When most people search for alpaca wool, they are really asking a simple question: what is this soft, light fibre that everyone says feels like nothing else? I live among the animals that grow it, so I can tell you where it starts, and why it behaves the way it does.
The animal
The alpaca is a gentle, curious camelid, native to the high Andes of South America and domesticated for thousands of years. It is smaller than a llama, and it has soft padded feet rather than hooves, which is kinder to the pasture it grazes. Ours live in the New Forest, where they are a part of the daily rhythm of the farm.
Two kinds of fleece
There are two breeds, and they grow quite different fibre. The huacaya has a dense, crimped, rounded fleece that gives the animal a teddy-bear look, and it makes soft, springy, cushioned yarn. The suri has long, silky locks that hang in ringlets and give a lustrous, fluid drape. Most alpacas in the world are huacaya, and each breed has its own character in a finished knit.
Is it really wool?
Strictly speaking, no. Wool comes from sheep. Alpaca is a speciality animal fibre, in the same family as cashmere and mohair. We say "alpaca wool" because it is the phrase most people use when they look for it, and it is a good shorthand, but the distinction matters if you like to know exactly what you are wearing.
What makes it special
Alpaca fibre has a hollow core, which traps air, so it feels light and warm at once. It contains no lanolin, the natural grease found in sheep's fleece. It is also strikingly versatile in colour, growing in more than a 22 natural shades, from white through fawn and brown to near black. Our own collection uses natural colourways and we never dye, preferring to blend our fleece to make new shades.
From fleece to finished knit
Each year the alpacas are shorn in May, which keeps them comfortable as the weather turns. The fleece is then sent to Two Rivers Mill in Northern Ireland, a small family-run mill that scours it on site and spins it into yarn. The yarn is knitted and finished at Knit Design Centre in Leicester. From the alpaca to the apparel, nothing is hidden.
Frequently asked questions
Is alpaca wool the same as sheep's wool? No. Alpaca fibre comes from alpacas, not sheep. It is hollow, contains no lanolin and is often described as softer and lighter than sheep's wool.
Is alpaca wool warm? Yes. The hollow core traps air, so alpaca is often described as warmer than sheep's wool of the same weight, depending on the knit.
What is the difference between huacaya and suri alpaca?