All About Alpaca Fleece

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	All About Alpaca Fleece

All About Alpaca Fleece

One of the benefits of Alpaca ownership is the ability to harvest their gorgeous wool.  Softer than cashmere and lighter, stronger and warmer than wool, alpaca fleece is a luxurious commodity that produces lightweight, warm clothing. Raised at high altitudes in freezing cold, the alpaca has developed more thermal capacity in its fiber than almost any other animal.  The fiber contains microscopic air pockets which create lightweight garments with high insulation values.  The filaments in alpaca wool are 3 times stronger and have an insulating capacity 7 times that of ordinary lamb’s wool.

An adult alpaca will generally produce 5-8#s of high quality exotic uniformly crimped fiber in a single fiber fleece, each year. Handweavers and knitters pay several dollars an ounce for raw alpaca fiber, which is fine enough for wedding gowns and sturdy enough for rugs. The preparing, combing, spinning, weaving and finishing process of alpaca and mohair are similar to that of wool.  Plus, baby alpaca is lanolin free, making it a great substitute for anyone sensitive to wool.

Between the two types of alpacas—the Huacaya and the Suri—fleece is available in more than 20 different colors. Fiber from Huacaya alpacas has a wavy or crimped appearance while the Suri alpaca's fiber does not. 

Like other luxury fiber garments, alpaca knitwear should be drycleaned or handwashed in cold water and dried flat.  But you’ll soon discover it’s worth the extra care.  There’s just nothing quite like the feel of soft, silky alpaca against your skin.