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Alpaca Dictionary
ALPACA:
A member of the camelid family found originally in the
Altiplano of South America.
ALTIPLANO: The high plateau in southern Peru
and northwestern Bolivia located around Lake Titicaca.
Average Fiber Diameter - AFD: The
average fiber diameter of fibers submitted in a fleece sample. The result is
given in microns with 1 micron = 1/10000th of a millimeter or 1/25,400th of
an inch. A low micron count is desirable. This indicates the fineness of the
blanket area of the animal's fleece.
BLANKET: The highest quality fleece which
begins at the shoulder, runs the full length of the back and down each side
until it meets the more medullated fiber on the belly. Excludes neck, leg,
chest, belly, and breech. The term originated from the image of a horse's
saddle blanket.
BLOODLINE: Breeder's term that alludes to
pedigree.
BREED: A race of animals within a species.
Animals of the same breed usually have a common origin and similar
identifying characteristics.
BUNDLED STAPLES: A grouping of micro staples
that together form a larger staple. The formation of micro staples is
determined by the arrangement and density of the follicles in the skin.
Bundling is said to be an indicator of a dense fleece, due to the evenness
of follicle size and consistency of shape in the skin. (Cameron Holt,
Private Correspondence.)
BURNING: Removing vegetable matter from fiber
during processing through the use of chemicals.
CARDING: The final cleaning process,
accomplished by either hand or machine, through which alpaca fiber goes
before spinning.
Coefficient of Variation - CV%:
In a fiber test report, the Coefficient of Variation indicates the
relationship between the Standard Deviation and the Average Fiber Diameter
and is shown as a percentage. The formula for calculating the CV is as
follows. Standard Deviation divided by Average Fiber Diameter x 100 = CV% A
low CV percentage is desirable in breeding animals.
CRIA (Cree-a):
An alpaca less than one year old; A baby alpaca,
sometimes sold 'at foot' (with the mother)
CRIMP: The regular undulation along the length
of an individual fiber or lock of fiber. A higher number of crimps per inch
can indicate a finer fiber.
Crinkle: Term for the wave in one
individual strand of fiber. Crimp and Crinkle are sometimes described as
having high or low frequency.
Conformation:
The shape and proportions of the alpaca, including the
size, length and shape of legs and neck; The slight wave or
corrugation in each lock or across the whole fleece, that helps hold the
fibers together, allowing it to be processed into a finer yarn. Closely
related to crinkle. Crimp and Crinkle are sometimes described as having high
or low frequency.
CULLING:
The process that determines which animals in a herd
will not be bred.
DAM: A female parent; adult breeding female,
mother of a cria.
FINENESS: A measure, in microns, of the
diameter of individual fibers. Most often expressed as an average for a
representative sample of fiber.
FLEECE WEIGHT: The weight of an entire fleece
measured at the same time each season.
GREASY ALPACA FLEECE: A commercial term
identifying unwashed alpaca fleece.
GUARD HAIR: Also kemp. Coarse medullated fiber.
A second coat of fiber found in llamas, vicuna, guanacos, and, to a lesser
degree, alpacas.
HUACAYA (Wha- Ki-Ya): A breed of alpaca
characterized by a well-crimped fleece that grows perpendicular to the skin;
The most popular
variety of Alpaca, with a dense crimped fleece giving the animal a more
rounded shape. The other variety is Suri.
HUARIZO: A crossbred animal. A term most often
used to describe a llama-alpaca cross. Characterized by weak, medullated
fiber and poor breed type.
KEMP: Guard hair or medullated fiber.
LAMA: Scientific name for the genus containing
llamas, alpacas, guanacos, and vicunas; vicunas are sometimes separated into
their own genus.
Luster: The texture of the fleece and
how much it reflects light and looks attractively glossy. Sometimes
described as brightness.
MACHO/ STUD:
Male alpaca used in a breeding program.
Maiden Mature female
ready to breed for the first time - usually between 18 and 24 months old.
MEDULLA:
The hollow core found in coarse guard hair or kemp
fibers, often found in the chest and underbelly portions of the fleece.
Percentage of
fibers above 30 micron - >30%: In a fiber
test report, this measurement is given as a percentage and indicates the
number of fibers above 30 microns in the sample tested. Fibers exceeding 30
microns are considered coarse and will have the "Prickle Factor" if used in
garment making. A low >30% is desirable to indicate uniformity of the finer
fibers throughout the blanket area of the fleece.
PIEBALD:
Pinto; in the New Zealand color study, an alpaca with
white and black patches.
PINTO: A two or more colored animal
characterized by large patches of color.
SEED STOCK: Breeding stock; animals whose role
is to be a parent or, in other words, to contribute genes to the next
generation.
SIRE: The father of any particular animal;
Adult breeding male or father of a cria. (Sometimes called 'herdsire')
Spit-off: When alpacas become
pregnant, they quickly become unwilling to be approached by a male. A
pregnant alpaca will usually run and spit at a male that approaches her, and
repeated 'spit-offs' are a good sign that a pregnancy is progressing
normally. An ultrasound scan is used to confirm pregnancy.
Standard Deviation - SD: In a fiber test
report, the Standard Deviation indicates the amount of variation from the
AFD (Average Fiber Diameter) in the group of fibers tested. For example, in
a test that indicates an AFD of 20.0 with a SD of 3.0 then 68% of the tested
fibers will fall between 17.0 and 23.0 micron. A low Standard Deviation is
desirable to show uniformity in the tested fibers.
STAPLE:
An organized independent group or cluster of
individual fibers. A large number of staples constitute a fleece.
STAPLE LENGTH: The length of a lock or length
of shorn alpaca fleece; The length of fiber in the fleece. Staple length
together with density will indicate the weight of the fleece.
SURI (Sur-ee): A breed of alpaca characterized
by lustrous locks of fleece that lay close to the body, twisting vertically
toward the ground; A more rarely kept variety of alpaca with long silky
fleece that drapes the body rather than forming a dense covering as in the
Huacaya. The fleece has no crimp, and forms soft 'pencil' locks.
TUI (Too-ee): An eighteen-month-old alpaca.
Two-coated Fleece: Primitive fleece made
up partly of soft fiber and partly of coarse hair. Better fleeces are more
uniform and softer throughout.
Uniformity:
How consistent the fleece is across the whole animal.
An animal with good uniformity will have a fleece that is dense and soft all
over, with no thin patches or coarse areas.
VICUNA (Vi- coon-yah):
Native South American camelid, thought to be the
ancestor of the domesticated alpaca. Vicunas, which exhibit the finest
natural fiber in the world, can cross-breed with alpacas.
Weanling: A young alpaca, usually
between 6 months to 1 year old, that is no longer nursing.
WOOLEN:
Yarn made from fibers that are one to three inches in
length and that have been carded only. Fabrics of woolen yarn are
characterized as being fuzzy, thick, and bulky.
WORSTED: Yarn spun from fibers three inches in
length or longer that have been carded, combed, and drawn. Combing machines
straighten alpaca slivers, making the individual fibers lie parallel.
Yearling:
Juvenile alpaca between the age of 1 and 2
years.
The terms and definitions above were found from a variety
of alpaca sites. Please see references below.
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