| Alpaca Small, domesticated, fleece-bearing member of the camel family, native to South America. Plural: alpacas. Back to Top
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| Agist Board your alpacas with another alpaca owner, who will provide complete care for them, for a fee. A short period of free agistment is often offered with the purchase of alpacas if the new owner needs time to ready his pastures and facilities. Back to Top
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| AFCNA Alpaca Fiber Co-op of North America. Members contribute all or a portion of their alpaca fleece each year. Members may purchase, at
less-than-wholesale prices, alpaca yarns and garments for their own use or to sell. Back to Top
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| AOBA Alpaca Owner's and Breeder's Association. Membership is open to alpaca owners worldwide. Back to Top
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| ARI Alpaca Registry Incorporated. Verifies parentage of offspring of registered alpacas and issues registration certificates. Maintains database and tracks lineage of registered alpacas. Back to Top
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| Batt A sheet of carded fiber, approximately ½ to 1" thick, and several feet long. The batt can be felted, or strips can be torn off and spun. Back to Top
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| Card A handheld, mechanical or motorized device which "brushes" fibers into a batt. Back to Top
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| Comb Align fibers by hand-combing or machine processing in preparation for spinning into a worsted yarn. Back to Top
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| Cria A baby alpaca. Term generally used until the alpaca is 6 months old. Plural: crias. Back to Top
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| Crimp An "S" wave found in the fiber of a huacaya alpaca. Back to Top
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| Cush Resting posture wherein the alpacas legs are folded in thirds under it. The alpaca may assume this posture to avoid moving, and the female sits this way when receptive to breeding. Back to Top
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| Dam Mother of an alpaca. Back to Top
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| Fiber Term used somewhat interchangeably with "fleece". Typically used when speaking of the quality and characteristics of the alpaca's fleece, or the processing of it. Back to Top
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| Fleece An alpaca's fiber. Sometimes used when referring to the full production from one alpaca: "a fleece". Back to Top
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| Gelding A male whose testicles have been removed, rendering him incapable of reproduction. Males are typically gelded between the ages of 18-24 months. Gelding younger is thought to result in disproportionately long legs. Gelding is believed to stabilize the male's fleece quality, avoiding the coarsening effect of the male hormone
testosterone. Back to Top
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| Hembra A female alpaca (South American origin- seldom used in the U.S.) Back to Top
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| Herdsire A male used to impregnate females. Less than 5% of males possess the extraordinary features desired in a breeding male. Back to Top
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| Huacaya One of the two types of alpacas, possessing a dense, wavy, crimped fiber that stands out from the skin at a right angle, producing a fluffy look. Back to Top
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| Huarizo Offspring of an alpaca female and a llama male. Lacks the size and weight-bearing ability of the llama, and the fiber quality of the alpaca is compromised. Back to Top
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| Lock An organized cluster of fibers, in size anywhere from a noodle to a man's thumb. In a suri, the fibers may twist together to form a ringlet. Back to Top
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| Luster The glowing sheen that is desirable in alpaca fiber. Most noticeable in suri fiber. Back to Top
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| Macho A male alpaca (South American origin). Back to Top
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| Medullated A hair-like fiber with a hollow core. Ideally these should occur very infrequently in an alpaca fleece, as they are difficult to dye and are uncomfortable to encounter in a garment. Back to Top
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| Micron A measurement of fiber diameter, equal to 1/25,000 of an inch, or 1/1000th of a millimeter. Used to refer to the fineness of a fiber: a smaller micron equals a finer fiber. Back to Top
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| Orgle Characteristic rapid grunting sound made by breeding males during copulation.
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| Shear Remove an animal's fleece with electric shears (similar to dog clippers) or scissor-like hand shears. Alpacas are generally shorn yearly to preserve fleece quality and allow them to be comfortable in summer weather. Back to Top
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| Sire Father of an alpaca. Back to Top
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| Skirt Remove vegetation and other contaminants from a shorn fleece. Back to Top
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| Spinning The process of twisting fiber into yarn, accomplished either with commercial machinery, a spinning wheel or a drop spindle. Back to Top
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| Staple The length of an alpaca's fleece. Sometimes used to refer to an individual lock of fleece. Back to Top
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| Stud Herdsire. (Australia: a ranch which offers stud services.) Back to Top
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| Suri one of the two types of alpacas, possessing a lustrous, silky fiber which parts down the animal's back and hangs in ringlets or waves. Suris have a slim, elegant appearance. Back to Top
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| Roving A narrow, cylindrical mass of fibers, ready to be spun into yarn. Back to Top
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| Tui A weanling alpaca. Term generally used from weaning at approximately 6 months, until the alpaca is one year of age. Back to Top
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| Woolen A lofty, fuzzy yarn, suitable for knitting an article such as a sweater. Back to Top
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| Worsted A smooth fine yarn spun from well-aligned fibers, suitable for weaving. Also used to refer to a fairly hefty yarn weight, smaller than a bulky yarn. Back to Top
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| Yearling An alpaca between the ages of 12 and 24 months. This is the "teenage" phase for an alpaca. Back to Top
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