Exotic breed is a rare sight in Teesdale

Livestock in Teesdale is renowned for producing sought-after commodities.
The rural landscape is home to fine farming produce, such as meat, milk and cheese. But much less obvious is the limited edition garments in the making at the side of the A66.
Nestled off the main stretch near Boldron, Teesdale Alpacas are a rare sight to see and there is much more to the exotic creatures than meets the eye.
When Doug Steen and Samantha Whitehead first brought home their five “pet boys” nine years ago, little did they realise how their love for alpacas would evolve.
The couple have been running Teesdale Alpacas since 2008 and are now a recognised small breeder with a heard of 43. Mr Steen said: “We first saw them over near Penrith. We didn’t know anything about them really.
“We just met them and knew they were quite cute. We started reading about them and went to meet local breeders. You need at least three to start because they are a herd animal. We ended up with five pet boys from Butterknowle.”
Within a year, the couple began breeding the alpacas and now offer alpaca sales, welfare and advice, stud services and opportunities such as alpaca trekking.
Mr Steen said: “They have got their own characters. They are kind of like people – most of them are nice to know, some are super-friendly and others are a bit grumpy.”
However, from the youngest three-month-old cria Teesdale Quartz, to the eldest “pet boy” Teesdale Atacama who is now 15 years old, there is one thing they all have in common – their unique fibre. Mr Steen said: “Alpacas were bred for their fibre. That is their job. They are not primarily a meat animal.”
Bearing some of nature’s best fibre, Teesdale Alpacas’ coats are transformed into limited edition myAmelia garments such as scarves, throws, shawls and hats.
Mr Steen said: “The animals are sheared once a year. We might get two kilograms of fibre off an animal that we can use for things like that if we are lucky. There is always a certain amount of wastage. From the fleece to the spinning you could lose a third or half the weight. One-and-a-half kilograms in yarn would be enough for a couple of throws.”
The alpaca cloth is woven in the Scottish borders on looms dating back to the 1900s.
Barnard Castle-based tailoress Fiona Brookes, who runs Brookes Outfitters and Tailors, does a lot of the tailoring work. Headwear is made by traditional hat and cap maker Lawrence and Forster in Yorkshire.
Teesdale Alpacas won the Best Fibre to Product award at the 2015 British Alpaca Society National Show.
Mr Steen said: “The products are hard-wearing but soft and hypoallergenic. You need enough fibre to spin to get a certain shade. The shade will never be exactly the same again.
“We breed them on a match basis where we match a specific male to a specific female to improve the quality of the fibre including its density and fineness because that is what they are all about.
“At breeding we will look at a female and say she has got a lot of density but is not as fine as she could be. We will then look at a male with more fineness and hope the offspring will carry the male’s fineness through. The finer it is the softer the product is going to be. It should feel like cashmere. We also look at colours. Alpacas come in about 20 different recognised shades.”
Duvets and pillows, made up from the fibre of the older alpacas, can also be ordered.
Mr Steen said: “As the animals get older their fibre will coarsen up and get thicker. We send that away to be made into duvets and pillows. It has that extra bit if spring in it so it works well. We also keep all of the offcuts and make small products from those.”
Visit www.myamelia.co.uk or call 07976423258.