Customers tell us that the Strauch carder is the best drum carder on the market. We’ve spent a lot of time and hard work into creating this ideal machine. Strauch drum carders are great for carding a variety of fibers, from long to short, coarse to fine, or from cashmere to dog hair. But today, we’re talking about why the Strauch drum carders are great for alpaca fiber!

Why card alpaca?

• Alpaca is a fiber that benefits from proper prep.
• Drape is the characteristic that its best known for, so avoiding damage in preparation is important.
• Blending in other fibers, especially wool, will make alpaca fibers easier to spin, especially for newer spinners (just make sure the wool is compatible).
• For at-home spinners, here are some non-wool fibers to try blending in with alpaca: mohair, silk, or angora rabbit.

If you’re an alpaca farmer, and you’re not processing your fiber, you’re missing out!

• Think about the added value: your animals can make money rather than being an added expense, especially it’s so easy to process individual fleece from your prized animals.
• Our motorized doublewide carder makes fleece processing fast and easy.
• Don’t throw away those “thirds”. These bits of fiber can be used to make felted pads, dryer balls, and more. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

Have you carded alpaca on your Strauch carder? We’d love to hear about your experience and see photos! Share them with us on Ravelry or Facebook.