Uses for Suri Fleece

 

Let me share with you what I have learnt about suri fleece. When we introduced suri alpaca to New Zealand, I found that people were not only fascinated by this rare alpaca but they also wondered what could be done with the fibre. Some said it was difficult to spin and not suitable for knitting, others said that it had to be blended with wool. There did seem to be some doubt about the suitability of suri for hand spinning and hand knitting. This made me curious and determined to prove that suri fibre is indeed easy to spin and that garments produced from 100% suri are georgous.

With a history of 'no desire or time to spin' I purchased a spinning wheel and set about to find a teacher. Margaret Stewart of Farlie, a renowned spinner and breeder of coloured sheep, agreed to teach me. Six weeks later I could spin, all-be-it Bouncle Twist and thick! With practice Margaret assured me I would improve. Putting the carded wool aside, I picked up some suri fibre that Shona Schofield had carded for me.

The suri fibres were slippery, which frustrated me at first, but with practice it actually spins very easily. After some trial and error I found the worsted style of spinning made the longer fibres easier to manage, with the result the yarn seemed smoother. Believe it or not, I was surprised how easy it was for me to spin a fine yarn with very little practice!
 

Suri fibres are dense with little medullation and unless the yarn is spun fine it may produce a garment that is heavy and tends to sag. The suri has fibre with a twisting lock and does not exhibit elasticity. Yarn spun from suri is most suitable for lacy patterns either knitted or crochet, patterns that add some 'bounce' to the finished garment.

Blending huacaya or wool with suri will give the yarn memory. I have seen some beautiful scarfs and shawls made from 100% suri. They feel very soft, have retained the natural lustre and have no prickle factor.

Suri yarn is also suitable for weaving. In Peru, fabric produced from suri is spun worsted style, woven and then brushed to produce a beautiful cloth like fur with drape and lustre suitable for outer garments like luxury coats, jackets and blazers. It is commonly known as 'Green Fur' because the animal does not have to die to produce the garment. Suri fibre is also used to make fine high fashion fabric for men's and woman's designer clothing. In the fashion houses in Europe and Japan there is a waiting list for fabric made from the suri alpaca.

Suri is one of the rarest fibres in the world. Approximately 6% of the world's alpaca population are suri. We are fortunate in New Zealand to have about 20 studs breeding suri alpaca. White and light fawn suri are the most dominant but we will soon have suri alpaca in the rarer colours. I find this exciting as we have had a limited supply of coloured suri up until now, and from my experience it is always the first to sell.
Above: Carolyn is modelling a jacket designed by Moleneux of Geraldine. Fabric from Puru is suri, spun worsted style, woven, then brushed.
 

The fibre sells well raw (cleaned) or carded. Suri can be hand carded easily because of the long smooth nature of the fleece. The length of the staple is the most important consideration when selecting a fleece for spinning. Many show suris have wonderfully attractive fleeces (two or three years growth) however, anything over 20 cm could be difficult to prepare, and the staple may need to be cut in half.

Most farmers shear annually, so this is not a problem. Select a fleece that feels fine, soft and has high lustre. Ask to see the histogram which will give you details about the fleece including the micron and spin fineness. An average micro for a suri is about 25 µm and some will be as fine as 20 µm or less. Suri fibre dyes easily and felts well too (with patience I'm told) and retains it's natural rich lustre.
 
Carolyn Nelson, Homestead Farm Alpacas, 15 August 2002