A Brief Primer on Alpaca Fiber
Alpaca fleece is valuable because it combines so many positive,
commercial attributes into one fiber. There are no negative characteristics
to be found in the Alpaca's fleece. Mother Nature designed the
ideal fiber for use by mankind and then placed it on the gentle
Alpaca
- . Alpaca is found naturally in 22 distinct colors. The fiber
can also be blended to produce an infinite array of natural
colors.
- The fiber from Alpaca is unusually strong and resilient. The
strength of the fiber does not diminish as it becomes finer,
thus making it ideal for industrial processing.
- Raised at high altitudes in freezing cold, the Alpaca has
developed more thermal capacity in its fiber than almost any
other animal. The fiber contains microscopic air pockets which
create lightweight garments with high insulation values.
- Alpaca is soft, supple and smooth to the touch. The cellular
structure of the fiber produces a soft handle unmatched by most
other specialty fibers.
- Alpacas produce a fine fiber with an absence of guard hair
in their prime fleece.
- Alpaca has a natural, rich luster which gives garments made
from 100% Alpaca high visual appeal.
- Alpaca is easily dyed any color and always retains its natural
luster.
- Alpaca is compatible with either the woolen or worsted manufacturing
systems. Fabric made from Alpaca can range from bulky tweeds
to fine gabardine.
- People who own Alpaca sweaters will find they practically
last for ever. Alpaca does not easily tear, pill, stain or create
static. It is easily cleaned.
- Alpaca fleece produces a high yield of clean fiber after processing:
87 to 95 percent for Alpaca versus 43 to 76 percent for sheep's
wool.
- Alpaca is easier and less expensive to process than sheep's
wool due to its lack of grease or lanolin, and Alpaca does not
have to be de-haired like cashmere or camel.
- Alpaca can be scoured or cleaned without using costly chemicals.
Alpaca Fiber Characteristics
The fiber structure of Alpaca is similar to wool. The outer scales,
called cuticle, are hard, flat cells which do not fit together
evenly. The tips, or edges, of these cells point away from the
fiber shaft, giving the fiber a serrated edge. It is these serrations
which cause the fibers to grip together during manufacturing and
form a strong yarn.
 To
identify whether a fiber is wool, cashmere, mohair or Alpaca can
be very difficult and somewhat subjective. Microscopic examination
is necessary. Two elements distinguish fiber of the same micron
count; scale height and scale frequency.
The softness of Alpaca over wool of the same micron is due to
a scale height of 0.4 for Alpaca versus 0.8 for wool. The lower
scale height creates a smoother handle with a less scratchy surface.
Mohair, on the other hand, has a scale height similar to Alpaca
but a frequency of 6 to 8 per 100 microns, versus a scale frequency
of greater than 9 per 100 microns for Alpaca. The high frequency
of scales along the fibers shaft also creates a softer feel.
Alpaca fiber also differs from wool due to the occasional presence
of a medulla, or hollow center. Not all Alpaca fiber has a medulla,
and some fiber has more pronounced medulla than others. The coarser
fibers, such as guard hair, are primarily composed of medulla.
Fiber Style
The individual staples, or locks of fiber, make up an entire
fleece. The fibers which make up the staples vary in style and
quality from Alpaca to Alpaca and from one location on the Alpaca's
body to another. The quality and style of the staple also changes
with the age of the animal.
The Factor Which Influence the Value of Alpaca Fiber Are Both
Physical and Environmental
Physical Influences
Fineness: Fiber consumers generally pay more for finer fiber,
whether they are handspinners or industrial processors. Fineness
is a highly heritable genetic trait, and a rigorous selection
process can greatly impact a herd's overall fiber fineness.
Color: Industrial processors will normally pay a premium for
white fibers, since this enables them to use subtle pastel dyes
or create any particular color they choose. Handspinners will
normally pay more for natural colored fleece which is unusual
or true to the color of garment they desire to create.
Length: Staple length is an important processing consideration
and determines which manufacturing process will be used, woolen
or worsted.
Yield: This is very important in two respects: 1) fleece is sold
by the pound or ounce (how much fiber an Alpaca yields determines,
to a large extent, the fiber's total value), and 2) since the
clean fleece weight is the measure of usable fiber, the clean
weight of shorn fleece versus its shorn weight is important.
Environmental Influences
Nutrition impacts the rate of fiber growth, and in some instances
it also affects the fineness. It is thought or believed that fleece
weight and quality is 50% in the breeding and 50% in the feeding.
Impurities in the fleece affect its value. Handspinners pay far
more for clean fleece. Industrial processors estimate clean fleece
yield and the cost of cleaning when they value fleece. Pasture
management and pre-shearing grooming are the keys to clean fleece.
Fiber Fineness
Fineness is what specialty fibers are all about. Alpacas produce
a fine fiber with soft handle and less "prickle factor"
than most other animals. "Prickle" creates the itchy
sensation one feels in a coarse garment, and is most often the
result of coarse fiber being intermixed with fine fiber.
Cashmere, a fiber universally recognized for its soft handle,
has been identified on 68 breeds of goats in 12 different countries.
Cashmere is defined, not by the goat of origin, but by its degree
of fineness. Cashmere fiber, as defined by The American Cashmere
Growers Association, has "a mean diameter of 20 microns or
less. The coefficient of variation around the mean shall not exceed
25% and there cannot be more than 3% of the fibers by weight over
30 microns." As a result of this "textile definition,"
cashmere is thought of as soft.
The key to soft garments with an absence of prickle is fine fiber
uncontaminated by coarse fiber. The Alpaca is ideal for producing
such a fiber, since it is essentially a one-coated animal. The
cashmere goat, however, has two coats: one a coarse outercoat
and the other a fine undercoat. Alpacas have been genetically
selected over time for an absence of the coarse guard hair, or
outer coat, found in most other animals' fleece.
To avoid prickle, coarse hair of 30 microns or more must be maintained
at 5% or less, by weight, in any garment or fabric. Alpaca, properly
sorted and graded, easily meets this test. The products which
result can be as soft as cashmere but less expensive to produce.
Fiber is tested for fineness pursuant to universally recognized
tests. A test is typically administrated by a recognized laboratory
with an expertise in testing fiber. The American Society for Testing
and Materials (ASTM) publishes a specification for testing Alpaca
fiber. ASTM also publishes an international directory of testing
laboratories which lists the existence of over 1,200 labs in the
U.S. This information can be obtained by writing:
American Society for Testing and Materials
1916 Race Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
[Ask for Bulletin D2252; 85(91)]
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