Alpaca Yarn and Alpaca Blends

The Alpaca Yarn Ball. A precious yarn at the right price

When talking about Alpaca Wool, it's essential to start with some historical notes and information about the fiber. The Alpaca fiber has ancient origins and comes from charming camelids that historically populated the Andean regions of South America. Highly appreciated also by the indigenous populations who had discovered the hygroscopic characteristics of alpaca wool, today these lovely animals are also bred in Europe, but the production of Alpaca wool remains concentrated in South America. Alpaca wool, not to be confused with llama wool, merino wool, or virgin wool, comes in various qualities like all wools, depending on the length of the fiber - the longer it is, the more precious it becomes. This last aspect answers the question:

Does Alpaca Wool itch?

The discussion about the comfort of an animal fiber is not related to the animal of origin, but to the length and fineness of the fibers. The longer fiber is of superior quality because it can be "combed" and arranged in a "section". Let's delve deeper: we must imagine the "fiber in section" as a set of very thin fibers twisted together; the length of the fibers ensures that parts of fibers, which are the ones that cause discomfort when in contact with the skin, do not protrude. That's why, ultimately, neither the composition of a product nor its origin can define the degree of comfort, but the length and fineness of the fiber are the thermometer of this aspect.

Online Sale of Alpaca Wool

We can find many types, more or less precious, but we focus on those that are part of the most important assortment on the web in terms of yarns for crochet and knitting, namely the Tessiland catalog. It's possible to find basic products with synthetic blends to have the right mix of quality and price, and the yarn to start experiencing the characteristics of Alpaca is precisely the Gloria, a yarn with 20% Baby Alpaca that, thanks to a really wide color chart, allows creating multicolor garments at an incredible price.

Alpaca Lamé and Shiny Effects

In the Tessiland collection, there are also yarns that combine the softness of Alpaca with lamé, sequins, and even beads! Yes, that's right! Refined garments that have a detail inside to give light or elegance without altering the comfort of one of the most requested fibers. Finally, there are Alpaca yarns with sequins like the Sleepy or even with beads embedded along the thread body in contrasting tones and tone-on-tone like the Presley Evo.

The Blown or Soffilo Alpaca Yarn

Of course, there are also yarns for those who ask for something more from the final product, both in terms of volume and value, and this is the case with the two top-of-the-range products in the category. These yarns are made by "blowing" the fiber into an air tube, which makes it extremely warm, soft, and lightweight with a significant yield. This is the case with the Armstrong available in many solid colors, and the Armsoft which, starting from the same concept, has a modern and trendy print, very delicate as an optical effect and perfect for clothing items such as pullovers, cardigans, but also accessories like capes, neck warmers, and large scarves.

Curiosity

Regarding the question: the price of alpaca wool per Kg, there are several considerations to make. Depending on the fiber, prices can vary significantly from a few tens of euros to several hundred. Tessiland, being a producer that supplies directly to the private customer, can offer prices that are among the most competitive in the market, and for those who are allergic to lanolin, it offers the possibility to purchase alpaca yarn balls at an exceptional price directly to their home.

What to create with alpaca?

There are countless ideas. From alpaca wool sweaters, women's alpaca sweaters, men's cardigans, Peruvian alpaca sweaters, cable knit sweaters, accessories... and when ideas are scarce, you can rely on our social community on YouTube and other social networks, as well as our blog to access new free patterns and tutorials and start creating regardless of your skill level.

Let's see some of these yarns presented by the Tessiland Team: