Ready to prepare
Washed and separated fiber
Early processing stages clean and open fleece before carding or spinning.
Poplar Grove, Illinois
Alpaca Pines
A family alpaca farm with a full-service fiber mill, an onsite yarn and gift shop, and hands-on fiber-art instruction.
Official farm website
- Location
- Poplar Grove, Illinois
- Established
- Started with alpacas in 2011
- Farm focus
- Alpacas and fiber processing
- Also offered
- Classes, shop, and tours
Farm overview
A herd and mill developed together
Alpaca Pines began in 2011 with two male Suri alpacas, a father and son. The Donley family expanded from that small start to a mixed herd of Suris and Huacayas, along with a llama and other farm animals. Its name comes from the pines lining the northern Illinois property.
The working mill gives this Poplar Grove operation a clear identity among Illinois farms. The family raises alpacas, processes customer fiber, and turns material from the mill into goods sold in the farm shop.
Inside the fiber mill
From incoming fleece to prepared fiber
The mill describes a multi-stage service rather than a simple wash-and-return operation.
- 01SkirtRemove unsuitable material
- 02TumbleRelease loose debris
- 03WashClean the fleece
- 04PickOpen the fibers
- 05SeparateRefine the material
- 06CardAlign the fibers
- 07SpinCreate finished yarn
Processing choices
Several stopping points for a fiber project
Ready to spin
Roving, bumps, and batts
Prepared formats give handspinners and felters material suited to their next step.
Ready to use
Yarn and fiber sheets
The mill also offers finished yarn options, rug yarn, and sheets for fiber crafts.
Alpaca Pines processes alpaca and other animal fibers. Owners comparing alpaca farms should use the official mill page to confirm accepted fiber, preparation requirements, current turnaround, and available finishes.
Fiber beyond the machinery
Classes, shop goods, and farm visits
Fiber instruction extends the mill’s work into spinning and wet-felting projects. The schedule changes, but the farm has offered private lessons and small-group classes for both introductory skills and finished pieces.
Its shop carries farm-processed yarn, roving, felted sheets, and selected gifts. Open houses, seasonal activities, and private or group tours provide additional reasons to visit; arrangements and current hours should be confirmed directly.
Independent Alpaca Farms guides
Understand the fiber outside this profile
These editorial articles are produced by Alpaca Farms. They are separate from, and not provided by or affiliated with, Alpaca Pines.
Confirm current details
Plan a mill order or farm visit
Check current processing instructions, class dates, shop access, and tour arrangements with Alpaca Pines before shipping fiber or traveling.
Farm information checked in September 2026. The Illinois illustration is representative and does not depict the Alpaca Pines property.