Alpaca Fiber

Alpacas are raised exclusively for their extremely soft and luxurious wool. It is as soft as cashmere and three times stronger and seven times warmer than sheep's wool. Alpaca fiber does not contain lanolin like sheep wool, and can be spun directly from the wool sheared from the animal without further processing. Alpaca fiber comes in twenty-two colors from pure white to true black, with all the shades of fawn, brown and grey in between. It can also be readily dyed to produce virtually any color, and it can easily be blended with other fibers. Alpaca wool is highly sought after by handspinners, knitters and weavers, as well as the commercial industry, around the world.

Another advantage of alpaca is that it is considered hypoallergenic. Alpacas are normally sheared once each year, but in some colder climates they may be sheared every two years to get a longer fiber. Normal annual shearing yields approximately five to ten pounds of wool from each animal.

Alpaca fleece is the product that alpacas are raised for, and the fleece is entered into competitions. Fleece awarded ribbons by the judges may increase the value of the fleece and the animal that produced it.

These photos show Cider Jack being sheared for the first time, and his "after" picture. As you can see, he is practically all fleece. He is approximately six months old in these pictures.