Shearing an Alpaca

Alpacas need to be sheared every year. It is not a painful process. It is an alpaca haircut and it relieves the alpaca from the hot heavy fiber. However, like humans, some alpacas have irrational fears. For instance, the sound of a dentist’s drill can set my heart to palpating! Well, in this video you will see Leo get sheared. He is afraid of the sound of the clippers. In the background you will hear some screaming and you will see a sock over his mouth. The sock catches the nasty smelling spit that alpacas can do when they are afraid or mad. No harm comes to the animal in the process of this video.

Notice where the shearer begins? He starts at the side of the animal’s stomach and shears with one neat pass from top to bottom. The continuous path prevents second cuts - when the blade is lifted and placed down again , then re-cutting an area already done which leaves very short lengths that forms little pills when felted or carded for yarn. The shearer progresses across the top of the back to the other side. The fiber is dropped onto a clean bed sheet. This portion of fiber is what is referred to as the “barrel.” It is the best cut of fiber from each animal.

Fiber has a grading system from prime (the barrel section), seconds and thirds. Prime fiber is valued higher for the softness and staple length. It is the part that is soft enough to comfortably lay against a person’s skin when in a textile form. In young animals, the neck fiber can be as good as the barrel, but it needs to be checked. This is the reason that it is collected separate.