Alpaca Fiber

Found in 22 recognized natural colors, the fiber of the alpaca is the byproduct for which the animals were originally domesticated some 6,000 years ago. Blessed with amazing fineness, very good insulation qualities, and high luster, alpaca is a near perfect fiber from which to make luxurious garments. Because of those qualities, clothing made from it is both light weight yet extremely warm at the same time, while being more durable than cashmere.

Alpaca fiber like the animals that bear its name comes in two types: Huacaya (wa-KA-ya) and Suri (SUE-ry). The huacaya is the more common of the two and in its highly developed form possesses crimp from the skin of the animal all the way to the tips of the fiber. This crimp is what serves to create elasticity in garments that have been knit or woven from huacaya fiber. The suri fiber is made up of long thin pencil locks and possesses no crimp. Garments made from the luxurious fiber of the Suri alpaca generally have a drape to them not found in the huacaya. Suri fiber and anything made from it also tends to have a very high luster, which it retains, even when dyed.

The average alpaca produces 5 to 7 pounds of fiber every year. There are many ways to market this fiber. Many alpaca owners will spin and knit the fiber themselves into yarn and hand-knit items that they can then turn around and sell for a premium. Others will sell their raw fiber to handspinners with the demand for the softness and the vast array of natural colors found in alpaca fiber growing every day. Many fiber artists have never worked with alpaca before. It often takes just one touch or a free sample to create a convert for life. The bottom line on selling alpaca fiber "off the farm" is that the further you take it down the line the more value is added (cleaning, carding, spinning, knitting or weaving).

There also are other options for what one does with alpaca fiber. Now into its third year the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America (AFCNA) and several other smaller regional fiber pools (including the highly successful New England Alpaca Fiber Pool) are producing wonderful end products and as a result the demand for alpaca as a luxury fiber is growing nationwide. This will in turn help to maintain the value of breeding stock throughout the continent as well. Membership in the AFCNA allows you to buy finished products at wholesale prices whether you are a breeder with 3 alpacas or 300. Though the alpaca fiber industry in North America is in its relative infancy, the potential for growth is almost limitless.

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