Alpacas have been bred for thousands of years for the luxury fiber they produce. It is known for being lightweight but warm, soft and strong. But what makes a good alpaca fleece? If you are new to alpacas and have just started researching them the terms describing fleece characteristics may be foreign to you. There are many factors to consider in determining what constitutes a quality fleece, some are objective, which means they can be measured or quantified, and some are subjective, which means they depend on personal interpretations. 

Fiber Terminology    -  Objective Factors

Density– How close the fibers are growing off the animals skin. The closer these follicles are the denser the fleece. Follicular density can be measured by performing a skin biopsy. Density is an extremely desirable trait and adds to the weight of the clip. 

 

Fineness– Refers to the diameter of each individual fiber measured in microns. Fiber diameter can be measured by a test called a histogram. The measurement on the histogram is represented as the average fiber diameter or AFD. The finer the fleece the lower the micron. Finer fleeces= softer finished goods.

 

Staple Length– The length of a lock of fiber from the skin to the tip. This represents the growth of fiber on an alpaca between shearings.  It is important as it adds to the clip weight of the fleece.

 

Staple– How the fibers arrange themselves throughout the alpacas fleece. Ideally alpacas should have well defined staple formation.

 

Crimp– The waves throughout the fiber. They are measured two ways– as crimps per inch along the staple and the amplitude or the depth of each individual crimp. Uniformity of crimps throughout the fleece form the staples.

 

Bundling-  A staple within a staple or a microstaple. Bundling is indicative of a very dense fleece and correlates to the follicular density of the fibers.

 
At our farm we have each of our animals fleeces processed individually into a variety of products. We have rovings, yarn, and gorgeous, one of a kind finished products available. If there is something you may be interested in please contact us to see what is available. We are happy to ship.

Feel free to contact us with any questions.