Alpaca Yarn for our alpaca owners

Exciting News for Our Alpaca Owners! 🦙✨

For those of you who have purchased alpacas from us at Little Valley Farm, we’re thrilled to introduce a brand-new service starting in 2025!

During the upcoming shearing season, make sure to save your fleece, as we will soon offer hand-spinning services to help you transform your fleece into beautiful, usable yarn.
In the next eight weeks, we’ll provide all the details on how this service will work. In the meantime, as you prepare for shearing, be sure to store your fleece properly and skirt it carefully to get the best.

More info coming soon. Daniela.

While genetics play a major role, management practices also have a significant impact on fleece quality. By controlling fibre growth and timing shearing properly, you can ensure optimal results. Here are a few key tips:

  • Timing: Shear before pasture plants set seed to minimise contamination from vegetable matter and shear in Spring before it get to hot.

  • Clean paddocks: Keeping paddocks free of debris is crucial for maintaining fleece purity.

  • Nutrition and environment: Dust, poor nutrition, and environmental factors can affect the fleece's luster, tensile strength, and colour. Maintaining good animal health and nutrition is essential to prevent "tender fleece" that breaks easily.

  • Water sources: Keep alpacas away from creeks and dams to avoid fleece damage.

When to Shear

The timing of shearing is important, especially as spring approaches.

What we need 

Saddle only. Skirt and remove any short legs and neckpieces. You may lose up to 30% during the process and remove any dirt and vegetation matter. 

What you will receive 

70-80 g per yarn ball. Anywhere from 8 to 20 yarn balls (adult-size fleece).

Price

Will get quoted once we inspect the fleece. Price will include GST and P&P charges.

This yarn processing service is exclusively available to those who have purchased alpacas from us.


The Best Duvets are made with Alpaca Fleece

When it comes to finding the perfect duvet, there are a lot of factors to consider. But if you're looking for the best of the best, you can't go wrong with one made from alpaca fleece. Alpaca fleece offers superior insulation and is naturally hypoallergenic, making it the perfect material for those with sensitive skin. Plus, alpacas are curious and sensitive animals, making them a pleasure to breed and manage. Here at Little Valley Farm, we're well-known for our national parks and Australian wildlife. We're off-grid and sustainable in our on-farm practices. Alpacas fit that perfectly with a very low impact on the land.


There are a lot of reasons why alpaca fleece makes the best duvets. Firstly, it's a natural hollow fibre, which means it has superior insulation properties. It's also relatively lightweight, making it easy to move around when you're trying to get comfortable. Also, alpaca fleece is strong and durable, so you know your duvet will last for years. And finally, it's Hypoallergenic! This is perfect for those with sensitive skin who often have problems with other types of materials.

The Best Duvets are made in Australia.

When it comes to finding the perfect duvet, it's important to find one that's made in Australia. This is because Australian standards are some of the highest in the world when it comes to quality control. That means you can rest assured knowing that your duvet was made with the highest quality materials and construction methods.

If you're looking for the best duvet possible, look no further than one made from alpaca fleece. Alpaca fleece offers superior insulation and is naturally hypoallergenic, making it the perfect material for those with sensitive skin. Plus, alpacas are curious and sensitive animals, making them a pleasure to breed and manage. Our duvets are made in Australia to the highest quality standards. Visit our shop cart today to learn more!

Comes in Double, Queen and King sizes.

Which Duvet weight is right for me?

Duvets use ‘Grams Per Square Metre’ or gsm to indicate the product’s relative warmth. It refers to the weight of the quilt filling. So, the higher the gsm of filling, the warmer it is.

  • 200 gsm is good for Summer (roughly equivalent to 1-2 blankets)

  • 300 gsm is good for both Autumn and Spring (roughly equivalent to 2-3 blankets)

  • 500 gsm is good for Winter (roughly equivalent to 3-4 blankets)

Afterpay is a great way to get your purchase today and enjoy interest-free payments over time. Simply purchase online, sign up for AfterPay if you have an account - it's easy!

100% Alpaca Pure Duvets have been tried and tested by the Queen of sleep, my wife!
— Euan
Source: https://www.littlevalleyfarm.com.au/shop/alpaca-pure-100-alpaca-duvet

Alpaca Husbandry Hands-on

Hi everyone, we will be holding an alpaca 'Husbandry Hands-on' event next month.

It's suitable for people who would like to get hands-on experience in cutting toenails, body scoring, giving oral vitamins and checking eyes for health.

We will be going through the entire herd and checking each one. It's full-on and has lots of handling, so enclosed shoes, sun hat and a refillable water bottle to keep hydrated.

Then you can hang out with the alpacas and get to know them after the event. The time for handing is approx 1.5-2 hours. 

No charge if you have already attended our main workshop. It's really to give people the next step in hands-on / exposure to handling alpacas and being confident with them.

Adults only due to safety and insurance.

Only open to people who have already attended our main workshop. 

Only 2-3 people at a time for this event.

If you are looking for accommodation, we have the shearers studio for a minimum of two nights' stay ($600), or you can stay one night at Noyce Brothers Wine/Grays Inn Wollombi, about ten minutes away right in the heart of Wollombi Village. Check out the Noyce website for their rates. https://www.noycebros.com.au/

Date: early July 2022 — at Little Valley Farm - Alpaca Farm.

We will aim to make this a monthly event for our LVF VIP members.


Photo of Karine as she is a real character. She loves neck rubs, and when she is bored, she walks off. Her cria is super sweet and confident just like her mum.



How to become a LVF VIP member? Book in for our Alpaca Workshops for new owners.

If you have not attended our main workshop, you can check out our dates and prices here. 



Alpaca Yarn Get it online

I love Suki and all of the girls; they are my life. We spin their fleece into amazing wintertime jumpers that keep me warm every season!

Suki's personality is quite an original. She is quirky, inquisitive, and the first one to push the other girls out of the way so she can eat out of your hand. You can hear her saying nom, nom, nom whilst happily chewing away. She has lovely dense, soft fleece and has passed on her lovely fleece to her offspring.

She is also a snake bite survivor, and we are lucky to have her and her cria, Oberon, with us today.

How blessed we are to be able to hand spin the fleece, knit it and wear the garments that will last a lifetime. Thank you, Suki, our quirky alpaca.

The many funny faces of Suki above.

For a limited time only, you can purchase Suki’s yarn online from our shop cart.

We are selling the yarn in 2, 4 or 6 yarn balls in our kraft Gift Case.

These photos were taken on my iPhone today and I have tried to capture its natural colour. They also come in this handy kraft gift box. 8 PLY approx 75-80 g each yarn ball. Get it now before they disappear and you have to wait until we shear and spin again. It’s all handspun so expect rustic and many variations.

Daniela

Alpaca Suri Fleece available for sale

Shearing is done every October at Little Valley Farm. Fleece sorting is done randomly or when I get inspired to sort, spin and add it onto the website. It all takes time, and there is always a lot of beautiful fleece sort through.

So, where you can purchase our unprocessed fleece or handspun alpaca yarn? Jump on our website at @littlevalleyfarm.com.au or visit the stunning homeware and lifestyle shop in Laguna called @LagunaLuxe next to GNTP.



I have just added three saddles of fawn SURI fleece to the website so you can order online and we will post them to you. P&P charges will be added to the shop cart.

Click here to order online as the next lot of fleece won’t be available until October 2022 after shearing day.


Little Valley Farm is based in Laguna in the Wollombi Valley, Hunter Valley. We are only 90 minutes from Sydney but feels like a million miles away. To check availability for our couples only glamping experience contact Daniela via email.

Frequently Asked Questions here.

Little Valley Farm In the Media

Alpaca Fleece For Sale - Little Valley Farm

We have just completed our shearing for Spring 2021, and now our alpacas are ready and relaxed for the hot Summer days ahead. Freshly shorn and out of the sun, they enjoy the shade of the old Liquid Amber trees.

Biscuit and Flirty pictured here.

I will be spending the week sorting out which fleece we should spin and felt for our Summer 2022 projects. So far, we have counted 40+ saddles to work with and more for me to clean and sort out.

So if you love spinning or felting alpaca fleece, we have a range of white, fawn and brown fleece for your home projects. We have mostly Huacaya and some long fawn Suri fleece available.

Our alpaca fleece sale will start early November, and we will have saddles ready for spinning from $10, $15, $20 and $30. Our saddles have been partly skirted, (we have removed the neck and leg fleece). But, of course, there will always be some vegetation matter and dirt as they love to roll in the ground just before shearing.

Huacaya or Suri fleece?

Alpaca garments are often sought after for their softness and warmth. The two types of alpacas, Suri and Huacaya, offer different qualities in wool that can be used to create unique pieces of clothing. Learn more about the difference between these animals, so you know which type is best suited to your needs!

Alpaca fleece sales

Our sale day will be held up at our house, and please note, we are open via appointment only. Our fleece sales do not include feeding the alpacas as we are limited with our time and workload already. Also, please do not bring your dogs to our farm due to our strict bio-security policy.

As we are a COVID safe business, you will be required to QR code check-in on arrival.

Feel free to email us for raw fleece sales and what you are looking for. If you can’t make it to our farm we can post our fleece to you. Jump on our shop cart to view prices.

We will also have some more alpacas coming up for sale November-December. Simply email to be added to our livestock waitlist.

www.littlevalleyfarm.com.au/shop

Check out these adorable faces below?

Fibre of the Gods!

Sustainable, renewable, ethical, biodegradable. Alpaca is one of the finest animal fibres in the world, comparable to mohair, cashmere and other rare fibres.

No wonder its referred to as the Fibre of the Gods!

There are two types of alpacas – Huacaya (pronounced Wuh-kai-ya) and the Suri. Huacaya fibre is similar to sheep fibre with a crimpy structure to the fibre but without the lanolin. Suri fibre can be described as a flat fibre that handles and behaves like silk when processed and dyed. The fibre hangs in locks from the alpacas and is considered a premium fibre.

Check out this four-star chart comparing alpaca to wool, cotton and feather/down.

So be sustainable and get into alpaca now.

Contact us for raw fleece, yarn supplies and also in-fills for cushions, bean bags and soft toys.

IMG_2735.PNG

Alpaca Fleece

Shearing has been done for 2020 and our beautiful alpacas are now ready for Summertime.

We have now saddles available to purchase for $10, $20 and $30 in white, fawn and chocolate in Huacaya and Suri fleece.

Pick up is in Laguna via appointment only from November 1st. We have over 40 saddles currently available that are perfect for spinning and felting.

We also have raw fleece available suitable for stuffing for handmade knitted toys or cushions from $10 per bag.

Handspun 8 ply alpaca huacaya fleece

Handspun 8 ply alpaca huacaya fleece

Types of Alpaca's

Our most common question is what is the difference between a Huacaya and a Suri alpaca. Our favourite shop, The Australian Alpaca Barn states it perfectly below.

At Little Valley Farm we have both types of Alpacas and we adore working with both. We are now venturing in the world of coloured alpacas in the next couple of months - and we are super excited!

We currently have super soft handspun alpaca yarn for sale and also raw (unprocessed) fleece for sale. Click here to purchase online.

Photo credit The Alpaca Barn. Check them out in the Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains and Sydney Rocks area.

Photo credit The Alpaca Barn. Check them out in the Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains and Sydney Rocks area.

Alpaca fleece for sale

Our valley has been surrounded by fires recently and we had to cancel our open day.

We have huacaya and suri raw fleece available for sale. Prices start from $20 per saddle and perfect for felting, spinning or using as cushion or toy in-fills. PM for more info. Pick up Laguna.

#alpacafarm #alpacafleece #littlevalleyfarm #lagunansw #wollombi #huntervalley #alpacalove #fleece

Copy of Couples weekend farmstay.png