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Alpacas
are bred for their fleece, which is among the softest of any
animal fiber on earth. The fleece is shorn once a year - usually
in the spring. Alpaca is prized by handspinners and other
fiber artists. It is soft, warm and lightweight. Comparable
in fineness to cashmere and the finest of sheep wool (merino),
the structure of alpaca fiber is silky smooth to the touch.
The largest commercial mills for Alpaca fiber are in South
America, where millions of pounds of fiber are processed each
year, most for the high fashion industry. There are smaller
co-op's and processing plants in the USA that are underway now.
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We
use some of our fleece for handspinning, sell some of it raw
or partially processed (carded, roving) fleece, and send some
off to be processed into yarn. See our Catalog
pages for more information and some of our products. |
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Caring
for your Alpaca Garments
While dry cleaning is an option, often a simple and quick
wash can restore your garment -- and save the cost of the
dry cleaning bill!
Alpaca
knit products are usually best cared for like fine woolens,
in 3 easy steps:
1. A
cool water soak or gentle wash with a mild detergent
2. A thorough but gentle rinse (no wringing - but a whirl
in the spin cycle is fine!)
3. Then lay flat to dry. You may want to add a bit of white
vinegar to the rinse water to return the fiber to a natural
pH level.
For tailored garments, dry cleaning can be the best option.
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