Alpaca Fleece is Processed into a Variety of Products
ALR Chasqui at 3 yrs old Grade 1 19.8 micron
At Alpacas at Lone Ranch, our alpacas are shorn once a year. There are three shearing areas: blanket, neck and hind quarters, 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 6 - Robust 32.1 - 35 microns rugs, stadium seat mats, car seats, stuffing for pet bedding, even insulation: R-95)
Shorter fiber 2 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.
Our 29 animals produced a total of 131.4 lbs of fleece this year.
Ian Watt at Alpaca Consulting Services, tests our fiber. The 2025 results are in:
Of 11 animals' fiber tested, five came in as Grade 2, five as Grade 3, and one animal was grade 4. We are very pleased with the results.
Alpaca fiber is one of the less flammable and difficult to ignite fibers, with a slow spreading flame which is easy to extinguish.
We dye some of our yarn using Jacquard acid dyes.
We are members of the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool and ship them most of our fiber. In addition to yarn, they carry an inventory of products made in the US from US alpaca fleece.
Stray 1 agrees it's a Grade 2!
Different colors of the same micron counts and length will produce various shades of natural colors. For instance, several white and one black fleece can be spun into beautiful silver grey yarn.
We generally have a few bags of very nice fiber available for hand spinners. We buy yarn from the New England Fiber Pool which most likely contains some of our own animals' fleece. The yarn is available in our ranch store. We are over-dying some of the lighter colored yarns and are delighted with the results.
If you knit or crochet and have never used Alpaca yarn, you owe it to yourself to try some soon.
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.
4 weanlings before shearing .....
After shearing .....
...... and after shearing. The 4 boys together produced 25 lbs of of fabulous fleece.
Alpacas At Lone Ranch Renate & Richard Gyuro (541) 821-8071
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