5 Reasons to Wear Alpaca

Here at Samantha Holmes we have been supplying exclusive alpaca clothing and knitted accessories for 14 years. When asked why we think people should choose Alpaca, we can assure you of the following benefits:

1. Alpaca hair has a flat staple which means it doesn’t pill and bobble like other fibres. Wool and cheaper cashmeres have shorter staples which make the fabric less abrasion resistant.

2. Allergic to wool? Allergic to lanolin? Our signature yarn is a beautiful blend of alpaca and bamboo. It’s silky smooth and has no lanolin content and as such is hypoallergenic. It’s also a great choice for babies - my two daughters have grown up with alpaca!

3. Better still, alpaca washes beautifully, especially with the bamboo content. On our labels we do recommend hand wash, but I machine wash all my knitwear on our 30 degree handwash machine cycle in a pillow case, and lay it flat to dry. As lustrous as new each time!

4. Fantastic warmth to weight ratio. You need very little alpaca to stay warm. Textile scientists advise that alpaca is 3 times warmer than the same weight of sheep’s wool. I like chunky knits, but it’s also a relief not to have to wear too much bulk and still be warm.

5. Alpaca squashes to nothing so it’s great in a suitcase. Just rolled it up tightly and it springs back to life!