Photo Karen Graham.
Twin Pines Alpacas
When Barb and Joe Muise purchased the small farm south of Millbrook on County Rd. 10 in 2010, they wanted to have animals. A veterinarian who specializes in laparoscopic surgery, Joe came with a clear list of criteria for their potential livestock. The animals must provide something useful, but not meat. They had to be easy on the fields and not tear them up with their hooves. A highly efficient food conversion ratio was also desired to allow the couple to be self-sufficient in the food production for their animals with their small acreage.
Alpacas were an easy choice. Exotic, cute and friendly, they are also so accommodating that they give birth only between the hours of 10 am and 1 pm, a survival feature that has developed to avoid predators. This is handy for a couple with active professional lives off the farm. The herd now consists of 65 animals. Name selections are done like those for hurricanes: each year offspring names all begin with the same letter.
The animals are produced for their luxurious coats, which are shorn in one piece each spring. The fibre is luxurious and naturally hypoallergenic, producing soft, warm products. It also comes in 22 natural colours with additional variations in the length and degree of curl produced by each animal. The fibre is so distinctive that products made at the farm sometimes bear the animal’s name whose coat was used in the creation.
Photo Karen Graham.
Barb Muise-Bunker stands with her mill.
Transforming that coat into useable fibre requires many steps: sorting for length and coarseness, tumbling and washing to remove vegetation and stains, picking and blending to open fibres for the milling process, carding or brushing fleece to align the fibres for spinning or to create batts, and finally spinning and twisting to make yarn. The processes are onerous and conducted by mills equipped with a variety of specialized machines.
Relying on external mills to process their fleece was challenging. One July, Barb was preparing her fleece shipment and was told by the mill that was receiving it that her product was not scheduled for processing until the following year. That made the decision to get into the milling business an easy one.
In 2018, Twin Pines Alpacas installed a complete textile mill producing only 100% natural fibre products. Barb blends other fibres including merino or sheep wool, mohair, soy, silk and bamboo into some of their products with their alpaca fibre to create unique products. The business also offers custom milling for alpaca farmers and fibre enthusiasts, creating two- and three-ply yarn, rovings and batts, or a combination of products. Given their own experience, timelines and expectations with their custom milling service are crystal clear.
Their farm store is only open on weekends for now. In it are a variety of yarns, rovings for hand spinners, felt products & quilt batts made on the farm, as well as a few fair-trade finished products including baskets, handbags and hand-knit items. They also offer a custom yarn service where discerning customers can order a specific yarn based on weight, base and blend fibres including soy, silk, bamboo, merino or mohair, and of course, colour.
Education is a big component of Twin Pines’s mission. During the summer months, the owners hold farm and mill tours and workshops for the public. Private tours and events can also be booked.
Next summer, there are plans to extend the operation with a fibre arts learning centre/studio, offering visitors a warm, creative environment in which to learn, share and connect with like-minded folk. They have completed the first phase of the project, called Studio 65, with a large deck off the store overlooking alpaca pastures where guests can enjoy a quiet beverage while working on their own wool craft project.
For more information, visit www.twinpinesalpacas.ca. KG
