Alpaca Fleece is Processed into a Variety of Products

The Ranch

At Alpacas at Lone Ranch, our alpacas are shorn once a year. There are three shearing areas: blanket, neck, leg and belly, and 6 grades of fineness. It is important to know the grade of the fiber to determine its end use.

Grade 1 - Ultrafine <20 microns (this is what you want to wear next to your skin)
Grade 2 - Superfine 20 - 22.9 microns (yarn, wear next to your skin)
Grade 3 - Fine 23 - 25.9 microns (most versatile grade, yarn, textiles)
Grade 4 - Medium 26 - 28.9 microns (socks, throws)
Grade 5 - Intermediate 29 - 32.0 microns (mattress pads, comforters. quilt batting)
Grade 6 - Robust 32.1 - 35 microns rugs, stadium seat mats, car seats, stuffing for pet bedding, even insulation: R-95)

Shorter fiber 1.5 to 3.75" in length gets processed in the "woolen" method resulting in lofty yarn with fuzzy appearance. This yarn is best used in sweaters and knitted garments where loft and insulation are desired.

"Worsted" method of processing utilizes fibers 3.75 - 6" long that produces smooth yarn with tighter twist best used in weaving or lace weight.

Click on the links below and get an instant snapshot of our alpacas' fleece quality by studying fiber statistics of most of our production herd:

2011 Histograms page 1.pdf

2011 Histograms page 2.pdf

Alpaca fiber is one of the less flammable and difficult to ignite fibers, with a slow spreading flame which is easy to extinguish.

We are members of the Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America, and send a portion of our annual clip to them to be converted into finished products for sale to its members at whole sale prices. Another fiber pool is the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool. They carry an inventory of products made in the US from US alpaca fleece. Each product requires us to send a certain amount of fleece and pay a reasonable wholesale price for socks, hats, blankets, etc.

We are also members of North American Alpaca Fiber Producers, a newer co-op with a growing membership of alpaca breeders across the US. This co-op accepts only fleece that has been sorted by a certified sorter and members participate in the processing cost of a variety of products, including yarn, socks, gloves, duvets, hats and scarves.

Most of our fleeces are sorted by local sorters and shipped to Creekside Fiber Mill in Lebanon/Oregon to be processed into heavenly yarn, mostly skeins of 200 yards. I combine different colors of similar micron counts and length to produce various shades of natural colors. For instance, several of our white and one black fleece were spun into beautiful silver grey yarn, and we are adding between 10-15% of colored merino rovings, silk and bamboo to create delicious blends. The yarn is available in our ranch store and we sell it at local events and alpaca shows. We are over-dying some of the lighter yarns and are delighted with the results. Rovings are also available, as is a small amount of raw fleece if you want to spin your own.

If you knit or crochet and have never used Alpaca yarn, you owe it to yourself to order some today! E-mail us for colors and weight, or click on the Alpaca Products link above.

The coarsest fiber is made into hand-woven rugs by a company in Texas. We carry 2x3', 3x5' and 4x6'rugs, and can special order any other size.
We also carry a large assortment of finished product: scarves and hats hand knitted locally, the warmest socks imaginable, and cardigans and vests imported from Peru.
We use the least expensive method to ship your order and accept VISA and MasterCard, as well as Paypal.

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