Why are Alpaca and Finnsheep superior fibers?
Alpaca
Alpaca wool is one of the finest natural fibers in the world. The individual wool fiber is fine and thin, which makes the wool very light and feels soft on the skin. Alpaca wool fibers are hollow, and thanks to the air pockets inside them, the wool insulates effectively. A garment knitted from alpaca wool feels warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. Alpaca wool does not absorb water, but repels it, so it does not get wet even in heavy rain. It is also naturally fireproof, and it effectively protects its wearer from UV rays.
Alpacas have 22 natural color shades.
Alpaca wool does not contain lanolin, a fat that is secreted, for example, from the skin of sheep into the wool, and to which some people are allergic. Alpaca wool is therefore naturally hypoallergenic.
The alpaca comes from Peru, where their wool has evolved over centuries to protect the animal from the harsh climate. Thanks to their insulating wool, alpacas can live in climates that range from very hot to very cold. Today, alpacas are bred all over the world, and about 1,100 alpacas live in Finland as well.
At Linkulla, we only use Finnish alpaca wool.
Finnsheep
Finnheep wool is very fine, a real super fiber. There are three indigenous sheep breeds in Finland, the most common of which is the Finnsheep, whose wool has many special properties: it is naturally dirt and water resistant, has a beautiful shine and is soft, light and flexible. The wide range of natural colors creates the opportunity to make many different shades of natural colored yarn.Finnsheep wool contains natural sheep fat, lanolin. We wash all the wool in our own spinning mill with a washing machine made for that purpose. Washing wool containing lanolin is precise, you want to leave a little lanolin in the yarn, because it feels nice in the yarn, and at the same time you must not leave too much of it, because the spinning machines cannot handle wool that is too greasy. Washing too hard may also damage the fine fibers of Finnsheep wool.
The yarn made from Finnish sheep wool is wonderful to knit with, it feels soft but still nicely rustic and robust. The yarn has a lot of airiness, and the sweater knitted from it is light and breathable. Clothes knitted from wool do not need to be washed often, but often airing them out is enough. Wool fibers clean themselves.
