lo v e
...alpaca by Marie Wallin
01 Alpaca facts
• Alpacas were domesticated by the Incas over 6000 years ago and were raised exclusively for their exquisite fleeces.
• Alpacas were also used as pack animals. • Alpaca fibre is like sheep’s wool but is actually warmer and less itchy. It is lacking in lanolin and is therefore hypoallergenic.
• Alpaca fibre does not require scouring prior to spinning.
• Like sheep’s wool, alpaca is naturally flame retardant.
• Alpaca fibre comes in over 20 natural hues ranging from black to brilliant white with browns, fawns, rose greys and charcoal grey in between.
• There are two types of alpacas, the Suri and the Huacaya. The Suri has fibres that grow long and forms silky dreadlocks. The Huacaya has a woolly, dense crimped fleece and has an appearance of a teddy bear.
• The finest type of Alpaca is called Royal Alpaca and only 1% of the world’s total alpaca production can be classed as being Royal.
• Royal alpaca is determined by the finest of the fibre. Normally the fibres are less than 19 micron in thickness and is therefore supersoft and lighter and warmer than cashmere.
This season we champion the properties of the beautiful fibre, ALPACA. This soft, warm and luxurious fibre is a major component in three of our new yarns for the winter season – ROWAN FINEST, FAZED TWEED and BRUSHED FLEECE. It is also a key component in many of our other core yarns – Fine Art Aran, Fine Lace, Alpaca Colour, Frost, Felted Tweed, Felted Tweed Aran, Lima,
Lima Colour, Alpaca Cotton, Alpaca Chunky and Tumble.
Alpacas are one of the camelid species, closely related to the Llama and there are two types of alpaca: the Huacaya and the Suri alpaca. These cute, gentle and submissive animals are responsible for producing some of the silkiest and most versatile fibres found in nature. Alpaca is a specialty fibre that is described as being stronger than mohair, smoother than silk, softer than cotton and sometimes as fine as cashmere.
• There are approximately 3 million alpacas in South America.
• Alpacas are also successfully bred in North America, Australia, Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, China, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
• Alpacas are a small and very gentle animal making shearing easy.
References: The British Alpaca Society
www.bas-uk.com
1. Alpaca
118
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129