Apple Orchard Alpacas

	Products A s a fiber artist, it was the luxurious fiber that initially intrigued me about alpacas. The soft silky feel was like nothing I had worked with before. The fact that it came in so many lovely colors seamed too good to be true. I have used this time that we have been alpaca breeders to develop my skills at determining the quality of the fiber on our own animals.
A lpaca is graded according to where it comes from and the approximate micron count. But ultimately almost all fiber can be used. The most important aspect in grading fiber is determined by what product is being planned. One should always separate out different lengths. Shorts are from 1.5-3.75 inches for huacaya fiber. Long in considered to be 3.75-6 inches for huacaya. This a distinction that if done will yield a better end product.
	W here the fiber is sheared from will also assist in providing a more consistent end product as well. Separating out the apron which usually has a higher guard hair concentration will keep contamination of fiber with less guard hair. Neck fiber can be very soft and often very crimpy. But it also tends to be shorter. If it is at least 1.5 inches long then again you can produce a very nice product using the woolen method.
P robably one of the biggest mistakes made by new breeders is the misunderstanding that the blanket of every fleece should be considered "prime". Don't worry, we thought this too. But, we weren't evaluating the length, or softness of all this fiber. Some of our girls certainly had fiber in this area but they were also considered to have shorter, coarser fiber that what would be wanted to make prime fiber end products. But, they certainly could be used in other products such as heavy duty socks, slippers or outerwear.
	P atty and Dick have developed their skills in shearing and sorting. If you would like assistance with your shearing/sorting needs, contact us for pricing and availability.

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