Spinning Alpaca Fiber: Tips for Handspinners

Alpaca is a joy to spin once you understand its personality: it’s slippery, has little crimp and no lanolin, so it behaves differently from sheep’s wool.

Choosing fiber

• Huacaya is crimpy and lofty — easier for beginners, great for woolen-spun yarns.
• Suri is long, silky and lustrous — beautiful worsted-spun or in blends, but slippery.
• Fine grades (under ~25 microns) make soft next-to-skin yarn. See fiber grades.
• Natural colors range from white to true black — see alpaca colors.

Preparing fiber

• Raw locks: flick-card or comb the tips; spin from the lock for worsted style.
• Roving or top from a mill: split into narrow strips and pre-draft.
• Batts and rolags: hand-card for airy woolen yarn.

Spinning tips

1. Add more twist than you would for wool. Alpaca’s smooth fibers need extra twist to hold together.
2. Use a slower take-up (lighter tension) so the yarn isn’t pulled away before it has enough twist.
3. Draft with a light hand — alpaca drafts easily, which helps beginners but can create thin spots.
4. Keep fiber lengths in mind: long suri staples allow wider hand spacing; short huacaya needs closer hands.
5. Ply for balance: two- or three-ply alpaca yarns are stronger and pill less.

Blending

Finishing

Wash the finished skein gently in lukewarm water with a little wool wash, squeeze (don’t wring), snap to set the twist and hang to dry without heavy weights.

Frequently asked questions

Is alpaca hard to spin? Not for most spinners — it drafts easily — but it needs more twist than wool.

Why is my alpaca yarn falling apart? Usually too little twist. Increase twist per inch or ply the yarn.