| Document type: Article | Language: English | Cited References: 18 | Times Cited: 1 |
Author Keywords:
llamas, fleece, population differences
Addresses:
Iniguez LC, Univ Wisconsin, IAP,240 Ag Hall,1450 Linden Dr, Madison, WI 53706
USA
Univ Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 USA
Programa Quinua Potosi, Potosi, Bolivia
EEA SC de Bariloche, Inst Nacl Tecnol Agropecuaria, RA-8400 Bariloche, Rio
Negro, Argentina
Publisher:
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV, AMSTERDAM
IDS Number:
114EY
ISSN:
0921-4488
Fleece colors include white, beige, shades of fawn, brown, gray and black in all combinations. A lama’s color is not necessarily the same as its parents. Alpacas, after 6000+ years of domestication by the natives of South America, are the historical providers of fiber for clothing. The coat is fine, light weight, dense, and very soft. Alpacas are shorn once a year, providing about 5 pounds of fiber. Llamas usually are shorn only on the blanket area, also about once a year. It has very little oil (grease) and does not need excess cleaning before spinning into yarn. Because of this factor, many people who have allergies to sheep's wool can wear an alpaca garment. The fiber is partially hollow and provides very warm insulation without adding weight. Typically llamas have a coarser outer coat that wicks water and vegetation away from the llama’s body. The llama’s downy undercoat may also be used for clothing. Llama fiber has typically been used for more utilitarian items such as outer clothing, matting, blankets, and cordage.
by Sandy Mubarak 
Today ( 1993-94,) in North America there are about 100,000 llamas and 8,000 alpacas. Together this species (lama) has had a six thousand-year relationship with man providing him with not only meat, transportation of goods, protection of sheep herds, a source of fertilizer and building materials, but most importantly a renewable resource for warm, natural, yet biodegradable fiber for everything from lead ropes, backpacks for carrying belongings, to ponchos, leggings, mittens, hats, clothing, blankets and other shelter from the elements. Today ecologically responsible people are wisely returning to our appreciation of the renewable gifts these creatures continue to offer us. Lama fiber is a natural protein fiber. Most of it is a medullated, cellular, hollow fiber that gives it a good weight-to-warmth ratio. The lama's (llama or alpaca) whole fleece consists of varied percentages of two types of fiber: the straighter, more hair-like coarse guard or fine silky fibers, and the crimpier more wool-like undercoat. By paying more attention to the fineness and other characteristics, llama breeders are now producing both fine hair and wool (under down) fibers. The crimp of the woollier under down makes it springier than the smoother shinier hair-like fibers. Both fibers are usable and desirable for specific products. Lama fiber does not have lanolin or grease as sheep's wool does. It can be spun straight off the animal without the concern of excess lanolin, and, depending on the method of processing, it will yield up to 93% of its original weight when processed. Hand spinners, weavers and fetters have delighted in approximately 22 colors ranging from purest white, rosy beiges, tans, cinnamons, tobaccos, rich grays and silvers, all the way to jet black. Here in North America we have enjoyed the variety of colors, have bred for colored fleeces and can promote the ecological soundness of natural colors. To further expand the market, lama fiber can be dyed with commercial dyes, natural dyes, and even wonderful household naturals such as kool-aide, red cabbage, garden flowers and vegetables, (lichen, and other native vegetation). The variety of products made from lama fibers is only limited by your imagination.
Spinners spin worsted or woolen, thick, thin, single spun or plied, blended with angora, mohair, merino, cashgora, silk, flax, or any other fine natural fibers. Because lama fiber has very little memory, blending can maximize the characteristic or minimize it depending on what characteristics the fiber it's blended with possesses. The finest pure lama fiber, properly combed, spun fine and woven can yield a soft almost cashmere-like fabric. Blended with merino, lama fiber produces a soft springy sweater. Blended with silk, lama fiber produces a soft, slinky sweater. Despite the wonderful softness of good quality lama fiber, lama (llama or alpaca) is one of the strongest fibers, second only to mohair, the strongest natural fiber. A consistently spun lama yam is suitable for design production on knitting machines. So far, because of our limited present production, fiber use has mostly been limited to that of cottage industries. North American control of the spectrum from fiber production and supply to end product and market development makes the lama fiber industry here an exciting, challenging, promising future resource or commodity. The initial development of small, owner-involved fiber businesses is a tremendous advantage to insure we can personally experience, feel, and know what qualities of fiber we are breeding, how it works in a product and how it feels in use. As we produce an increasing number of consistently high quality fiber producing llamas and alpacas, the industry will expand to more commercial production.
Fiber characteristics must be thoroughly understood in order to properly evaluate what you have. Attention has been given to fiber diameter (micron) and color, but there is much more to proper evaluation. There are fifteen or more characteristics that are of prime importance to the majority of textile markets. Attention must be paid to all, since they are inter-related and impact each other. Lifetimes have been spent learning how to evaluate these. Only a glimpse of their importance can be shown in text. The proof comes from getting your hands on as many fleeces as you can, and evaluating each fleece for all its characteristics, and seeing the cumulative effects of the characteristics. This is " handle", the cumulative sensual perception of a fiber's qualities. Consider:
- Fiber diameter (Micron testing can be a guide until you learn how to recognize it separately)
- Fiber uniformity (just as important as fineness)
- Staple length (and uniformity of length)
- Contamination
- Color uniformity
- Tensile strength
- Crimp or lack of crimp
- Hand
- Luster
- Lack of cotting
- Lack of tippiness (dry, sun bleached)
- Fleece rot avoidance
Breeder/Producers should be aware of the volume produced, i.e. fleece weight, density, annual or bi-annual yield, ease of fleece maintenance, ease of processing, and trends in the type and style of fleece and animals. Owner evaluation of fleeces while still on the animal is of significant value.
For maximum fiber marketability, it should be:
- From well-grown , genetically sound stock
- Carefully harvested
- Skillfully graded
- Appropriately prepared for specific markets
We can improve fiber quality by improving environment, nutrition, pasture grooming, proper bedding, eliminating plastic and foreign material contamination, avoiding seed heads in feed, keeping stress to a minimum by avoiding noise, crowding, excessive heat exposure, etc. In evaluating the fleece on the animal before shearing you will be able to identify five areas of fleece growth: prime blanket, neck, legs, apron, and tail/tags/underbelly. These will vary in characteristics and may have similar characteristics to justify mixing some areas together for end use. During harvesting, grading and sorting with good labeling as it comes off the animal can save you time and confusion later when you've forgotten where some of this fiber has come from. For instance, if you know you want the prime for spinning, bag it separately. Bag neck, hip, and leg wool in another bag for projects requiring less than prime fiber.
Most ideally, processing should begin by hand by the owner/breeder himself to give the owner a feel for his fiber and a realistic sense of the work involved in proper processing for optimum yield and consistent quality. There are several commercial processors currently advertised and shared within the industry who have been processing llama and alpaca fiber in small quantities. Fiber can be processed as straight llama or alpaca or blended with other fiber to batts, rovings, or further processed spun to your specifications at a variety of costs.
Co-ops have been started throughout the country with varied success. Opinions on what is clean, uncontaminated and consistent quality fiber for co-operative processing and fair return of fiber and profit needs to be well defined at the onset of such an undertaking: Timely harvesting schedules need to be adhered to in order to establish a productive co-op. An in-depth discussion of co-op development is beyond the scope of this report, but use of a co-op as an information and education tool is a critical first step before developing it into a work-and-profit-sharing enterprise.
In order to have a long term viable future as a competitive fiber in an increasingly global market, we must learn how to evaluate our current fiber resources, recognize the factors we can control and those we can't. We must learn to recognize and develop factors unique to the U.S. market, complement rather than compete with foreign markets, begin to develop a consistent supply and demand for this marketable commodity, develop our own businesses in the industry, and prepare to know what a commercial market will demand. If we educate ourselves, objectively look at breeding and management, evaluate fleeces for end use in a unique U. S. market, pay attention to product research and development, market testing and expansion, and promotion of final products, we will have a strong sustainable future. *@1993-94, The Year 2000=LLAMAS 300,000 ALPACAS 25,000 editor
Read about the wonderful cloth found in ancient tombs - from Discover Magazine