Luxury Exotic FibersThe Camel Family
If you live in Peru, it's not too likely you would consider Alpaca to be one of the exotic fibers. Even in North America they are becoming much more common place. But since sheep are by far the largest contributors to the world's wool fleece supply, the term exotic fiber is often used to refer to every wool fiber other than sheep - some more exotic than others.
Alpaca and its larger relative, the Llama, belong to the Camel family (Camelidae), and are found mainly in Peru and other areas of South America. Llamas have long been used as pack animals while the smaller alpaca was bred for its fleece alone. Llama hair is a little thicker but the fiber characteristics are similar. While more expensive, they have some significant advantages over sheeps wool. They are, for instance, 5-7 times warmer than wool (which is already warm), due to microscopic air pockets that trap and insulate; have no lanolin and so are hypoallergenic, and the fiber is less itchy and feels softer because the fiber surface scales lie flatter and smoother than sheep wool. The fibers are also very strong and durable. 
Alpaca fiber can range from 13 to 30 microns but should be below 22 microns to be considered luxury fiber. Alpaca have been bred to have very little if any guard hair, the coarser outer protective coat that needs to be separated from the softer undercoat. Llama usually have more guard hair and the wool is coarser than alpaca. But both fibers are very soft – a 20 micron fiber might feel as soft as a much finer sheep wool, like merino. They are wonderful spinning fibers, very soft and clean. If you purchase raw fleece, any vegetable matter in the fiber can be teased or carded out quite easily because the fiber is smoother than sheep wool. Help support this site and visit our advertisers. Their superb products are personally recommended.
Vicuña (pronounced "vī-KOO-nyuh") is the wild ancestor of the Alpaca.At less than 100 lbs, vicuña are the smallest member of the camel family and most certainly an exotic fiber. The very soft and fine fiber is highly prized, and a valuable source of income to otherwise poor villages. In the past vicuña and the guanaco became almost extinct, hunted and killed for their valuable fiber. The Peruvian government in particular has gone to great lengths to protect these animals - local harvesting now involves a "round-up, shear, release" program of vicuña, a practice that actually goes back to the time of the Incas, who also recognized the need to protect these animals. Vicuña fibers are about the finest natural fiber available and probably the most expensive along with Qiviut . Also notice the staple length - this requires experienced spinning technique! Microns: 10-13 Color: tawny brown, dark cinnamon undercoat Staple length: undercoat less than 1 inch 
Guanaco (pronounced "whah-NAH-co") is the wild ancestor of the LlamaDifficult to catch and shear from the wild, most fiber will come from guanacos kept on farms. Microns: 14-18 Color: chest, underbelly white to cream color; back and front of legs are brown Staple length: undercoat about 5cm(2 inches) 
CamelTwo-humped bactrian camels, native to China and Mongolia, are the source of the soft down associated with fine camel fibers. The one-humped dromedaries found in the Middle East also supply fiber but less of the soft undercoat because they live in warmer temperatures. Camels have been domesticated for over 3,000 years, primarily used as pack animals. They shed their coat and the fibers are collected and separated. The coarser hair is used for such things as rugs and outer garments. The down fiber is extremely fine, soft and warm. It can be spun very fine and still make a very warm garment. Camel fiber does not felt very well. While expensive, it is relatively affordable compared to some of the other luxury exotic fibers like vicuña, bison and qiviut. Microns: 15-22 Color: white, cream, tans, dark brown Staple length: 2 – 7 cm (1-3 inches) Continue to Exotic Fibers Page 2
|
