Producer of worsted !00% Alpaca-fibre tartan?

**Fit2BKilted** · 3rd February 10, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by Gordon

we may be able to assist, as we have woven alpaca fabric many times...including a 'tartan'.
contact me if you want to proceed.

Gordon Kirkbright
Fraser & Kirkbright Weaving co Ltd
Vancouver

D'you have a sample? How would you compare Alpaca worsted twill to Wool worsted twill in weight, hand, etc.? How well does it hold a pressed pleat?

**ForresterModern** · 5th February 10, 06:32 AM

Can't help with the weavers but might I suggest as a pattern that you use one of the oldest patterns known, the Northumberland/Borderlands/Shepherds check which to the best of my knowledge was originally woven of natural colored cream and black wool anyway, and which would nicely fit your natural colored alpaca theme in with an established and well known tartan pattern. Now even I, being from a historically borderlands family heritage, would be interested in something like that.

Jeff

**joecool** · 5th February 10, 08:51 PM

I like Jeff's idea a lot! I just looked up that particular tartan, and I think it would be a great looking kilt. I would suggest that it be woven in a larger set though. I believe Matt over at the Scottish Tartans Museum wrote a bit on his blog about this,
See that post here:

http://blog.albanach.org/2006/04/nor...nd-tartan.html

I would follow Matt's suggestion if this is the tartan design that you go with. That said, I am excited to see what you have come up with, and to learn the particulars of what you have found out so far!
Hope all is going well!

**Fit2BKilted** · 6th February 10, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by joecool

I like Jeff's idea a lot! I just looked up that particular tartan, and I think it would be a great looking kilt. I would suggest that it be woven in a larger set though. I believe Matt over at the Scottish Tartans Museum wrote a bit on his blog about this,
See that post here:

http://blog.albanach.org/2006/04/nor...nd-tartan.html

I would follow Matt's suggestion if this is the tartan design that you go with. That said, I am excited to see what you have come up with, and to learn the particulars of what you have found out so far!
Hope all is going well!

I'm going to be meeting with a local artizan weaver in the next week or so; and, this will form part of our discussion; but, alpacas, unlike sheep, have a more diverse palette of natural tones of tan & rust to brown, in addition to black and white... For myself, I would want to leverage that diversity, and employ 6 distinct thread-colours in my own sett; but, the Check has always been appealing to me nonetheless.

**NewGuise** · 7th February 10, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Fit2BKilted

For myself, I would want to leverage that diversity ... but, the Check has always been appealing to me nonetheless.

Likewise, on both counts. The number of different shades is not as important to me as the effect(s) they might produce in combination as a tartan, but I would certainly want to take advantage of the rich natural colours available. Royal Stewart just happens to have 6 colours, which might make for easy borrowing rather than designing a new pattern...

**Sylvain** · 7th February 10, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by Fit2BKilted

Being an avowed kilt wearer north of the 49th parallel

Ottawa is south of the 49th parallel... It's 45 degrees north and a half...

**NewGuise** · 7th February 10, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Sylvain

Ottawa is south of the 49th parallel...

A friend had moved up to Thunder Bay from the US and - in the midst of a snowy winter - referred to being "glad to be back above the 49th parallel ... if a little too far above" only to be informed that his house was around 40 miles / 65 KM south of the 49th. Then again, we Edmontonians tend to think of ourselves as being very far north, yet my house here is at the same latitude as Doncaster or Hamburg...

**joecool** · 7th February 10, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by Fit2BKilted

alpacas, unlike sheep, have a more diverse palette of natural tones of tan & rust to brown, in addition to black and white... For myself, I would want to leverage that diversity, and employ 6 distinct thread-colours in my own sett; but, the Check has always been appealing to me nonetheless.

I completely agree with you! I would hate to waste all those colors, but I think the Check idea is a good one as well. Who knows, if this takes off perhaps we will have several different alpaca wool tartans! I am anxiously awaiting progress reports and pictures!

**-B-** · 10th February 10, 08:14 PM

No Royal Stewart period for me.

**Sylvain** · 11th February 10, 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by NewGuise

Then again, we Edmontonians tend to think of ourselves as being very far north, yet my house here is at the same latitude as Doncaster or Hamburg...

Sometimes, I said to Europeans that I lived on the same latitude as Bordeaux or Milano or
Zagreb, and they hardly believed me...
I've been in Stockholm, where the nature looks surprisingly like here around Montréal, and it is as north as Kuujjuaq, where there is only tundra...