Distinctly Montana Magazine

Montana Made DEPARTMENT Montana's Natural Fiber BY GLENDA WALLACE Heartwarming oung people saw its value first, says Diana Blair of Kalispell's Going to the Sun Fiber Mill. "Hey, look at the dreads," they said, reaching for the llama fiber that hung like ropes from her vendor booth. "I'm going to use this to drape my purse." "I'm going to make a scarf. Won't it be wonderfully warm? It's so soft," said another. The next year, her Mammoth Dreads yarn sold out. So did her handmade Avalanche Hats and other products spun from the fleece of llamas and alpacas, fiber once worn only by royalty and considered by Americans as ex- otic. Today, camelids are as integral to Montana's natural fiber industry as sheep and goats and hardworking people. "The thing that people started learning," says Ed James, owner of the Sugarloaf Wool Carding Mill near Phillips- burg, "natural fiber — it doesn't matter what it is — it's the healthiest fiber you can use in clothing and bedding." In explanation, Ed starts talking about air pockets and tight crimp and the fiber's ability to wick away moisture and regulate body temperature. Y Alpacas of Montana "What wool does," he says, "it takes your own body temperature and radiates it back. Your heart doesn't have to warm you up, or cool you down. So you have an even heartbeat all night long." The Sugarloaf's best-selling items are pillows. "The wife made herself a wool pillow and slept so restful. Then I tried one, too." Today, Sue and Ed sell three sizes, and a travel line, that offers all the benefits of natural fiber: It's durable and longlasting, fire-resistant, and re-useable. Though wool is not completely hypo-allergenic (as is fiber from camelids, their breeders point out), Ed notes that wool prevents dust mites and bacteria growth and that most people are reacting to "the harsh, toxic chemicals that go into con- ventional" products, rather than the lanolin in wool. In Montana, most of the natural fiber industry uses a more skin- and eco-friend- ly approach. Thirteen Mile Lamb and Wool Company uses chemical-free grass, no antibiotics or synthetic hormones, and a citrus-based wash. Many ranches are also predator-friendly, using guard dogs and llamas to protect their herds. "Llamas are formidable protectors," says Diana, who cares for 23 llamas and several alpacas. It's she who provides perhaps the Number One Answer for investing in Montana natural fiber: It's something beautifully unique, an heir- loom well worth its price. DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL Go to 60 www.distinctlymontana.com/alpaca121 for fiber products, contact info, and video on spinning fiber. DISTINCTLY MONTANA • WINTER 2011 "I've still got the first pair of alpaca socks I ever bought," she says. "I paid $10. Today, they'd cost $28."

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