July is National Alpaca Fleece Month
Lincoln, Nebraska — Alpacas are raised for their soft and luxurious fleece (sometimes called fiber). Each shearing produces roughly five to ten pounds of fleece per animal, per year. This fleece can be turned into a wide array of products from yarn and apparel to tapestries and blankets. The fleece itself is recognized globally for its fineness, softness, light-weight, durability, excellent thermal qualities, and luster.
In addition to selling the fleece and the animals, many alpaca owners operate a retail store selling alpaca end-products—either on or off their farms. Products are sold directly to consumers at their store or over the Internet. Many also sell alpaca products through craft fairs, farmers markets, and retail sites. Sales of these end-products can provide considerable supplemental income to alpaca owners.
Finer grades of alpaca fleece (known commercially as "Baby Alpaca") are believed to be hypoallergenic, meaning it does not irritate your skin as sheep’s wool sometimes does. Alpaca fleece contains no lanolin and is therefore ready to spin after only nominal cleaning. Prized for its unique silky feel and superb "handle," alpaca fleece is highly sought-after by both cottage-industry artists (hand spinners, knitters, weavers, etc.) as well as the commercial fashion industry.
Alpaca fleece has a great variety of natural colors, making it very much in vogue: 16 official colors (white; beige; and shades of fawn, brown, black, and grey) with many other subtle shades and hues. White, light fawn, and light grey can be readily dyed, thus offering a rainbow of colors for the fiber artist. Alpaca fleece can also be combined with other fine fibers such as merino wool, cashmere, mohair, silk, and angora to attain incredibly interesting blends.
The National Fleece Competition is the largest alpaca fleece show in the United States, held by Alpaca Owners Association (AOA), the national livestock association for alpacas in North America. The event takes place annually in July.
AOA has declared July National Alpaca Fleece Month in celebration of the natural fiber and invites the public to visit their member farms to experience the soft and silky texture themselves!
For more information about alpacas and their fleece and for a list of farms, visit www.alpacainfo.com.
