Alpaca clothing is extremely healthy and comfortable to wear . The absence of lanolin and other oils in the fleece and its extraordinary fineness of handle mean that alpaca garments are both hypoallergenic and luxuriously soft on your skin. Unlike other mono-color animal fibers, alpacas produce fleece in more than 22 different colors . This amazing spectrum delights hand spinners and industrial manufacturers and reduces the need for dyeing, which further protects and enhances the resilience, softness, flexibility, and hypoallergenic qualities of the fiber. High demand and limited supply equals an excellent financial market for alpaca fiber.
Owners can easily sell their fleece to private hand-spinners or the new national alpaca fiber coop.
You may also want to purchase a spinning wheel and start peddling your way to your own homegrown and homemade alpaca sweater. Alpaca fiber can pay for maintenance of your alpacas each year. Alpaca coats grow five to six inches and produce seven to ten pounds and sometimes even more fleece per year. This cycle repeats itself every year and makes the alpaca one of the few types of livestock that can virtually pay for its own room and board. Improved diet, high-quality veterinary care, and scientific selective breeding will produce even finer and more abundant fiber in the years ahead.