The Domaine des Arches Blanches alpaca farm and boutique in Howick opened its doors to visitors over the weekend of Sept. 26-27, as part of the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent’s Route des Arts. Owner Nathalie Sauvé was included in the event last year as well, but then she only opened her studio. This year, the stables housing her 19 alpacas were also part of the tour.
Sauvé and her partner moved to Howick 14 years ago. Animals were always part of the plan, but it wasn’t until around 2019 that she discovered alpacas. “I went to see them and I fell in love,” she said, while explaining that alpacas are relatively easy to care for. They are quiet, gentle, fairly clean, and are shorn once a year.
She works three days per week as a hairdresser at a long-term care centre and devotes the rest of her time to the herd and processing their fibre into finished products. But this wasn’t always the plan.
For the first two years, she focused on caring for the animals. “I knew how to knit slippers out of phentex and make little crocheted blankets. My grandmother taught me to do that, but it was all I knew,” said Sauvé, who planned on sending the alpaca fibre to be processed and finding some ladies to knit her products. “I didn’t think I would be doing it myself,” she added. “And then COVID hit, and I stayed home for a year.”
She set out to learn and taught herself all the fibre-processing techniques using online resources and free workshops. Now she does it all apart from the shearing, which yields about four to five pounds of fibre per animal. This is then sorted for quality and colour before it is washed up to five times in large tubs, then rinsed and spun dry. She then picks or fluffs the fibre on a machine built by her husband, before it is carded and then spun to create yarn. For products such as insoles or slippers, the fibre is laid out in layers, moistened, and mechanically felted or pressed to create a dense fabric.
Sauvé explained that while the process is time consuming, it has become a passion that helps to cover the upkeep costs for the animals and generates a small income. Alpaca products are renowned for their warmth, but the fibre is also very light and comfortable. She sells her specialty products mainly at farmers’ markets and especially at Christmas and winter events, where hats and other warm items are particularly popular.