51-675: The Farr Alpaca Company was a Canadian and subsequently American textile manufacturer specializing in alpaca and mohair worsted woolen products. Established initially in 1864 as the Randall Farr Company in Hespeler, Ontario , the company was subsequently moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts to avoid tariffs brought on by the Wool and Woolens Act of 1867, and was established as the Farr Alpaca Company in 1874. The Farr family managed to build
102-595: A dense, soft, crimpy sheep-like fiber), and the Suri (with silky pencil-like locks, resembling dreadlocks but without matted fibers). Suris, prized for their longer and silkier fibers, are estimated to make up 19–20% of the North American alpaca population. Since its import into the United States, the number of Suri alpacas has grown substantially and become more color diverse. The Suri is thought to be rarer, most likely because
153-496: A direct predecessor to the Holyoke Falcos , one of the league's founding teams. This article related to a manufacturing company is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Alpaca wool Alpaca fleece is the natural fiber harvested from an alpaca . There are two different types of alpaca fleece. The most common fleece type comes from a Huacaya . Huacaya fiber grows and looks similar to sheep wool in that
204-559: A great demand for alpaca wool arose, which could not be met by the native product. Apparently, the number of alpacas available never increased appreciably. Unsuccessful attempts were made to acclimatize alpaca in England, on the European continent and in Australia, and even to cross English breeds of sheep with alpaca. There is a cross between alpaca and llama—a true hybrid in every sense—producing
255-638: A material placed upon the Liverpool market under the name " Huarizo ". Crosses between the alpaca and vicuña have not proved satisfactory, as the crosses that have produced offspring have a very short fleece, more characteristic of the vicuña. Current attempts to cross these two breeds are underway at farms in the US. Alpacas are now being bred in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Germany and numerous other places. In recent years , interest in alpaca fiber clothing has surged, perhaps partly because alpaca ranching has
306-400: A publication now in the public domain : Chisholm, Hugh , ed. (1911). " Alpaca ". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. Vicu%C3%B1a The vicuña ( Lama vicugna ) or vicuna (both / v ɪ ˈ k uː n j ə / , very rarely spelled vicugna , its former genus name) is one of the two wild South American camelids , which live in
357-515: A reasonably low impact on the environment. Individual U.S. farms are producing finished alpaca products like hats, mitts, scarves, socks, insoles, footwarmers, sweaters, jackets, as well as almost any other product. Outdoor sports enthusiasts claim that its lighter weight and better warmth provides them more comfort in colder weather. Using an alpaca and wool blend such as merino is common to the alpaca fiber industry to reduce price, however no additional materials need to be added to improve processing or
408-466: Is a better fit for woven goods. The designer Armani has used Suri alpaca to fashion men's and women's suits. In the United States, groups of smaller alpaca breeders have banded together to create "fiber co-ops ," to make the manufacture of alpaca fiber products less expensive. The preparing, carding , spinning , weaving and finishing process of alpaca is very similar to the process used for wool . There are two types of alpaca: Huacaya (which produce
459-418: Is a soft, durable, luxurious and silky natural fiber. While huacaya fiber is similar to sheep 's wool , it is warmer, not prickly, and has no lanolin , which makes it hypoallergenic . Alpaca fiber is naturally water-repellent and fire resistant. Huacaya, an alpaca that grows soft spongy fiber, has natural crimp , thus making a naturally elastic yarn well-suited for knitting . Suri has no crimp and thus
510-402: Is a thermal insulator even when wet and can resist solar radiation effectively. These characteristics guarantee the animals a permanent and appropriate coat to protect against extreme changes of temperature. This fiber offers the same protection to humans. Medullated fibers are fibers with a central core, which may be continuous, interrupted, or fragmented. Here, the cortical cells that make up
561-449: Is from 75 to 85 cm (around 3 ft); its weight is from 35 to 65 kg (under 150 lb). It falls prey to the cougar and culpeo . There are two subspecies of vicuña: While vicuñas are restricted to the more extreme elevations of the Andes in modern times, they may have also been present in the lowland regions of Patagonia as much as 3500 km south of their current range during
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#1732859495757612-439: Is less than ideal. Fiber and conformation are the two most important factors in determining an alpaca's value. Alpacas come in 22 natural colors, with more than 300 shades from a true black through brown-blacks, browns, fawns, white, silver-greys, and rose-greys. There are even more colors. However, white is predominant, because of selective breeding : the white fiber can be dyed in the largest ranges of colors. In South America,
663-428: Is only between about $ 10 to $ 24/kg (according to quality), i.e. about $ 0.28 to $ 0.68 per oz. Finer fleeces, ones with a smaller diameter, are preferred, and thus are more expensive. As an alpaca gets older, the diameter of the fibers gets thicker, between 1 μm and 5 μm per year. This is sometimes caused by overfeeding; as excess nutrients are converted to (thicker) fiber rather than to fat. Elite alpaca breeders in
714-405: Is prized in alpaca. Alpaca fibers have a higher tensile strength than wool fibers. In processing, slivers lack fiber cohesion and single alpaca rovings lack strength. Blend these together and the durability is increased several times over. More twisting is necessary, especially in Suri, and this can reduce a yarn's softness. The alpaca has a very fine and light fleece. It does not retain water,
765-421: Is similar in structure to sheep wool fiber. The fiber softness comes from having a different smoother scale surface than sheep wool. American breeders have enhanced the softness by selecting for finer fiber diameter fiber, similar to merino wool. Fiber diameter is a highly inherited trait in both alpaca and sheep. The difference in the individual fiber scales compared to sheep wool also creates the glossy shine which
816-563: The IUCN still supports active conservation programs to protect vicuñas, though they lowered their status to least concern in 2018. In 2015, French luxury group LVMH said that " Loro Piana saved the species." The Italian company has been criticized for underpaying local communities collecting the wool. In 2022, the Argentine government's National Council for Scientific and Technical Investigation estimated that "Andean communities receive around 3% of
867-647: The Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene . Fossils of these lowland camelids have been assigned to a species known as Lama gracilis , but genetic and morphological analysis between them and modern vicuña indicate the two may be the same. Vicuñas are native to South America's central Andes . They are found in Peru , northwestern Argentina , Bolivia , and northern Chile . A smaller, introduced population lives in central Ecuador . Vicuñas live at altitudes of 3,200 to 4,800 m (10,500–15,700 ft). They feed in
918-466: The culpeo . The behavior of vicuñas is similar to that of the guanacos. They are timid animals and are easily aroused by intruders due, among other things, to their extraordinary hearing. Like the guanacos, they frequently lick calcareous stones and rocks, which, together with salt water, is its source of salt. Vicuñas are clean animals and always deposit their excrement in the same place. Their diets consist mainly of low grasses which grow in clumps on
969-425: The guanaco and smaller. A key distinguishing element of morphology is the better-developed incisor roots for the guanaco. The vicuña's long, woolly coat is tawny brown on the back, whereas the hair on the throat and chest is white and quite long. Its head is slightly shorter than guanaco's, and the ears are slightly longer. The length of the head and body ranges from 1.45 to 1.60 m (about 5 ft); shoulder height
1020-627: The Convention for the Conservation and Management of the Vicuña, was signed between Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru on 20 December 1979 in Lima . It explicitly allowed only Argentina to sign it if it also signed the 1969 La Paz Convention (Article 12; Argentina joined in 1981 ), and did not allow other countries to accede to the convention 'due to its specific character' (Article 13). The 1979 Convention did allow
1071-708: The US Peace Corps, Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, and the National Agrarian University of La Molina established a nature conservatory for the vicuña called the Pampa Galeras – Barbara D'Achille in Lucanas Province , Ayacucho . During that time, a game warden academy was held in Nazca, where eight men from Peru and six from Bolivia were trained to protect the vicuña from poaching. To cooperate on
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#17328594957571122-416: The United States are attempting to breed animals with fleece that does not degrade in quality as the animals age. They are looking for lingering fineness (fiber diameters remaining under 20 μm) for aging animals. It is believed this lingering fineness is heritable and thus can be improved over time. As with all fleece-producing animals, quality varies from animal to animal, and some alpacas produce fiber which
1173-461: The alpaca fiber must go through other stages: Once the fiber is clean, it is possible to begin the process of dyeing. Alpaca fiber can be dyed with both synthetic and natural dyes. Alpaca fiber is used for many purposes, including making clothing such as bedding, hats, mitts, socks, scarves, gloves, and jumpers. Rugs and toys can also be made from alpaca fiber. Sweaters are most common. [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from
1224-483: The animal looks "fluffy". The second type of alpaca is Suri and makes up less than 10% of the South American alpaca population. Suri fiber is more similar to natural silk and hangs off the body in locks that have a dreadlock appearance. While both fibers can be used in the worsted milling process using light weight yarn or thread, Huacaya fiber can also be used in a woolen process and spun into various weight yarns. It
1275-670: The breed was reserved for royalty during Incan times. Suris are often said to be less cold hardy than Huacaya, but both breeds are successfully raised in more extreme climates. They were developed in South America. Alpacas have been bred in Pre-Columbian South America for over 5,000 years. They were domesticated from the vicuñas by the ancient tribes of the Andean highlands of Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Northwest of Argentina. According to archaeological studies alpaca fiber
1326-454: The coarser, unwanted guard hairs: there is less or no medullation in the finer, lower micrometer fibers. These undesirable fibers are easy to see and give a garment a hairy appearance. Quality alpaca products should be free from these medullated fibers. Good quality alpaca fiber is approximately 18 to 25 μm in diameter. While breeders report fiber can sell for US$ 2 to $ 4 per ounce , the world wholesale price for processed, spun alpaca "tops"
1377-606: The community of Lucanas conducts a chaccu (herding, capturing, and shearing) on the reserve each year to harvest the wool, organized by the National Council for South American Camelids (CONACS). In Bolivia, the Ulla Ulla National Reserve was founded 1977 partly as a sanctuary for the species. Their numbers grew to 125,000 in Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Since this was a ready "cash crop" for community members,
1428-406: The company into a dominant brand in the woolen goods market in large part by relying on secrecy; rather than patenting machinery, the company would make use of machine shops with familial ties in the city, paying laborers well and keeping knowledge of components limited across units, such that no one worker could completely duplicate their processes. By the beginning of the 20th century the company had
1479-479: The conservation of the vicuña, the governments of Bolivia and Peru signed the Convention for the Conservation of the Vicuña on 16 August 1969 in La Paz , explicitly leaving the treaty open to accession by Argentina and Chile. Ecuador acceded on 11 February 1976. The Convention prohibited their international trade and domestic exploitation, and ordered the parties to create reserves and breeding centres. A follow-up treaty,
1530-494: The countries relaxed regulations on vicuña wool in 1993, enabling its trade once again. The wool is sold on the world market for over $ 300 per kg. In 2002, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reclassified most populations as threatened, but still lists Ecuador's population as endangered. While the population levels have recovered to a healthy level, poaching remains a constant threat, as do habitat loss and other threats. Consequently,
1581-567: The daytime on the grassy plains of the Andes Mountains but spend the nights on the slopes. In these areas, only nutrient-poor, tough, bunch grasses and Festuca grow. The sun's rays can penetrate the thin atmosphere , producing relatively warm temperatures during the day; however, the temperatures drop to freezing at night. The vicuña's thick but soft coat is a unique adaptation that traps layers of warm air close to its body to tolerate freezing temperatures. Chief predators include pumas and
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1632-427: The fine undercoat, and can be carded easily, but they can also be sorted out. After carding, the strains are ready to be spun into yarn with a spinning wheel. Finally, the wool should be washed to remove impurities. Alpaca wool contains almost no wool grease (lanolin), making it easy to clean. The wool is then ready for sale as knitting wool or for further processing. The Amerindians of Peru used this fiber in
1683-487: The fleece is roughly cleaned and sorted according to color. The dried wool is then carded; in this process, the loose alpaca fibers are aligned into a strain of Alpaca fleece with a carding machine's help. Like sheep, alpacas have thicker awn hairs. These long straight hairs located between the undercoat ensure that the fine coat does not become matted. Therefore alpacas should not be brushed; this would destroy their undercoat structure. The awn hairs are much coarser than
1734-431: The fleeces and test them for fineness. With the resulting knowledge, they are able to breed heavier-fleeced animals with finer fiber. Fleece weights vary, with the top stud males reaching annual shear weights up to 7 kg total fleece and 3 kg good quality fleece. The discrepancy in weight is because an alpaca has guard hair , which is often removed before spinning. Alpacas are shorn once a year in spring. After shearing,
1785-530: The ground. Vicuñas live in family-based groups of a male, 5 to 15 females, and their young. Each group has its territory of about 18 km (6.9 sq mi), which can fluctuate depending on food availability. Mating usually occurs in March–April. After a gestation about 11 months, the female gives birth to a single fawn, which is nursed for about ten months. The fawn becomes independent at about 12 to 18 months old. Young males form bachelor groups, and
1836-462: The high alpine areas of the Andes ; the other camelid is the guanaco , which lives at lower elevations. Vicuñas are relatives of the llama , and are now believed to be the wild ancestor of domesticated alpacas , which are raised for their coats. Vicuñas produce small amounts of extremely fine wool , which is very expensive because the animal can only be shorn every three years and has to be caught from
1887-403: The intervening period. When they were declared endangered in 1974, only about 6,000 animals were left. Today, the vicuña population has recovered to about 350,000, and although conservation organizations have reduced its level of threat classification, they still call for active conservation programs to protect populations from poaching, habitat loss , and other threats. Previously, the vicuña
1938-464: The largest alpaca woolen mill in the world and was a dominant producer in its industry. Unable to adapt to a changing market, the company eventually ceased production in 1939, and was formally dissolved by 1942. The company is remembered today for its role in the creation of the first professional soccer league in the United States the American Soccer League , as its Farr Alpaca F.C. served as
1989-404: The manufacture of many styles of fabrics for thousands of years before its introduction into Europe as a commercial product. The alpaca was a crucial component of ancient life in the Andes, as it provided not only warm clothing, but also meat. Incan culture involved the alpaca, as well as llamas and guanacos , in ritual sacrifice. Methods of killing the beasts varied based on the god receiving
2040-434: The preference is for white, as they generally have better fleece than the darker-colored animals. The demand for darker fiber have sprung up in the United States and elsewhere, though, to reintroduce the colors, but the quality of the darker fiber has decreased slightly. Breeders have been diligently working on breeding dark animals with exceptional fiber, and much progress has been made over the last few years. Before dyeing,
2091-614: The qualities of the final product. Alpaca improves any other textile it is blended with, however 100% alpaca garments can be made without the addition of other materials, which creates a long lasting and very luxurious product. In December 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 2009 to be the International Year of Natural Fibres , so as to raise the profile of alpaca and other natural fibers . Alpaca fiber
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2142-456: The sacrifice, the festival during which it took place, and even the color of the animal's fur. One method involved slitting open the animal's left side and reaching inside the chest cavity to remove the heart. The first European importations of alpaca fiber were into Spain . Spain transferred that fiber to Germany and France . Apparently, alpaca yarn was spun in England for the first time about
2193-468: The use of the vicuña under strict circumstances if the animal population had recovered sufficiently. In combination with CITES (effective in 1975), as well as USA and EU trade legislation, the Conventions were highly successful, as the vicuña population substantially grew as a result. The estimated population in Peru was 66,559 in 1994, 103,161 in 1997, 118,678 in 2000, and 208,899 in 2012. Currently,
2244-408: The value generated by the vicuña fiber chain." Its wool is famous for its warmth and is used for apparel, such as socks, sweaters, accessories, shawls, coats, suits, and home furnishings, such as blankets and throws. Its properties come from the tiny scales on the hollow, air-filled fibres, which causes them to interlock and trap insulating air. Vicuñas have some of the finest fibers in the world, at
2295-405: The walls of the fiber are wrapped around a medulla, or core, that is made up of another type of cell (called medullary cells). Later, these cells may contract or disappear, forming air pockets which assist insulation. Medullation can be an objectionable trait. Medullated fibers can take less dye, standing out in the finished garment, and are weaker. The proportion of medullated fibers is higher in
2346-520: The wild. When knitted together, the product of the vicuña's wool is very soft and warm. The Inca valued vicuñas highly for their wool, and it was against the law for anyone but royalty to wear vicuña garments; today, the vicuña is the national animal of Peru and appears on the Peruvian coat of arms . Both under the rule of the Inca and today, vicuñas have been protected by law, but they were heavily hunted in
2397-473: The year 1808, but the fiber was condemned as an unworkable material. In 1830, Benjamin Outram, of Greetland , near Halifax, appears to have reattempted spinning it, and again it was condemned. These two attempts failed due to the style of fabric into which the yarn was woven—a type of camlet . With the introduction of cotton warps into Bradford trade about 1836, the true qualities of alpaca could be assessed as it
2448-460: The young females search for a sorority to join. This deters intraspecific competition and inbreeding. Until 1964, hunting of the vicuña was unrestricted, which reduced its numbers to only 6,000 in the 1960s. As a result, the species was declared endangered in 1974, and its status prohibited the trade of vicuña wool. In Peru, during 1964–1966, the Servicio Forestal y de Caza in cooperation with
2499-420: Was developed into fabric. It is not known where the cotton warp and mohair or alpaca weft plain-cloth came from, but it was this structure which enabled Titus Salt , then a young Bradford manufacturer, to use alpaca successfully. The typical "alpaca fabric" is a very characteristic " dress fabric ." Due to the successful manufacture of various alpaca cloths by Sir Titus Salt and other Bradford manufacturers,
2550-421: Was not considered domesticated, and the llama and the alpaca were regarded as descendants of the closely related guanaco . However, DNA research published in 2001 has demonstrated that the alpaca may have vicuña parentage. Today, the vicuña is mainly wild, but the local people still perform special rituals with these creatures, including a fertility rite. The vicuña is considered more delicate and gracile than
2601-480: Was similar in quality to the wild vicuña prior to the Spanish Conquests in the 1500s. 2,000–year-old Paracas textiles are thought to include alpaca fiber. Also known as "The Fiber of the gods", Alpaca was used to make clothing for royalty. In recent years , alpacas have also been exported to other countries. In countries such as the US, Australia and New Zealand, breeders shear their animals annually, weigh
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