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Fiber/ Fleece
The fiber from an alpaca is considered one of the world’s very finest
natural
materials. The fiber is comparable to cashmere in its fineness and
is similar to mohair in its strength. A sweater made from
alpaca fiber is a cherished garment. A man’s or woman’s suit made
of the fiber would be comfortable enough to sleep in! Alpaca
clothing feels as soft as silk, yet is extremely durable and will last
for years if not generations.
Unlike sheep’s wool, alpaca fiber contains no lanolin (an oil).
The fiber from an alpaca maintained in clean pastures, does not have to
be subjected to corrosive chemical washes before it can be spun into
yarn; it can virtually go from the alpaca to the spinning wheel.
(Wool washed in chemical baths can retain a chemical residue which
causes the irritation often associated with wool garments.)
An alpaca does not shed its fiber but is given a haircut (called a
shearing) once a year in the spring before the weather turns warm.
(We need to keep them cool in the summer). The typical yield
varies, depending on the quality of the alpaca and the time since last
shearing. 
A.L. Paca’s Farms has experienced yields of between four to eleven
pounds per year per adult alpaca. This is enough fiber to make six
to eight soft, warm, and durable sweaters. Alpaca fiber grows at
the rate of about six inches per year.
The high quality fiber from an alpaca can sell for more than the price of
silver! Currently, alpaca fiber in good condition is sold to
private individuals (hand spinners) at a price of about one to five
dollars per ounce. The demand for fiber is very high. Hand
spinners have been known to purchase alpacas to be assured of a
continued supply of high quality fiber. There are not enough
alpacas in this country to yield sufficient fiber to supply a commercial
market. We will need quantities of around 100,000 pounds of a
single color for a commercial run.
Due to the extremely small quantity of alpacas in North America, we are
many years away from having sufficient fiber to supply it on a
commercial scale. Never-the-less, U.S. alpaca breeders are working
now towards establishing such a market. Several facilities have
recently opened to process alpaca fiber and a trademark to identify
garments made from 100 percent U.S. alpaca fiber has been developed.
A national alpaca fiber co-op has been formed and many alpaca owners
have been sending their yearly clip into the co-op.
At A.L. Paca’s Farms we have alpaca fiber processing equipment which
includes motorized carding machinery, spinning equipment and a computer
interfaced knitting machine.
You are welcome to view the operation on your visit to the farm.
Bonus Material: See slides of an alpaca being shorn. |
