When we first decided to "get into" alpacas a few years ago, I knew nothing about their fibre and really wasn't very interested. I knew what colours that I particularly liked and to look for fineness and coverage on the animals we were considering for purchase. However, the shearing, fibre characteristics,care and handling as well as the end use of the fibre held little interest for me.
As my knowledge and appreciation of alpacas develops so does my interest in their fibre and the understanding that fibre production is the economic underpinning of the alpaca industry. I no longer turn a deaf ear to the ramblings of the "fibre nuts" of the industry but avidly glean what I can from their immense knowledge.
Alpacas, unlike many other long-haired animals, do not shed their coat in preparation for warm weather. Alpaca fibre grows continuously and if left on the animal, the fibre can grow long enough to touch the ground.
Shearing alpacas, usually once a year, is imperative for prime fleece production and animal comfort. In Alberta, some breeders slick shear every eighteen months while others choose to leave a short coat on the animals for protection against flies. Slick shearing means removing everything except the top-knot and is quite often done with electric clippers. In the hot humid States of the U.S., alpacas are shorn as many as three times in one year to prevent heat stress.
Shearing can present a problem for breeders when it comes to selling their animals. Potential owners are horrified when they see a newly shorn alpaca. They can't believe that this funny-looking thing with the long skinny neck is worth $25,000. It is important to keep pictures of the animal in full coat to show prospective buyers.The up side of buying a recently shorn animal is that the whole body is easily studied to ensure correct conformation and good health.
Some of us choose not to slick shear our animals. Instead we choose a method of shearing known as the "lion" or "poodle" cut which leaves the fleece on the head, face, chest and down the front legs and on the bottom of the back legs. We believe that this method provides relief from the heat for the animals while allowing prospective purchasers to see and feel the alpacas fleece.
However, a recent article written by a U.S. veterinarian condemns this style of shearing. The article reminds us that in North America we have become very successful in our breeding programs. Our domestic alpacas are denser and produce a longer staple length per year. This must be kept in mind when shearing as six inches of fleece left on the animal will become twelve inches by next shearing. Apparently this length of fibre does not allow the alpaca's skin to breathe and remain healthy and does not allow good heat dissipation during the summer months Also dirt and debris gets caught in the coat making it much more difficult to clean before processing. From a vet's point of view, long fibre makes it much more difficult to perform health checks and draw blood. I'm going to have to rethink the "lion" cut.
According to our own vet, llamas are more susceptible to heat stress than alpacas. I wouldn't have thought this to be the case as the llama coat is not as dense as the alpaca. However, since being provided with this information, I will now make it a priority to shear our llamas.
Alpaca is classed as a specialty fibre due to it's scarcity. The world production of wool is nearly two million tons whereas only about four thousand tons of llama/alpaca fibre is produced each year.
South American breeding programs spanning thousands of years have produced a very fine fleece of good uniformity (being an even distribution of all the desireable traits) that comes in more natural colours than any other fibre. Due to the turmoil that South American has endured, the alpaca fleece of today does not measure up to that produced thousands of year ago, however we are making great strides in duplicating alpaca fibre at it's finest.
There are 22 recognized natural colours of alpacas which can be blended to provide an infinite array of other colours. White alpaca is easily dyed for those who prefer other than natural tones.
Peru got itself in a bit of a pickle by concentrating, for many decades, exclusively on the production of easily-dyed white alpaca fleece as the trend was for artificial colours. As the consumer trend shifted toward natural colours, Peru found itself left behind and has been urgently breeding colour back into it's national heard.
There are no negative characteristics to be found in the alpaca's fleece.
The fibre is strong and resilient; three to five times stronger than sheep's wool. The strength of alpaca does not decrease as it becomes finer which makes it ideal for industrial processing.
Each individual fibre contains microscopic air pockets which create lightweight garments with high insulation values. Alpaca is five to seven times warmer than sheep's wool.
Alpaca has a rich lustre which is retained even when dyed. Alpaca is soft, supple and smooth to the touch and has virtually no guard hair in the prime fleece to cause prickle. People who cannot tolerate wool can wear alpaca garments.
Today's consumer searches for high quality, environmentally sound products made of naturally renewable resources and alpaca fits the bill.