SURI FIBER (OR FLEECE) |
A Suri’s fleece hangs in long, lustrous, silky, locks that drape from its frame. Suri’s unique properties include a cool-to-the-touch feel, while providing a high level of warmth, and a slick hand that can provide a greater sense of softness relative to its fineness. Suri’s lovely drape and luster make it ideal for knitting, crocheting, weaving, felting, and hand spinning. These features also make it a wonderful blending fiber and will upgrade any other natural fiber such as wool or cotton! Testing of Suri fiber suggests the following traits:
Suri comes in a variety of grades of fineness allowing textile artists to use it for a range of products, from fine garments worn against the neck to rugs that take a great deal of abrasion. |
SURI SIMPLY STUNNING:
The
Suri Network is leading the industry with an innovative branding
program to market not only the Suri alpaca, but also the special
qualities of Suri fleece and the products made from it.The
brand mark program is used to promote awareness of the unique qualities
that distinguish Suri alpacas and Suri fiber products as Suri Simply Stunning TM The program creates recognition of Suri as a natural fiber with specific characteristics of luster, softness, drape, warmth, and adaptability in a wide variety of products. Those who apply and are accepted into the program may use Suri Simply Stunning TM for
marketing breeding programs, the fiber produced, and high quality Suri
products. Consumers who purchase animals, fleece, or products from
members of the Suri Simply Stunning TM brand program gain a greater awareness of the Suri alpaca and its distinct fleece traits. LEARN MORE
SURI PRODUCTS:
Suri's straight, lustrous fiber makes it an excellent choice for spinning fine yarn and weaving garments that show off its silky and lustrous nature. When used for crochet or knitting, it makes beautiful lacy items, that drape. To make items such as sweaters, all alpaca is served well by blending the fibers with other fibers such as merino to give the yarn more elasticity and memory to hold its shape. Shop for Suri and fiber and products made with Suri alpaca fiber!
SHEARING DAY:
Shearing
day is the day that the Suri alpaca owner reaps the wonderful rewards of having Suris. Shearing is an art requiring significant experience to guarantee the best
harvest, as well as the safety of the Suri alpacas and workers. Most Suri owners
choose to use professional shearers that come each year. With an experienced team of farm helpers assisting them, the shearer is so
efficient that they can shear up to 10 alpacas in an hour. Our Resource page has several documents related to shearing to help owners prepare for the big day.
SKIRTING AND SORTING:
The
prime part of the fleece is shorn from the back, down the sides, and
partially into the legs. This is referred to as the blanket. After
shearing, fleeces are individually bagged and then "skirted" either on
shearing day, or another day. Skirting refers to the removal of coarser
fleece and bits of debris that may have been stuck in the fleece.
Sorting is the next step where the fleece is evaluated for its qualities
called grades. Fineness, length, color and uniformity determine the
grade. A fleece that is fine and uniform is placed in one group and a
fleece that is less fine or not as uniform in micron is placed in another. An individual fleece may actually be divided
up so that one part goes into one grade, and another part of the fleece is placed into another grade.
COMPETITIONS:
Fleece
harvest is an annual event that occurs in spring. The Suri Network as
well as other alpaca affiliates hold fleece shows where fleeces are
placed into their groups by age and color and judged by professionally
trained alpaca fleece judges. There are also competitions where a sample
of fiber is spun by a Spinoff Judge and evaluated for how well the
sample performs. There are Fiber Arts Competitions, and Skein
Competitions where a handspun or millspun skein is examined and scored
by a trained judge. To learn more about fleece competitions, CLICK HERE
HISTOGRAMS:
As
you learn more about Suris and talk with Suri alpaca owners, you might
hear them refer to histogram tests of the fiber. A histogram is a test
done with special optical equipment that measures the diameter of
individual fibers. After measuring hundreds of them at one time,
analysis is done to determine averages and how much variation there is
in the sample.
SKIN BIOPSIES:
Another
test some Suri owners perform on their breed stock is a skin biopsy. A small
plug of skin is taken from the alpaca's side and sent for analysis
using a microscope. This test helps to determine the number of
follicles-the hair growing cells in the skin- that a Suri alpaca has. The
higher the number of follicles, the better, for more follicles equates
with more fleece and ultimately more money in the pocket of the
producer.
EPD:
Expected
Progeny Differences in certainly a mouthful, but the information
provided is invaluable. EPDs are computer generated predictions achieved
by inputting measurements of an individual animal and when combined
with the data of its relatives that are already in the system. Over time
and with the addition of more and more cousins and siblings, the
computer program is able to help the breeder predict the impact an
individual might have on its offspring. The Suri Network has been
strongly encouraging its members to participate in the EPD program that
the Alpaca Owners Association maintains. This program uses histogram
data that is collected directly from the companies that perform those
tests.
THE SURI HERD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM OR S.H.I.P.:
In
2011 the Suri Network began a program to evaluate and improve the Suri
alpaca herd in North America with that same mission to protect,
preserve, and promote our beloved breed. S.H.I.P. stands for Suri Herd
Improvement Program. Specially trained classifiers come to the
individual farm/ranch and evaluate the conformation and fleece of the
entire herd. Each trait is given a score, the information is collected
and compiled and entered into the data base for access by fellow
S.H.I.P. participants. This gives
the breeder one more tool to improve their herd, make breeding
decisions, and see how their alpacas compare to others in the program.
For more information on S.H.I.P. please CLICK HERE.