Alpaca

Alpacas are native to South America. They are related to llamas, but are about half the size and alpaca fiber is, on average, finer than llama fiber.

There are many alpaca breeders in the USA and Canada. These North American animals have exceptionally fine fiber because imported animals from which they descend were carefully chosen for this quality

Alpaca fiber is prized for its warmth, lustre, and very fine, soft fibers that feel lovely on the skin. People who cannot wear wool are usually able to wear alpaca.

Alpaca fiber spins into a very nice yarn, and the yarn weaves into beautiful, soft cloth.

I am particularly fond of alpacas. Nicole and I used to raise and breed alpacas and they were lovely animals to be around. The alpaca in the photograph above was one of ours.

* Image used with permission.