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:

100-suri-huacaya-alpaca-roving~striker-nikon~8-oz 100% Suri/Huacaya Alpaca Roving~Striker/Nikon~8 oz
US $22.00
End Date: Monday Jul-06-2009 19:48:07 PDT
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~huacaya-suri-alpaca-roving~vannessa-thea~8-oz~ ~Huacaya/Suri Alpaca Roving~Vannessa/Thea~8 oz~
US $20.00
End Date: Wednesday Jul-08-2009 17:00:26 PDT
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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: Monday Jul-20-2009 7:25:14 PDT
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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!

4oz-romney&alpaca-mix-ready-to-spin-batts-wool-fiber 4oz Romney&Alpaca Mix Ready To Spin batts wool fiber
US $8.25 (0 Bid)
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 11:02:57 PDT
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alpaca-organic-spinning-wool-felting-2nd-3rds-raw-craft ALPACA Organic Spinning Wool Felting 2nd 3rds Raw craft
US $3.58 (4 Bids)
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 16:01:53 PDT
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rich-dark-brown-roving-100-alpaca-nice Rich Dark Brown Roving...100% alpaca.........NICE
US $15.00 (1 Bid)
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 16:32:21 PDT
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bay-black-roving-100-alpaca-nice Bay Black Roving...100% alpaca.........NICE
US $15.00 (1 Bid)
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 16:34:20 PDT
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alpaca-fleece-fiber-2nds-&-3rds-10-lbs-free-of-debris Alpaca fleece/fiber, 2nds & 3rds, 10 lbs free of debris
US $25.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Saturday Jul-04-2009 19:04:14 PDT
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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.