How Alpaca Wool Works
Alpaca wool is the preferred material that we use here at Penrose Products, and so we thought it would be good to tell you a little more about this wonderful fibre. Sheep’s wool has long been used in many products and you can read more about it in our how wool works blog. However, for our bedding products alpaca has some real advantages, giving our customers some great benefits.
How does alpaca wool work?
There are two types of alpaca, the Huacaya and the Suri. The Huacaya produces a dense, soft and crimpy sheep-like fibre, well suited for knitting. The Suri has a longer and silkier fibre with no crimp making it better for woven goods. We use wool from both types of alpaca and sometimes use a blend of the two. Alpaca fibre is in some ways similar to sheeps wool. It does, however, have a softness that comes from having a different smoother surface than sheep wool. Over many years breeders have been able to produce alpaca that have really soft fibre more similar to the highly prized Merino wool. The surface of alpaca wool gives it a glossy shine when compared to sheep wool. Whilst sheep wool is known and valued for its high tensile strength, alpaca wool is even stronger.
The alpaca produces a very fine and lightweight fleece and it has the quality of not retaining water, which keeps the animal dry and warm even when wet and in harsh conditions. This of course has benefits when used in products for people. The alpaca fibre contains air pockets that act as insulators controlling temperature to prevent you from both getting too cold or too hot. The core of the fibre also deters dust mites a major cause of allergies and asthma in the bedroom.
Sheep wool contains lanolin which has to be removed before the wool can be used. Alpaca wool is lanolin free and is therefore naturally hypoallergenic. It is also naturally flame retardant making it a safe fibre for clothing products. There are 22 colours of alpaca with more than 300 shades within these and that in itself is a very large selection for use without dyeing. White though is the predominant colour due to selective breeding and this can be dyed into a very large range of colours.
Why do we use alpaca Wool?
As you have read, alpaca wool has some wonderful qualities making it very suitable for use in bedding products like our duvets, pillows and toppers. Alpaca wool is hypoallergenic, resists dust mites, regulates temperature both for heat and cold, is hard wearing, fire retardant, economical, organic and sustainable. Alpaca wool certainly has wonderful qualities and that is why Penrose Products has developed a range of bedding that will give many years of benefits and pleasure to our customers. Please do take a look around this website for more information. If you would like more information about alpacas and other interesting information related to them and our products do visit our blog. Thank you for reading this article and we look forward to providing you with the finest alpaca bedding products. If you have any questions about them you can contact us by phone, email or use our online form.
