Alpaca Yarn

Alpaca is warmer than wool by weight, has no lanolin and very little of the scale structure that makes some people itch, and drapes like silk. Baby alpaca is the finest grade; suri alpaca is the lustrous, brushed kind.

It has less bounce than wool, so a pure-alpaca sweater grows at the hem and a ribbed cuff loosens. Alpaca-wool blends such as Ultra Alpaca keep the warmth and get the spring back.