We are staying at Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso, and yesterday we were treated to a most entertaining and informative tour of the little mill. I guess that I never really realized that the whole process of turning fiber into yarn is exactly the same whether you do it by hand or use machines to help; silly, I know. I also learned a lot about the politics of alpaca farming in the U.S. Suddenly, things all started to make sense: the disinterest in the selling of alpaca, the exhorbitant prices for the animals all have to do with the fact that most of the farms are tax write-offs and more attention is paid to showing the animals than breeding for the fleece. Apparently, the farms will give away the fiber after shearing if you can catch them before they burn it. Horrifying, no?
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