Alpaca in roving form.

The Alpaca was a South American breed of animal originally and has been bred for many, many years for their wonderful fleece and their ability to live where other livestock faltered (higher altitudes and mountainous terrains). Now in more modern times, it is not unusual to see the Alpaca being bred right across Europe and here in the UK it is a growing industry.

Alpaca fibre is a light-weight, lustrous and silky. While similar to some sheep’s wool in that it is a natural fibre state, it is warmer, less prickly, and bears no lanolin, which makes it hypoallergenic. It is also soft and luxurious. In physical structure, alpaca fibre is somewhat akin to hair, being very glossy and less scaly than sheeps wool, but its softness and fineness enable the spinner to produce satisfactory yarn with comparative ease. It is hollow as well, which makes it a good insulator.

I have used Alpaca for felting and find that it doesn't felt on it's own very well, but it does make a lovely highlight texture to both wet and dry pieces. Blending is the key to use in feltmaking, although there are some felt artists who work solely with Alpaca in their work... so it can be done, but does take a bit of extra work!

I hope this helps?

Sara

Sara's Texture Crafts