Neha Chollangi
Special to the Times-Chronicle
After seven years at their alpaca farm in Lisle, Ontario, Gail Franklin-Hawes and her husband, Richard Hawes, decided to sell the farm and move across the country to Oliver B.C. for the mild weather and slower pace.
Back in Ontario, they ran Gn’R Alpaca Farm where they processed fleece start to finish―from shearing the alpacas, and processing the material into finished products like hats and mittens. Franklin-Hawes still plans to continue doing this by getting the fiber from the breeder in Ontario, who she keeps in touch with.
“I’ll still do my business, do my yarns and hopefully still have my boutique and sell. I have to adapt and put more online for people to find it, so it’s quite a bit of change,” said Franklin-Hawes.
This passion for fiber goes back to Franklin-Hawes’ college years when she got a degree in weaving and textiles. Later, she took an introduction course on felting and spinning, before starting Gn’R Alpaca Fiber and Yarn in 2013.
Gn’R specializes in the unique alpaca fiber which is best known for its softness and rich luster. The processing of this fiber, however, is quite tedious. After the alpaca is sheared, Franklin-Hawes goes through a multi-step process of cleaning the material which includes trimming, brushing, and washing. This needs to be done without agitating it, as the material tends to mat together otherwise. Next, she processes the material into a roving (the long narrow bundle of fiber that is ready to spin) or sends it to a mill that does it. With the roving, she spins it on her spinning wheel to make a skein of yarn, which can be then made into products like a scarf or hat.
Photo submitted by Gail Franklin-Hawes
“If you did just one skein from beginning to end, it would take 4 to 5 hours. So, you would usually make a whole pile at once instead of just one,” said Franklin-Hawes.
In Ontario, Franklin-Hawes had her hands full, attending up to 15 to 20 craft shows a year to sell her products. However, now with many craft shows cancelled due to COVID-19, she is more focused on selling products through the Gn’R website and potentially setting up a home boutique.
In fact, next month they are hoping to host a Christmas open house at their new home in Oliver and invite the community to check out their products, while maintaining social distancing, and only allowing a few people in at once.
For now, Gn’R will be a new vendor at the Osoyoos holiday market this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 28 to showcase the homemade products. Though the 8-foot table is small for the range of products they have, Franklin-Hawes said it will be a mere introduction of what she has to offer.
