Hand Processing Alpaca Fiber

Alpaca fiber can be processed in different ways but some of the smaller farmers still process the fiber by hand. The most common type of alpaca is the Huacaya, which has fluffy, soft, dense fiber resembling a cotton ball. Comprising only 10% of the worldwide alpaca population is the Suri, which has longer, coarser fiber that resembles dreadlocks. These can be raised separately or in the same farming environment depending on the needs of the breeder/farmer.

Some farms specialize in start to finish products, which includes raising the alpacas, shearing, collecting the fiber, hand processing the fiber, weaving it, and producing the end products such as scarves. As with most hand processes such as hand quilting, hand processing fiber is tedious work but is highly regarded as an art form.

The spring shearing process yields two levels of fiber, the prime blanket fiber from the back and the lower graded fiber from the undersides and legs of the alpacas. Some farmers simply discard the lower graded fiber as unusable, but some process it separately from the prize fiber and sell it at a lesser price. The lower fiber usually contains more debris and is simply too much trouble for the amount of money it would bring in. Once removed and separated, the fiber is often stored in gauze bags to allow breathing, and pest control such as bagged cedar shavings are added. The fiber is tagged and sent for further processing.

There is no lanolin in alpaca fiber so it does not have to be washed before the debris can be combed from the fiber, and straightened into bundles. Small output farms process the fiber using a flea comb with a tight grip on the end to keep the bundle from separating. Larger operations may still process in house but may use a paddle or drum carding machine to process the fiber.

The fiber can be lightly washed, left to totally dry and be woven into yarn or felted. Some projects require the yarn to be dyed, and made into items such as scarves at the farm or sent to shops or stores to be purchased and used as needed.

Although some farms are specifically for breeding and selling alpacas, many farms raise the animals for their fiber alone. The yearly shearing, collection, and processing of the alpaca fiber is the major goal of their work throughout the year.

By: Alan Stables

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Alan Stables organized the International Alpaca Congress in Madrid in 2010, and is well versed in alpaca farming . Alan has also written an ebook on how to start a successful alpaca farm, covering topics such as how to choose your foundation alpacas to how to make alpaca farms profitable.