HaSu Ranch Alpacas: alpaca fiber

articles

Alpaca Fiber from the Textile Point of View

Once alpaca fleece is in the bag, what is it worth? Understanding what qualities the buyer desires most is the key to getting maximum value from alpaca fiber production.

Don't Let Micron Madness Crimp Your Style

Today, people are going from state to state and farm to farm selecting alpacas, often with only one thought in mind - what is the micron count? I can tell you that a histogram is absolutely and unequivocally irrelevant as the basis of evaluation for two different animals from two different farms.

Felting for Fun

Felt is probably the oldest form of fabric. It can be made by hand by anyone without tools or complicated skills. The ancient technique of felting only requires a fiber of some kind, moisture, heat and pressure. Felt is particularly versatile and useful but it is also an excellent way to use up fiber remnants and have fun at the same time.

Felting; An Ancient Art for a Modern Industry

Felt is an easy alternate for processing fiber into a useful form. There are endless uses and forms of felt from luxurious clothing to padding for helmets to artwork. As breeders of fine fiber animals, we in the alpaca business would be wise to take advantage of the felting process to get the most out of our precious fiber yield. By broadening the range of uses for alpaca fiber we are hopefully increasing its marketability.

Shear Success

One of the most important days of an alpaca breeder's year is shearing day when the precious fiber is harvested. It is also the opportunity to measure whether the new generation of alpacas is producing better fiber than the generation before. A well organized shearing day should be a part of every well organized breeding program. We at HaSu Ranch want to help you make the most out of your shearing experience. Here are some tried and true tips that have worked for us.

Some Views on Evaluating Suri Fiber

Definitive information about suri alpacas and their fiber is almost as rare as the suri alpaca themselves. With this in mind, I was able to interview the leading Peruvian fiber experts on suris.

History of the AFCNA (Alpaca Fiber Coop of North America)

Tuesday September 13, 2005

The AFCNA is an agricultural cooperative wholly owned by its Members, who are producers of alpaca fiber and who have purchased one share of common voting stock. Members annually invest at least 50% of their annual fiber production in the cooperative in exchange for a share of the profits of the cooperative in proportion to the quantity and quality of fiber they invest. The AFCNA uses the members' fiber as an asset to generate cash for the manufacture of finished products designed by the AFCNA. We produce and sell value-added products on behalf of members to generate greater return for their fiber investment than if the cooperative simply paid them the world market value for their raw fiber.