THE BENEFITS OF ALPACA WOOL: PART 2

You’ve had the chance to read about the warmth, weight, strength, and texture of Alpaca wool; Alpaca offers so much more to the world of textiles. It's versatility and amazing set of natural characteristics make it a truly fabulous fiber to work with and wear.

Resistant – Alpaca wool is a practical fiber with a lot of natural resistance. It's known to be flame, water, odor, stain and wrinkle resistant. While we wouldn't recommend lighting it on fire, swimming in it, wearing your meal or crumpling your favorite sweater into a ball and stuffing it at the bottom of your suitcase, it's nice to know that sweater can take a lot of the abuse that comes from our daily routine and not be the worse for wear.

Hypoallergenic – Many people have allergy problems with sheep wool. This is often because of Lanolin. Lanolin is an oil found in sheep wool; it attracts dust, bacteria and other allergens. Alpaca fibers do not contain any lanolin and often offer relief to people who are sensitive to sheep wool or other animal fibers. Alpaca is a natural for fit for those with allergies or sensitive skin.

Colors – Alpaca wool comes in 22 natural colors ranging from black, brown, and maroon, to white. Additionally, it takes and retains dyes easily without losing any of its luster and sheen. This allows for a beautiful finished product requiring minimal processing. Kuna is a leader in the use of Baby Alpaca and Royal Alpaca yarns and woven materials. They often have beautiful products consisting entirely of un-dyed Alpaca.

Eco-friendly – Because it's a renewable fiber, Alpaca wool is one of the most eco-friendly textiles. Alpacas are easy on their surrounding environment. They nibble gently on the local grasslands and their feet are padded (no hard hoofs) so they do little damage to the their grazing terrain. Modern techniques for shaving the animals are safe and actually beneficial to the animal, ridding them of dirt and parasites on a regular basis. The fiber requires little processing to turn into the luxurious yarns and woven materials used in the finished products. Overall, Alpaca fiber production leaves a smaller environmental footprint than many other fibers used in the textile industry.

Alpaca wool is a strong, versatile material that performs equally well in the heat of summer or the cold of winter. Of course it's durable and warm; it's also luxuriously soft and has a low environmental impact. Do yourself and the environment a favor, check out the many Alpaca wool styles and designs available this season.