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Why Alpaca?

5/31/2016

Alpaca is lighter than sheep’s wool, so you don’t have to have a product that’s heavy and bulky.
Alpaca is 7 times stronger than sheep’s wool, for a product that can last for years!*
Alpaca is warmer than sheep’s wool because its fibers have hollow cores, like polar bear or camel hair, which acts like an insulator by holding in your natural body heat.
Alpaca is hypoallergenic, because the hairs do not have the sharp barbs of sheep’s wool that can prick and introduce allergens into your skin.
Alpaca fiber does not contain lanolin, so it doesn’t have to be chemically treated during processing.
Alpaca naturally will not absorb moisture, making products essential for extreme activities.* Alpaca is reported to resist odors better than other fibers, even in socks.
Alpaca resists pilling and abrading, for products that will endure for years.*
* As certified by Gaston Textile College, NC 2009
Alpaca is very water resistant. Gaston College’s representative told the Alpaca Fiber Symposium that their tests showed alpaca to be virtually water repellent.
They found it all but impossible to saturate alpaca fiber to do the test. (Sheep’s wool absorbs up to 35% of its weight in water.)

Alpaca is a Class I Fiber regarding flame resistance-more flame resistant than plant or synthetic fibers. It is marginally flame retardant which means it will self extinguish. It does not melt onto the skin like synthetics do

Alpaca does retain its fiber characteristics, including softness, brightness and luster, for decades. (Camelid textiles found in 2500 year old Peruvian ruins are often in surprisingly good condition!)

Alpaca comes in 22 gorgeous natural colors ranging from white to true black and including delicate beiges, vicuna-like fawns, luscious rich browns and a full range of grays. No other fiber animal produces so many colors. Alpaca is the only fiber animal that grows true black fleece.   Thus, no dye is required to produce alpaca yarn in this large range of earth colors, making it particularly eco-friendly. Yet, when other colors are desired, alpaca accepts dye beautifully.

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