Northshore Magazine

Northshore September 2015

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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210 They are shorn every spring before the heat comes on. Shearing them is trying work—Cosgrove and Badger actually have a professional come in to do it. "It's quite a process," says Cosgrove. "We have to warn the neighbors." The animals, a natu- rally fearful lot, make things rather difficult (and loud). They have to be tied to the ground, stretched out, and flipped from side to side to get the whole blanket. At times, Badger and Cosgrove send their fiber to friends in Con- necticut who also have an alpaca farm—from there it goes to a mill to be made into yarn or garments, which are then are sold in their friends' farm store. They also know alpaca farmers in Vermont and on Martha's Vineyard. "Alpaca farms are becoming a real tourist destination," notes Badger. These are notably clean animals— the whole pack defecates in the same Blanket The part of an alpaca's coat that extends from the nape of the neck at the withers, along the back to the tail, and down the flanks to the belly and haunches. Camelidae The larger family in which lama pacos (alpaca) is a member. This grouping also includes camels, llamas, guanacos, and vicunas. Character The overall evaluation of a fleece or lock based on han- dle, staple (lock) length, fineness, density, luster, and softness. Crimp The even, corrugated wave formation in the staple (lock) of fiber. Crinkle The even, corrugated wave formation in a single fiber of fleece. Curl The spiraling, lustrous ringlets along the length of indi- vidual fibers, which give the coat a drenched look. Density The number of fibers in a specific area of an alpaca's body. Fiber The fleece of an alpaca. Fineness The diameter in microns of individual alpaca fibers. Handle The way an alpaca fiber feels when touched; sometimes used interchangeably with "softness." Huacaya A breed of alpaca with crimped wool that resembles a teddy bear. Prime Fleece The best fleece an alpaca will ever produce, usually its first coat, called cria. Suri A breed of alpaca known for long "pencils" of non-crimped fiber resembling dreadlocks. Wool Cap The wool on the alpaca's head and between its ears, which is a desirable aesthetic quality; also known as the topknot.

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