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The majority of alpacas are huacaya which have a short,
dense, crimpy fleece which gives them a wooly appearance.
At Bent Pine Alpaca Farm, we raise the rare suri alpacas.
Suri fiber is very fine, silky, and lustrous, and forms long,
pencil-like locks. Each animal is sheared once a year,
yielding 5 to 10 pounds of fiber.
Traditionally, Peruvian suris were almost
always white, but U.S. alpaca breeders have been selectively
breeding to produce colored suris. Bent Pine Alpaca Farm
maintains tradition by breeding for light colors with our
Peruvian Suri herd. It is as soft as cashmere, lustrous
like silk, and warmer and stronger than wool-without the
scratchiness! Alpaca fiber accepts dye exceptionally well,
allowing us to offer beautiful products in a wide variety of
colors.
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When commercially processed, suri fiber
is almost always processed using the “worsted” process, which
results in a thin, hard thread which is used in making
gabardines and crepes. Suri fiber brings a premium price on the
world market because of its scarcity and unique characteristics.
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