ATTENTION: End of season sales 
In case of return, you can choose from the available sizes and colors. If replacement is not possible, the amount paid will be refunded via voucher, excluding shipping costs.

 Winter Sweater

Handmade with a blend of alpaca fibers.

This wool sweater is soft to the touch, warm, and easy to wash.

The alpaca fiber does not itch and makes this garment hypoallergenic, perfect for your pet's fur and skin.

Equipped with leash opening!

 Composition: 50% alpaca wool, 45% acrylic, 5% wool.

 Size Chart:

Advice: Hand washable with cold water and mild soap. 

The alpaca was domesticated about 7,000 years ago, providing food, clothing, and means of transport for humans in all the Andean countries of South America. Members of the South American camelid family, alpacas graze in high plateau regions at altitudes of 10,000 to 14,000 feet.

As the main material of Inca fabrics for thousands of years, alpaca fiber has always been highly sought after. Alpaca yarns were highly valued during the Inca period for their textile qualities and were used exclusively to make garments for the nobility.

The alpaca wool is collected from the alpaca, a camelid native to the high and remote plains of the Andes in South America. The family of South American camelids also includes guanacos, llamas, and vicuñas. With an estimated three million alpacas worldwide, of which about 90% are found in the southern regions of Peru, the alpaca is one of the rarest species on Earth.

The world of high fashion recognizes alpaca fiber for its natural attributes: its fineness, strength, and hypoallergenic and lightweight qualities. Their thick and luxurious coats grow naturally in over 40 shades from ivory to black, and every shade of gray and brown in between.

Seven reasons why we love alpacas

At Alqo Wasi, we are convinced that the high quality of our products is the result of careful attention to small details, both from the skilled hands of our artisans and from the quality of the materials.

-Natural thermostat: the structure of alpaca fiber allows it to function as an insulator. It traps body heat at cooler temperatures and releases it at warmer ones.
-Contains microscopic air pockets that trap air inside and, depending on the external temperature, can expand and contract.
-Pilling: the silky fiber and the long hairs of alpaca wool allow for less pilling compared to other fibers.
-Respectful of animals: the alpaca is not harmed during the shearing process. Breeders use special techniques to shear alpacas properly and without hurting them.
-Softness (hand): alpaca fiber is silky, soft, elastic, and smooth to the touch. It is valued for its unique silky feel and luxurious hand. Alpaca wool is as soft as cashmere and warmer and more durable than lamb's wool.
-Elasticity and strength: alpaca fiber is unusually strong, elastic, and has excellent elasticity, allowing it to be compared to wool and other animal fibers.
-Without lanolin: lanolin is a fat found in most sheep wool that protects the fiber, gives it a "unique" smell, and is the cause of wool allergies.
-Does not retain moisture: The absorption of ambient moisture is low. Alpaca fiber is naturally water-resistant.
Alpaca Excellence: the gold of the Andes
More rare than cashmere, warmer than wool
Alpaca wool and cashmere are comparable when it comes to fiber fineness, but alpacas can produce about 10 pounds of fleece per year compared to the 4 ounces of cashmere produced by a goat per year. Alpaca fibers are also 3 times longer than cashmere fibers. This greater uniformity of fiber in alpaca products results in a softer feel.

Compared to sheep wool of similar weight, alpacas produce more fibers and more fibers are retained after processing. It may take up to four goat shearings to make one cashmere sweater, but one alpaca shearing can create four sweaters.
An eco-friendly animal.
To produce a good yarn, alpacas must be happy. For this reason, they are treated with great care and raised in their natural habitat, so as not to interfere with the delicate balance of the local ecosystem.

Alpacas have soft, padded feet that do not tear up the soil like the hooves of sheep and goats. Damage to the surface soil can increase erosion and decrease soil fertility. Unlike sheep and goats, alpacas do not pull grass out by the roots when grazing. Instead, they clip the tops of the grasses with their teeth, allowing the root system to continue growing new leaves and preserving the soil.

Alpacas are hardly ever raised for their fleece in the Andes. They are necessarily sheared once a year for their health to prevent diseases that arise when their fleece becomes too long or matted. Shearing alpacas is a Peruvian historical practice typically rooted in the well-being of this peaceful and valuable animal.