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AOBA Raw Fiber & Fiber Products Committee Update
The Raw Fiber & Fiber Products
Committee is a newly-formed
AOBA committee that is already hard
at work for the membership.
AOBA Raw Fiber & Fiber Products
Mission Statement: Our mission is to
inform and educate breeders and the
general public of the many attributes
and uses of alpaca fiber.
Common Goals
1. To build public awareness and
demand for alpaca fiber by all peoples,
through education, seminars,
print materials, and marketing venues.
2. To develop an increased interest in
fiber arts such as spinning, weaving,
knitting, crocheting, and felting.
3. To educate our AOBA membership
about the uses for alpaca fiber, as
well as processing and manufacturing
options and finished product
resources.
4. To increase participation in competitive
arenas so as to encourage our
members to strive to better the fiber
they produce.
Members of the Committee:
■ Kim Devos, Chair – Inca Fashions
& Creekside Breeders, Ltd
■ Diane Campbell – Funny River
Ranch
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■ Pat Craven – Cherry Ridge Alpacas
■ Cyndi Daugherty – Paca D’lites
Alpaca Ranch
■ Erica L. Dwyer – Hamden Hills
Alpacas
■ Naomi Flam – Astral-Light
Alpacas, LLC
■ Chris Gilman – A+ Alpaca Fiber
Mill & Riverside Alpacas
■ Kirsten Kraushaar – Soulfood
Alpaca Garden
■ Wini Labrecque – Star Weaver Farm
■ Andrea MacDonald – Leaping
Lagomorph Rare Breeds
■ Alicia Marshall – Moondance
Alpaca Ranch
■ Carl & Freda McGill – Bayou Creek
Alpacas
■ David Stensland – A Craftsman’s
Touch Alpaca Co.
■ Erin McCarthy, BOD Liaison –
BelleauWood Farms Alpacas
At the Reno Fiber to Fashion conference,
committee member Carl McGill
presented the concept for the new
Directory of Fiber Resources (DFR).
This guide will be a resource for the
membership to use to find out how
and where to process fiber from shearing
through retail sales. The intent is
to create a first-class Premiere Edition
to be distributed free to the AOBA
membership. The DFR will include
a variety of services and sources relating
to the fiber end of the alpaca
industry, including raw fleece, fiber
processing, and finished goods. The
DFR is designed for the AOBA membership
and is intended to be a completely
separate entity from the Farm
& Ranch Guide, which is livestockoriented
and designed for prospective
animal purchasers. The team is currently
establishing advertising rates and
developing a design, printing, and distribution
plan. We hope this publication
will become an indispensable
resource guide for alpaca owners and
breeders to answer the question “What
Do I Do With All This Fiber?”
In addition to developing the Directory
of Fiber Resources, the team will
be producing the Summer Nationals
Fashion Show in Louisville, KY in June.
They are also beginning to develop a
handbook in coordination with the
AOBA Show Division to develop guidelines
for Handcrafters’ Spin-off competitions.
In addition, they hope to spearhead
a campaign to encourage more
participation in composite competitions,
as well as tackle other activities
that promote the use of alpaca fiber.
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