What's a Micron?
And why is it important to alpacas.
If you've visited very many alpaca booths at fiber festivals, you have probably heard alpaca breeders talk about microns, or AFD, or micron counts or all of the above. Unless you are also an alpaca breeder, or measure fiber diameters for some other fiber-producing mammal, chances are pretty good your eyes glazed over. Fiber analysis is a very technical way of describing fiber. If you understand what the analysis means, it can help you purchase really good alpaca fiber.
A micron is a unit of length equivalent to 1/1000 of a millimeter or about 1/25,400 of an inch. A micron is important in the alpaca business because the diameter of an alpaca fiber is measured in microns. Good alpaca fleeces have an average fiber diameter under 25 microns and the best are well under 20 microns.
Alpaca fiber grades vary with the country and company producing the fiber. Most grading schemes begin with Royal Baby as the very finest grade and progress through baby, superfine, adult, strong to extra strong. That's right, baby and adult are grades of alpaca fiber. Babies can produces adult fiber and an occasional adult will produce baby fiber. Royal Baby, Baby, and Superfine are fairly standard names for fiber grades. Some producers will use other names for adult, strong, and extra strong -- nobody actually calls the rug-grade fiber coarse.
Royal Baby is alpaca is everything less than 18 microns -- or 17.5 or 20 or whatever depending on where the producer sets their standard. Baby alpaca is everything from the top end of royal baby to a cutoff between 20 and 22.5 microns. Baby alpaca is a grade of fiber and while it often comes from an alpaca's first shearing, some adults produce baby grade fiber and some babies produce adult grade fiber. Superfine alpaca runs from baby up to 25-27.5 microns depending on the producer. Twenty-five micron alpaca fiber is still nice soft fiber, but by thirty microns, most people notice prickle. I find the region between 25 and 30 microns a rather unpredictable. Some fleeces in that range are wonderfully soft, while others just aren't that nice.
If you're buying yarn or fiber and can't feel the fiber yourself, the information above may be useful. If yarn is labeled baby alpaca, it will be reliably soft. If it is labeled superfine, chances are very good it will be soft. Similarly, if you are buying raw fleece, you shouldn't be disappointed by a fiber under 25 microns and chances are you will be thrilled with anything below 20 microns.
Your tactile senses are still the best judge of fiber. After all, your skin doesn't know the micron count. If it feels prickly when you first touch the fiber, it is unlikely to feel better when you wear it for hours. The best way to evaluate and alpaca fleece is to stick your hands in the fleece. If it feels good, stick your head in -- or hold a handful under your chin or down the back of your neck. Your skin will tell you how soft the fiber is.
Fence Progress: 2 cross braces and 6 brace wires today.
On the Wheel: Pinero. I'm working on the second set of singles. One bobbin is full and I have a good start on the other one.
Knitting, carding, crochet: no change and no progress
Kim
If you've visited very many alpaca booths at fiber festivals, you have probably heard alpaca breeders talk about microns, or AFD, or micron counts or all of the above. Unless you are also an alpaca breeder, or measure fiber diameters for some other fiber-producing mammal, chances are pretty good your eyes glazed over. Fiber analysis is a very technical way of describing fiber. If you understand what the analysis means, it can help you purchase really good alpaca fiber.
A micron is a unit of length equivalent to 1/1000 of a millimeter or about 1/25,400 of an inch. A micron is important in the alpaca business because the diameter of an alpaca fiber is measured in microns. Good alpaca fleeces have an average fiber diameter under 25 microns and the best are well under 20 microns.
Alpaca fiber grades vary with the country and company producing the fiber. Most grading schemes begin with Royal Baby as the very finest grade and progress through baby, superfine, adult, strong to extra strong. That's right, baby and adult are grades of alpaca fiber. Babies can produces adult fiber and an occasional adult will produce baby fiber. Royal Baby, Baby, and Superfine are fairly standard names for fiber grades. Some producers will use other names for adult, strong, and extra strong -- nobody actually calls the rug-grade fiber coarse.
Royal Baby is alpaca is everything less than 18 microns -- or 17.5 or 20 or whatever depending on where the producer sets their standard. Baby alpaca is everything from the top end of royal baby to a cutoff between 20 and 22.5 microns. Baby alpaca is a grade of fiber and while it often comes from an alpaca's first shearing, some adults produce baby grade fiber and some babies produce adult grade fiber. Superfine alpaca runs from baby up to 25-27.5 microns depending on the producer. Twenty-five micron alpaca fiber is still nice soft fiber, but by thirty microns, most people notice prickle. I find the region between 25 and 30 microns a rather unpredictable. Some fleeces in that range are wonderfully soft, while others just aren't that nice.
If you're buying yarn or fiber and can't feel the fiber yourself, the information above may be useful. If yarn is labeled baby alpaca, it will be reliably soft. If it is labeled superfine, chances are very good it will be soft. Similarly, if you are buying raw fleece, you shouldn't be disappointed by a fiber under 25 microns and chances are you will be thrilled with anything below 20 microns.
Your tactile senses are still the best judge of fiber. After all, your skin doesn't know the micron count. If it feels prickly when you first touch the fiber, it is unlikely to feel better when you wear it for hours. The best way to evaluate and alpaca fleece is to stick your hands in the fleece. If it feels good, stick your head in -- or hold a handful under your chin or down the back of your neck. Your skin will tell you how soft the fiber is.
Fence Progress: 2 cross braces and 6 brace wires today.
On the Wheel: Pinero. I'm working on the second set of singles. One bobbin is full and I have a good start on the other one.
Knitting, carding, crochet: no change and no progress
Kim
posted by Upper Alpacas | 8:32 PM
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