Alpacas Do Bounce!
The most common comment we hear about our alpaca fiber and our alpaca yarn at fiber shows is "soft". The other comment we hear a lot is "no bounce".
The visit to our booth goes something like this. Two spinners walk up to the booth, touch the fiber, and audibly ooh and ahh over the softness, usually making a comment to us about how good the alpaca fiber feels. Then, the two spinners walk away and we will hear one of them saying to the other, "no bounce".
We hear it all show long, "no bounce, no bounce, no bounce, no bounce …" At one show, Pam got so frustrated she wanted to stand on a soap box -- actually the table -- and scream, "Alpacas do bounce!"
Just in case you are very worried about the way we treat our alpacas, I'm not talking about the animals bouncing, but about a property of fiber called fiber memory. Fiber memory is what gives garments their shape. Fiber memory is what keeps a (sheep's) wool sweater from simply stretching and stretching and stretching until the hem reaches the floor. A springy, stretchy, (sheep's) wool yarn has lots of fiber memory.
What I don't know and don't understand about fiber memory could fill a textbook. Here is what I do know about alpaca and fiber memory. First, there are two kinds of alpacas -- huacaya alpacas and suri alpacas -- and they have very different fiber. Huacaya alpacas are the commonly seen wooly or fuzzy alpacas that look rather like teddy bears. Huacaya alpaca fiber looks a lot like sheep's wool and is often blended with sheep's wool. Suri alpacas have long, straight, fiber than hangs in pencilled locks that look like dreadlocks. Suri fiber has many properties in common with silk, and is often blended with silk.
Huacaya alpaca fiber has adequate fiber memory. Suri alpaca fiber has no fiber memory. Sheep's wool has much more fiber memory that huacaya alpaca. There is one other critical difference between sheep's wool and alpaca fiber -- depending on the fiber and the preparation, alpaca fiber is four to seven times warmer than an equivalent weight of sheep's wool.
(A note on terminology. Most of the alpacas in the world are huacaya alpacas. Suri is a specialty fiber even among alpacas and alpaca fiber labeling reflects these distinctions. Fiber labeled alpaca is huacaya alpaca. Suri alpaca fiber and suri alpaca yarn will be labeled as suri, although some suri garments will be labeled simply alpaca. Alpaca breeders and fiber processors tend to use the term fiber or alpaca fiber to distinguish alpaca fiber from sheep's wool which is simply called wool.)
Simply put, Suri alpaca should not be used in situations where fiber memory is needed. Suri's strong property is drape. With suri, it is possible to make a warm, lightweight garment with exceptional drape. Suri makes wonderful scarves, shawls, light ponchos, drapes, wraps, and other garments. Because of the warmth properties of alpaca, it is possible to make extremely lightweight -- even lacy -- soft, warm garments from suri alpaca. This is the strength of suri alpaca and in my opinion, it is what this soft and rare fiber should be used for. I'll say no more of suri in this post because we don't own suri alpacas.
Huacaya fiber is much like sheep's wool and spinners often assume they can do anything with huacaya fiber they could with wool. This isn't quite true. Alpaca fiber is not wool. While huacaya has adequate fiber memory, good wools have much, much more fiber memory than alpaca. It is possible -- even easy -- to hand spin huacaya yarns so bulky the weight of the yarn exceeds the fiber memory of the yarn. I've done it -- and the yarn is still wonderful for hats and other garments which are supported when worn.
Even with reasonable weight alpaca yarn, it is possible to knit heavy patterns from huacaya alpaca such that the weight of the garment exceeds the capability of the fiber memory in the yarn to hold the garment. This is where alpaca gets the reputation of "no bounce". These heavy garments generally suffer from another serious problem -- they're too warm to wear. Alpaca is enough warmer than wool, that heavy garments made from alpaca are too hot!
Huacaya alpaca has adequate fiber memory to sustain any garment that isn't too hot to wear!
Every year at fiber shows, I'll have somebody describe to me the wonderful, heavy cabled sweater they're going to make from the alpaca yarn or fiber I'm selling. I have to explain that alpaca makes wonderful sweaters, but not heavy sweaters. (If you have your heart set on a heavy, cabled, sweater, try 80% huacaya, and 20% cormo or merino wool.)
Huacaya fiber's strength is soft, warm, lightweight garments. Huacaya alpaca fiber has adequate fiber memory for these garments. Alpaca is warmer than wool, so you don't need weight to achieve warmth. Alpaca is softer than wool, so it is more comfortable next to the skin. These are the strengths of alpaca and when using alpaca, these strengths should be exploited.
Alpaca fiber can be blended with wool and many other fibers for various purposes. Someday, I will write about my experiences with these blends. In addition, I am beginning to suspect there are spinning techniques that enhance or preserve the fiber memory in alpaca. I might write about those as well.
Kim
The visit to our booth goes something like this. Two spinners walk up to the booth, touch the fiber, and audibly ooh and ahh over the softness, usually making a comment to us about how good the alpaca fiber feels. Then, the two spinners walk away and we will hear one of them saying to the other, "no bounce".
We hear it all show long, "no bounce, no bounce, no bounce, no bounce …" At one show, Pam got so frustrated she wanted to stand on a soap box -- actually the table -- and scream, "Alpacas do bounce!"
Just in case you are very worried about the way we treat our alpacas, I'm not talking about the animals bouncing, but about a property of fiber called fiber memory. Fiber memory is what gives garments their shape. Fiber memory is what keeps a (sheep's) wool sweater from simply stretching and stretching and stretching until the hem reaches the floor. A springy, stretchy, (sheep's) wool yarn has lots of fiber memory.
What I don't know and don't understand about fiber memory could fill a textbook. Here is what I do know about alpaca and fiber memory. First, there are two kinds of alpacas -- huacaya alpacas and suri alpacas -- and they have very different fiber. Huacaya alpacas are the commonly seen wooly or fuzzy alpacas that look rather like teddy bears. Huacaya alpaca fiber looks a lot like sheep's wool and is often blended with sheep's wool. Suri alpacas have long, straight, fiber than hangs in pencilled locks that look like dreadlocks. Suri fiber has many properties in common with silk, and is often blended with silk.
Huacaya alpaca fiber has adequate fiber memory. Suri alpaca fiber has no fiber memory. Sheep's wool has much more fiber memory that huacaya alpaca. There is one other critical difference between sheep's wool and alpaca fiber -- depending on the fiber and the preparation, alpaca fiber is four to seven times warmer than an equivalent weight of sheep's wool.
(A note on terminology. Most of the alpacas in the world are huacaya alpacas. Suri is a specialty fiber even among alpacas and alpaca fiber labeling reflects these distinctions. Fiber labeled alpaca is huacaya alpaca. Suri alpaca fiber and suri alpaca yarn will be labeled as suri, although some suri garments will be labeled simply alpaca. Alpaca breeders and fiber processors tend to use the term fiber or alpaca fiber to distinguish alpaca fiber from sheep's wool which is simply called wool.)
Simply put, Suri alpaca should not be used in situations where fiber memory is needed. Suri's strong property is drape. With suri, it is possible to make a warm, lightweight garment with exceptional drape. Suri makes wonderful scarves, shawls, light ponchos, drapes, wraps, and other garments. Because of the warmth properties of alpaca, it is possible to make extremely lightweight -- even lacy -- soft, warm garments from suri alpaca. This is the strength of suri alpaca and in my opinion, it is what this soft and rare fiber should be used for. I'll say no more of suri in this post because we don't own suri alpacas.
Huacaya fiber is much like sheep's wool and spinners often assume they can do anything with huacaya fiber they could with wool. This isn't quite true. Alpaca fiber is not wool. While huacaya has adequate fiber memory, good wools have much, much more fiber memory than alpaca. It is possible -- even easy -- to hand spin huacaya yarns so bulky the weight of the yarn exceeds the fiber memory of the yarn. I've done it -- and the yarn is still wonderful for hats and other garments which are supported when worn.
Even with reasonable weight alpaca yarn, it is possible to knit heavy patterns from huacaya alpaca such that the weight of the garment exceeds the capability of the fiber memory in the yarn to hold the garment. This is where alpaca gets the reputation of "no bounce". These heavy garments generally suffer from another serious problem -- they're too warm to wear. Alpaca is enough warmer than wool, that heavy garments made from alpaca are too hot!
Huacaya alpaca has adequate fiber memory to sustain any garment that isn't too hot to wear!
Every year at fiber shows, I'll have somebody describe to me the wonderful, heavy cabled sweater they're going to make from the alpaca yarn or fiber I'm selling. I have to explain that alpaca makes wonderful sweaters, but not heavy sweaters. (If you have your heart set on a heavy, cabled, sweater, try 80% huacaya, and 20% cormo or merino wool.)
Huacaya fiber's strength is soft, warm, lightweight garments. Huacaya alpaca fiber has adequate fiber memory for these garments. Alpaca is warmer than wool, so you don't need weight to achieve warmth. Alpaca is softer than wool, so it is more comfortable next to the skin. These are the strengths of alpaca and when using alpaca, these strengths should be exploited.
Alpaca fiber can be blended with wool and many other fibers for various purposes. Someday, I will write about my experiences with these blends. In addition, I am beginning to suspect there are spinning techniques that enhance or preserve the fiber memory in alpaca. I might write about those as well.
Kim
posted by Upper Alpacas | 9:44 AM
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