Alpacas belong to the South American Camelid family. Besides the Vicuņa, Alpacas possess the rarest and finest fiber of all the camelids. These passive animals have been domesticated for thousands of years and are highly prized all over the world for their luxurious and high quality fiber. They have to be shorn some time around late May or at the latest by June, to avoid heatstroke, as they are very well insulated. Once shorn, the Alpacas are free to roam, play and graze throughout their lives, usually a little beyond fifteen years. The Alpacas are not harmed by the annual process of shearing, which is similar to getting a haircut and in fact, they enjoy being relieved of their heavy warm coats as the summer arrives.
Alpaca yarn is quite rare, which is why it is a highly prized luxury material all over the world. Its softness is often compared with the softness of cashmere. Alpaca yarn is much stronger, more delicate and more resistant to piling than cashmere. The fiber's rich luster, supple handle and strength remain without comparison by most other specialty fibers. Garments of Alpaca yarn are relatively lightweight, compared to wool. In addition to this, alpaca yarn is also very warm, almost up to eight times that of wool.
Alpaca yarn comes in about 18 natural shades, ranging from snowy white to camel to jet black. The fiber is classified in microns - ranging from baby, which makes the softest, lightest and most expensive garments, is in the 22-23 micron range, while coarser varieties such as huarizo can go up to 30 microns. The average human hair is about 100 microns, to make it easy to understand.
Alpaca yarn is widely used all over the world and is typically blended with Merino wool or other kinds of fibers to make all kinds of garments, ranging from overcoats and high fashion knitwear such as sweaters to pants and shirts. Alpaca yarn is also combined with silk to produce Alpaca silk, which is used to make scarves and other such items. Comforters and blankets made from Alpaca yarn are also quite popular, especially among those people who are allergic to wool.
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