notes that projects may require extra studio hours to complete. For travelers who enjoy hands-on learning and slow craft tied to place, this workshop is an uncommon way to engage both animal husbandry and textile making in a single, satisfying experience. Bring notebook to record fiber characteristics and wash ratios, and plan for lunch or local delivery during studio days; comfortable waterproof footwear and a light apron will make sessions more pleasant as you learn to transform fleece into durable fabric.