Turning Alpaca Fur into Yarn

By: Jackie Drake

Have you ever wondered how alpaca fur transforms from fur to the yarn that creates our beautiful CAMPO products? The steps below explain the stages that alpaca fur goes through in order to become yarn. Make sure to scroll to the end of the page to check out discounts!

Step 1: The first step of transforming alpaca fur to yarn is to shear the alpaca, which is done annually. The torso of the alpaca is sheared first and then the neck and legs are second. Similar to sheep alpacas must be sheared. You can see a newly sheared alpaca below.

Step 2: The second step is to sort the fur, which is done by hand. The shorter or thicker pieces of hair will be taken out in this step so that only the best quality fur remains.

Step 3: After sorting the fur, the longest hairs left will be carded. Carding is when you comb and gently pull the fibers in one direction so they become more uniform.

Step 4: The next step is twisting, which is when the fur will be made into bundles. This is also called torsion and it is what gives alpaca fur its strength by twisting it just the right amount of times.

Step 5: The fifth step is washing the alpaca fur. The fur is placed in warm water for about a half hour and soap is used to remove stains and dirt. The fur is not scrubbed or agitated.

Step 6: Next, the fur is dyed and washed a second time. Synthetic dyes or natural dyes can be used. Natural dyes may consist of plants, flowers, fruits, animals, or insects.

Step 7: The alpaca fur is then drained of water and laid flat to air dry according to this article.

Step 8: Lastly, the fur is spun into alpaca tops by machines or by hand as discussed by this website. The fur can then be spun into yarn.

In the end, this process leads to wonderful and stylish CAMPO products, which can be found here. Use the code below, “15OffCampo”, to get 15% off on our Milagros blanket, blue sweater, or scarves.

If you have any questions about the process, please don’t hesitate to contact us.