Life of Fiber
a photo essay
Alpaca Shearing
Ferguson raises alpacas in addition to her goats to supplement the fiber. Every spring, she hires a family of professional alpaca shearers to harvest the fiber. The family of Don (father), Jen (mother), Avery (daughter), and Austin (son) Tompkins are efficient and skilled. This year, they were in and out in 42 minutes, shearing 7 alpacas. They had many farms to make it to that day, and didn’t waste any time. While Don sits ready with the trimmers, Austin will wrangle the alpacas and flip them onto the ground, where Jen and Avery are waiting to tie up their feet and keep them as still and calm as possible.
Austin Tompkins leads an alpaca to the shearing mat. He will flip the alpaca over by its legs and hold it down while his mother and sister tie up its legs. Austin is the "muscle" of the operation, according to his mother Jen Tompkins. (Photo/Edie McRoberts)
Clippers hover over a recently shorn alpaca as shearer Don Tompkins looks for places he missed. As the warmer weather comes to the farm, it is important for the alpacas to lose their thick winter coat. (Photo/Edie McRoberts)
Don Tompkins begins sheering an alpaca. Tied down and stretched out, it is nearly impossible for the alpacas to move. Shearing does not hurt the alpacas, however they often scream and spit until the ordeal is over. (Photo/Edie McRoberts)
An alpaca gets its bangs trimmed, one of the last parts of the body to be shorn. The fiber must be over an inch long in order to be useful for spinning into yarn, meaning hair on parts of the face and legs can be left long. (Photo/Edie McRoberts)
Tools of the trade sit ready for use. Trimmers and garbage bags to keep the fiber clean and stored are equally important items. (Photo/Edie McRoberts)
After the action is over and the shearers have gone, Lisa Ferguson carries a full bag of fiber to storage. Later, she'll wash and dry the fiber so it is ready to be spun into yarn. (Photo/Edie McRoberts)
