Search Results - Alpaca fiber
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.In physical structure, alpaca fiber is somewhat akin to hair, being very glossy, but its softness and fineness enable the spinner to produce satisfactory yarn with comparative ease.[3] It is hollow as well, which makes it a good insulator. Good quality alpaca fiber is approximately 18-25µ in diameter[1], and can sell for 2 to 4 dollars per ounce. Finer fleeces, ones with a smaller diameter, are preferred, and thus are more expensive. As an alpaca gets older the width of the fibers gets thicker, at between 1 µm and 5 µm per year. This is often caused by over nutrition; if fed too much nutritious food the animal doesn't get fat, instead the fiber gets thicker.[citation needed] Any alpaca fiber exceeding 34µ is classified as llama.[1] As with all fleece-producing animals, quality varies from animal to animal, and some alpacas produce fiber which is less than ideal. Fiber and conformation are the two most important factors in determining an alpaca's value. Alpacas come in many shades from a true-blue black through browns-black, browns, fawns, white, silver-greys, and rose-greys.[1] However, white is predominant, [1] because of selective breeding the white fiber can be dyed in the largest ranges of colors. In South America, the preference is for white as they generally have better fleece than the darker-colored animals. This is because the dark colors had been all but bred out of the animals. The demand for darker fiber sprung up in the United States and elsewhere, however in order to reintroduce the colors, the quality of the darker fiber has decreased slightly. Breeders have been diligently working on breeding dark animals with exceptional fiber, and much progress has been made in these areas over the last 5-7 years.[citation needed]
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Showing 1 to 4 of 4 Articles matching 'Alpaca fiber' in related articles. |
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1. Alpaca Teddy Bears, the special gift that everybody will love
September 02, 2008
The alpaca is a typical camelid from the Peruvian Highlands, today there are about 3.5 million alpacas in the Andean highlands, most of which can be found in Peru. There are two types of it: The Suri alpaca, whose fiber is limp, silky, shiny and lustrous; The Huacaya alpaca, which is estimated to make up between 85% of the Alpaca population, and has relatively short fiber which is dense, curly and voluminous. The hair covers almost all the body, only the face and lower parts of the legs having a covering of short fibers. The main features of alpaca meat, which is extremely appreciated i... (read more)
Author: Jesus Ubarnes
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2. Alpaca Teddy Bears, the special gift that everybody will love
August 30, 2008
The alpaca is a typical camelid from the Peruvian Highlands, today there are about 3.5 million alpacas in the Andean highlands, most of which can be found in Peru. There are two types of it: The Suri alpaca, whose fiber is limp, silky, shiny and lustrous; The Huacaya alpaca, which is estimated to make up between 85% of the Alpaca population, and has relatively short fiber which is dense, curly and voluminous. The hair covers almost all the body, only the face and lower parts of the legs having a covering of short fibers. The main features of alpaca meat, which is extremely appreciated i... (read more)
Author: Jesus Ubarnes
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3. Alpaca clothing feels as good as it looks
October 10, 2007
Alpaca clothing is made out of alpaca fur and fiber and is considered to be of superior quality to products made out of other fibers. Many people seek out alpaca products because of their natural look and comfortable feel. Furthermore, clothes made out of alpaca fiber are extremely warm and lustrous. Purely Alpaca opened their first retail web store in 2002 and have been a great success ever since. At purelyalpaca.com you can find out more about the company and order any alpaca product.
Alpacas are a species that have been first discovered in South America and raised in farms for their e... (read more)
Author: Clint Jhonson
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4. Alpaca Jewelry - Simply Felt Amazing Designs
July 22, 2007
When you see the words alpaca jewelry, most people think of silver jewelry from South America. This type of jewelry really has nothing to do with alpacas. There is another kind of alpaca jewelry...designs that are actually made from the wool of an alpaca.
The easiest of this type of alpaca jewelry to make is the felt bead. You can felt the beads by rolling alpaca fiber that has been dipped in hot, soapy water between the palms of your hands in a circular motion. Start out gently and then add more pressure until the bead is round and firm.
Now, what do you do with this bead you have c... (read more)
Author: Debby McCandless
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