FIBER/YARN



In the Alpaca's blanket area the finest fibers will be found. This is the only area we use for out 100% Alpaca Yarns. The neck and apron areas are slightly lesser in quality so are made available to hand spinners for yarn production of heavy outer wear garments. The remainder of our fiber is sold to manufacturers.


Shorn in late May, our Alpacas are free to roam, play and graze throughout their 15+ years of life. The Alpacas are not harmed by the annual process of shearing similar to getting a haircut and enjoy being relieved of their heavy warm coats as summer arrives. This is evidenced by their enthusiastic frolicking after shearing.


Alpaca Fiber Characteristics





Staple Length

Alpaca fiber of varying lengths can be spun into yarn, however the Alpaca Yarns produced will usually be less uniform and have lower luster than those spun from uniform staple lengths. Our Alpaca fiber ranges in length from 4 to 6 inches at the time of shearing. We send only fiber with consistent staple length to small mills for processing.

The fineness of Alpaca fiber makes it difficult to handle during the spinning process. Most small commercial mills insist on adding varying amounts of wool so their machinery can better handle the super fine Alpaca fiber. We have searched out and use only mills that process, then return our fiber to us. No wool or additional fibers are added.


Crimp

Crimp gives our finished yarn resilience and bounce, which is much prized in pure Alpaca garments. Our Natural Alpaca Yarn fiber with its high degree of crimp, allows for better milling, twist and plying of fiber into knitting yarns. This is one of the reasons knitters across the nation consistently comment that our yarn has greater luster, strength and ease in handling.

Often crimp appears in a pronounced “S†or “Z†wave, involving all the fibers of a lock and occurring continuously for the length of the lock.



Fiber Diameter

Often referred to as micron count, this is another factor we considered when assembling our herd. The up front cost of our fine fibered, low micron count Alpacas is high but we want only the best in our yarns.



Tip Damage or Breakage

While extremely difficult to detect before processing, damaged fiber will result in a yarn seriously compromised in quality. Controlling our herds feed, pastures and fencing assures these damaging factors will not be present in our yarns.



Guard Hairs
Coarse stiff fibers found on Llamas and many other fiber bearing animals. Our herd of Alpaca was selected with emphasis on their having little or no guard hairs.



Fiber Care


Hand washing in cool water with a small amount of mild soap or detergent is recommended. Use sufficient water to allow complete immersion of your beautiful hand knit garment. Allow to soak 5 to 10 minutes. Gently hand knead. Rinse well adding two teaspoons of white vinegar to neutralize any remaining soap.

Gently squeeze garment and place in a terry cloth towel. Roll and leave for 3 to 8 hours to thoroughly remove excess water. Remove from towel and place on a sheet or drying rack. Gently pull garment into shape. Let air dry in warm circulating air. Avoid placing in sunlight.