I recently participated in an auction hosted by a Canadian alpaca farm – and in my eagerness to ensure I won ‘something’ I ended up winning -9- fiber auctions (each for an amazing price) and a little over 6 pounds of fleece. Oh. My. I am REALLY looking forward to this fiber. Alpaca is fantastic for those who suffer from wool allergies because there’s no lanolin in the fiber, and typically those who are allergic to wool have no reaction to alpaca.
The fiber also has a few other unique properties – each fiber strand is hollow, and it provides more warmth than wool. It does have a few downsides, like it has little elasticity, and doesn’t hold shape very well – but I’m hoping to knit a hat and mitten set for me and my husband, and maybe for friends / family depending. I have no doubt it will come in handy here in our Northern post. I’ve never spun 100% alpaca before, but I did knit a part of socks using alpaca, and I loved them (and learned not to put them in the wash, next time). Fingers crossed I don’t have too much of a wait!