What is Baby Alpaca Wool?

What is Baby Alpaca Wool?

To understand what wool is, let's start with a little history. The word "wool" is commonly used to refer to the fibers produced by different breeds of sheep. It is also used to refer to fibers produced by other animal species, in this case alpacas.

The term "baby alpaca" refers to the grading of the fineness of the alpaca fiber. It comes from the softest part of an adult Alpaca (usually the chest), not the age of the animal. Baby alpaca fiber is 22.5 microns wide, lightweight and strong.

Baby Alpaca Qualities

Baby Alpaca fleece is soft and silky. It is lighter in weight and up to 7x warmer than Sheep’s wool but very breathable. It is not prickly like Sheep’s wool and far less likely to pill because it has no lanolin, it is hypoallergenic, naturally water repellent and flame-resistant.  Alpaca wool is extremely durable; so your YAPA knits will last for a very long time and look like new. Plus as a bonus alpaca fiber comes in 22 natural shades, so many of your baby alpaca sweaters or wool accessories are undyed or dyed with natural dyes.