SOUTH AMERICAN CAMELIDS: SURI ALPACA (PART 2 OF 5)
In Part 1, we talked a little about Alpacas in general and shared some
details on the Huacayo Alpaca. The only other recognized breed of Alpaca is the Suri. Since the Huacayo is know as the Teddy Bear Alpaca we like to refer to our Suri friends as the Rasta Alpaca. Suris have a fine lustrous coat where the fibers grow perpendicular to the ground in long separate locks, similar to Rastafarian hair or Puli dogs
Suri Alpaca make up less than 10% of the world Alpaca population. The animals can sometimes be more flighty and nervous than Huacayo. Suriare also a little less hardy than the Huacayo, perhaps because thedreadlock style of the Suri coat offers slightly less insulating characteristics in the wintertime.
The dreadlocks of the Suri produce fibers that are longer, softer, finer and more lustrous than the Huacayo. Suri fibers are more valuable thanHuacayo fibers but can be challenging to work with because they are slippery when used alone. Generally Suri fibers are combined with other fibers, most often Huacayo, silk, sheep wool, or cotton. Suri fibers are best suited to woven (rather than knit) apparel and as such, Suri is used most often in outerwear, such as coats and jackets.
The Suri are even more exclusive than the already exclusive Huacayo. Their spectacular appearance and luxurious fiber make them our personal favorites here at Alpaca Collections. To see some of our Suri Alpaca items, click the link below:
http://www.alpacacollections.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=suri
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