Alpaca shawls are made of superior quality Alpaca wool. The fiber is much warmer than sheep wool fiber and more luxurious than cashmere. Stylish and luxuriously soft Alpaca shawls are hand knitted from handspun alpaca wool. These shawls are knitted in a close fashion providing much warmth in cold weather.

These shawls look extremely elegant and are ideal for special occasions. The unique designs and vibrant shades of Alpaca shawls make them one of the most sought after fashion accessory.

Fabric :
Alpaca wool is classified as a rare specialty fiber. The wool is derived from a South American camelid species called alpaca. The scientific name of alpaca is lama pacos, which is the inhabitant of the Andes Mountains of South America.

Characteristics of Alpaca Fiber
Alpaca fibre is strong and flexible and has more thermal capacity as compared to any other animal fiber. The fiber does not cause any itching as wool often does, because it does not contain lanolin and has a smooth cell structure. Basically, the fiber contains microscopic air pockets that results in the production of lightweight garment with very high insulation value. These fibres are very easy to work upon. The Alpaca fiber is available in more than 22 natural colours. An infinite range of natural colours can be produced by blending these fibres.

On the basis of its fineness, Alpaca is classified into the following qualities:

• Royal Alpaca : In this type, the thickness of the fiber is less than 19 microns
• Baby Alpaca : In this type, the thickness of the fabric is 22.5 microns.
• Super Fine Alpaca : The fiber is 25.5 microns thick
• Huarizo : The fiber is 29 microns thick
• Coarse : The fineness of the fiber is 32 microns
• Mixed Pieces : Comprise of short fibers usually coarser than 32 microns

Variety of Alpaca
There are generally two varieties of Alpaca :

• Huacaya : This variety is mostly found in the highlands of Andes Mountains of South America. It has comparatively short, curly, dense and voluminous fibers. The hair covers almost the entire body of the Alpaca and only the face and lower parts of the legs are covered with short fibers.
  
  
• Suri : It has relatively long, straight hair which is silky and exceptionally lustrous.

Design & Pattern:
Alpaca shawls are very warm, fine and delicate. These shawls are adorned with needlework designs of roses and geometric figures. With silk embroidery embellishment, graceful and flowing drape and borders of luxuriously long, hand-knitted silk fringes, designer alpaca shawls stand apart for their exquisite beauty and refined nature.

Woven in natural alpaca colours as well as several dyed colours, these shawls are very much in trend these days. The variety of colors available in Alpaca shawls include ash, red, pink, camel, gray, off white, black, charcoal, black etc. Baby alpaca shawls are woven in luxurious and thick double twist yarn that impart a silken and felted finish.

Market for Alpaca Shawls:
The very elegant and exquisite Alpaca shawls are very popular in Europe as well as in Asian countries. The extreme softness and warmth of the shawl makes it one of the most preferred apparel in the colder hemisphere. Alpaca shawls are chiefly manufactured in Bolivia. The unique patterns and designs of the shawl has increased its demand globally in the recent past.