Alpacas originate from South America, coping with the extremes of temperature in Peru and Bolivia. 

They are part of the Camelid family and are cousin to the Vicuna, Guanaco and the Llama. 

They are bred mainly for their luxurious and unique fleece.

Alpaca  is a hollow fibre, which offers incredible insulating properties, offering warmth in the winter but has a cooling effect in the summer. 

Unlike sheep wool, there is no Lanolin in Alpaca which makes this product naturally hypoallergenic. 

Under the microscope, where you would see "scales" on a wool fibre, the alpaca fibre is smoother, therefore hasn't got a "scratchy, itchy" effect on the skin, making it  more comfortable to wear next to the skin. 

There are two types of alpaca, one os called, Huacaya (pronounced Wah-cay-a) and the other is Suri. 

On the left, above, the Huacaya has a fleece which is crimped, and grows out , like a teddy bear, whereas, the Suri fleece (on the right), grows in individual locks, or "pencils", and shimmers in the sunlight. Only 7% of the worlds, alpacas are Suri's and in the times of The Inca tribes, Suri fleece was kept only for Royalty.  

​