Alpaca

Alpacas, for those of you that aren’t familiar with them, are South American camelids. There are two varieties of alpacas: the suri alpaca, and the huacaya alpaca. The fiber alpacas produce is very soft and fine, and is warmer than lamb’s wool.

Suri alpacas are a bit rarer than huacaya alpacas. Suri alpaca fibre is longer, silkier and has far less crimp than either huacaya alpaca fleece or sheep’s wool. It drafts and spins beautifully, much like silk. If there are any current auctions for suri alpaca fiber on eBay, you’ll find them here:

raw-fiber-alpaca-fleece-dark-brown-suri-spinning-fiber RAW FIBER ALPACA FLEECE Dark Brown SURI spinning fiber
US $12.99 (1 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Nov-20-2008 20:02:10 PST
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90-10-suri-alpaca-mohair-roving-spinning-fiber-8-oz 90-10 Suri Alpaca-Mohair Roving Spinning Fiber - 8 oz
US $27.75
End Date: Saturday Nov-22-2008 6:25:14 PST
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alpaca-long-prime-suri-fleece-fiber-2-lbs-fawn-clean ALPACA LONG PRIME SURI FLEECE / FIBER 2 LBS FAWN CLEAN
US $17.47 (7 Bids)
End Date: Sunday Nov-23-2008 5:31:17 PST
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suri-alpaca-4-8-cria-wool-dyed-deep-brown-1-oz-22362 Suri Alpaca 4-8" cria wool dyed deep brown 1 oz 22362
US $12.99
End Date: Friday Nov-28-2008 21:56:50 PST
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crazy-duo-of-handpainted-baby-suri-alpaca-yak-&-merino CRAZY Duo of Handpainted Baby Suri Alpaca Yak & Merino
US $12.75
End Date: Tuesday Dec-16-2008 14:30:07 PST
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Most of the alpaca fiber you’ll find in the United States is of the huacaya variety. Both suri alpaca fiber and huacaya alpaca fiber is virtually lanolin free and thought by some to be fairly hypo-allergenic. If you haven’t tried spinning alpaca fiber, you should. Huacaya alpaca fibre will probably be easier to work with than suri alpaca fiber for most beginning spinners because it is generally a bit denser. Alpaca fiber can also be used for felting, although it often takes a bit longer to felt than wool. Click any of the pictures below to get more information or place a bid!

100-alpaca-spinnable-batting-white 100% Alpaca Spinnable Batting- White
US $45.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Nov-20-2008 8:06:54 PST
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heirloom-woven-blanket-100-natural-shades-of-alpaca Heirloom Woven Blanket- 100% Natural Shades of Alpaca
US $150.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Nov-20-2008 8:08:04 PST
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100-alpaca-spinnable-batting-black 100% Alpaca Spinnable Batting- Black
US $55.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Nov-20-2008 8:09:07 PST
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100-alpaca-spinnable-batting-fawn 100% Alpaca Spinnable Batting- FAWN
US $40.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Nov-20-2008 8:09:35 PST
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100-prime-alpaca-dyed-goldenrod-roving 100% Prime Alpaca Dyed Goldenrod Roving
US $25.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Nov-20-2008 8:11:48 PST
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If you see an auction marked “alpaca cria fiber” or “baby alpaca fiber” that means that it is from an alpaca that is less than a year old. You’ll find that alpaca cria fiber is even softer than that of an adult alpaca.

If you can’t find what you are looking for on eBay, you should check out the Alpaca spinning fiber at Paradise Fibers.