“We are always the same age inside”
Gertrude Stein
I turned 30-something-ish or other this year. I
went to bed one age and woke up another….as if the magic age fairies came
during the night taking my younger self and replacing it with a much more
mature and wiser being. Well, for sure, they left the same disgruntled self
with a few more laughter lines and greys that all the hair colourants in Tesco
aren’t going to cover. What is in a hair colour anway?
Alpaca, like humans, grow hair rather than fur or
fleece. Just like human’s, alpacas also suffer the same plights of ageing and
beauty. Some are born with beautiful locks of auburn, black or blonde hair,
perfect features and with an elegant gait. Others are just plain ‘ugly/cute’.
As part of this project, I have been hanging out with alpaca farmers, visiting
alpaca shows and generally, have been wearing my wellies a lot more. Alpaca ‘fleece’
varies in softness and quality and has more than 22 natural shades. Last year,
while helping on a farm during the shearing season, I had the enviable job of
sorting through the freshly shorn hair. I prefer not to wear gloves during this
process, it is the best to get a good feel for the various ‘fleece’. Despite
looking like Worzel Gummage at the end of each working day, I loved the
experience. There is nothing quite like experiencing a new beginning. The
alpaca get to grow, fresh, new hair and I get a whole bunch of fleece ready for
milling. Even a ball of yarn has a circle of life. A story.
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