Alpacas

The Greenside Alpacas were visiting Saltaire again as part of the World Heritage Celebrations. It always feels good to see them. They remind us of the debt that Saltaire owes to its founder, Sir Titus Salt's persistance in experimenting with spinning and weaving their wool. He eventually discovered how to make a fine, lustrous cloth that Victorian ladies coveted and that made him a fortune. Their wool looks soft enough to make me want to run my fingers through it, but in fact alpacas seem a bit skittish and not overly fond of being stroked. They had also been very messy with their food (hay) so that both their fleeces were covered in bits!