The picks
Best Alpaca Yarn
Warmer than wool, softer than wool, and it will not hold a shape. The blend is not a compromise here.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 12, 2026
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The short answer
For a garment, buy an alpaca-wool blend - the wool supplies the memory alpaca does not have, which is the difference between a sweater that fits next winter and one that does not. Buy pure alpaca for shawls and scarves where drape is the point. An acrylic blend at ten percent alpaca is a machine-washable yarn that feels nicer than acrylic, not an alpaca yarn.
| # | Product | Best for | Fiber | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Berroco Ultra AlpacaHalf alpaca, half Peruvian wool - alpaca's warmth with wool's memory underneath it. | A warm sweater that still fits next winter | 50% alpaca, 50% wool | $17.00 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 21, 2026 |
| 2 |  Lion Brand Touch of AlpacaTen percent alpaca in acrylic - enough to change the hand, with a care label that survives real life. | Gifts, children's things and anything that gets worn hard | 90% acrylic, 10% alpaca | $7.99 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 21, 2026 |
| 3 |  Cascade 220 Superwash MerinoMerino is soft enough for almost everyone and has the memory alpaca lacks. | A first sweater, or anything that has to hold its shape | Superwash merino | $21.00 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 21, 2026 |
| 4 |  Patons Classic Wool WorstedUntreated wool has the crimp alpaca does not, and it is cheap enough to use as scaffolding. | Holding with alpaca, or adding structure | Untreated wool | $43.65 - View on Amazon |
| 5 |  Cascade Pure AlpacaThe purest alpaca here, and the one that will grow out of shape in a garment. | Shawls, scarves and anything meant to drape | 100% baby alpaca | $18.95 - View on Amazon#ad disclosure - price as of September 21, 2026 |
Berroco Ultra Alpaca
Berroco · Best for a warm sweater that still fits next winter
Half alpaca, half Peruvian wool - the blend that gives alpaca's warmth and halo the structure alpaca on its own does not have.
- Fiber
- 50% super fine alpaca, 50% Peruvian wool
- Weight
- Worsted
- Hank
- 3.5oz / 100g, 219yd / 200m
- Gauge
- 5 sts to 1in; 20 sts x 26 rows over 4in on US 8 (5mm)
- Care
- Hand wash in cool water, lay flat to dry
- Made in
- Peru
Who it suits
Anyone making a garment in alpaca. This is the default and it should be.
Why it is here
50% super fine alpaca, 50% Peruvian wool, worsted, 219yd per 100g hank, knitting 20 stitches and 26 rows over 4in on US 8 (5mm). Made in Peru. The wool half is the structural half - it supplies the crimp that alpaca does not have, which is what stops the garment growing.
What you give up
Hand wash in cool water and lay flat to dry, so it is not a wash-and-forget yarn. The wool content also means anyone genuinely sensitive to wool is not helped by the alpaca half.
Specifications from Berroco - Ultra Alpaca. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Lion Brand Touch of Alpaca
Lion Brand · Best for gifts, children's things and anything that gets worn hard
Ten percent alpaca in an acrylic base - enough to soften the hand, at a price and a care label alpaca normally does not come with.
- Fiber
- 90% acrylic, 10% alpaca
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Skein
- 3.5oz / 100g, 207yd / 190m
- Gauge
- 19 sts x 26 rows on US 7 (4.5mm)
- Hook
- I-9 (5.5mm), 14 sc x 18 rows
- Care
- Machine wash, lay flat to dry
Who it suits
Anyone who wants alpaca's softness in something that goes in a washing machine.
Why it is here
90% acrylic, 10% alpaca, worsted, 207yd per 100g, knitting 19 stitches and 26 rows on US 7 (4.5mm) and crocheting 14 single crochet on an I-9. Machine wash, lay flat to dry.
What you give up
Ten percent is a hand-feel additive, not an alpaca yarn - do not expect alpaca's warmth or its drape from it. It is an acrylic yarn that feels nicer than most acrylic yarns.
Specifications from Lion Brand product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Cascade 220 Superwash Merino
Cascade Yarns · Best for a first sweater, or anything that has to hold its shape
Machine-washable merino at 220 yards to the 100g skein - the standard answer when a sweater pattern says worsted and you want to be able to wash it.
- Fiber
- 100% superwash merino wool
- Skein
- 3.5oz / 100g, 220yd / 200m
- Gauge
- 20 sts x 28 rows in stockinette on US 7
- Weight class
- DK to light worsted
- Care
- Superwash treated - machine washable
Who it suits
Anyone whose real requirement is 'soft' rather than 'alpaca'.
Why it is here
100% superwash merino, DK to light worsted, 220yd per 100g. It is softer than standard wool, considerably cheaper than alpaca, machine washable, and it springs back - which is the single property alpaca cannot offer.
What you give up
Superwash merino pills more than most things, because the treatment smooths the scales that would otherwise lock the fibers together. Budget for a fabric shaver - see [best fabric shavers for knitwear](/accessories/best-fabric-shavers-for-knitwear).
Specifications from Cascade Yarns product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Patons Classic Wool Worsted
Patons · Best for holding with alpaca, or adding structure
100% non-superwash wool at supermarket money. It blooms when blocked, holds a cable, and it will felt if you put it in the machine.
- Fiber
- 100% wool (not superwash)
- Weight
- 4 Medium / worsted
- Ball
- 3.5oz / 100g, 194yd / 177m
- Gauge
- 20 sts x 26 rows on 4.5mm (US 7)
- Hook
- 5mm (US H/8), 14 sc x 17 rows
- Care
- Hand wash, lay flat to dry, do not machine wash
Who it suits
Anyone holding pure alpaca double, and anyone who wants a hard-wearing wool to alternate with it.
Why it is here
100% untreated wool, worsted, 194yd per 100g. Scales intact means it grips, felts and blocks properly - all things alpaca will not do on its own, and all useful when the two are combined.
What you give up
Hand wash only, and noticeably less soft than merino or alpaca next to the skin. It is the workhorse, not the luxury.
Specifications from Yarnspirations product page. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
Cascade Pure Alpaca
Cascade Yarns · Best for shawls, scarves and anything meant to drape
Undiluted baby alpaca at worsted weight - the softest and warmest thing here, and the one with no memory at all.
- Fiber
- 100% baby alpaca
- Weight
- Worsted
- Skein
- 100g / 3.5oz, approximately 220yd / 200m
- Gauge
- 20 sts = 4in (10cm) on US 7 (4.5mm)
- Care
- Hand wash cold, lay flat to dry
Who it suits
Not sweater knitters. For a shawl where drape is the whole point it is beautiful.
Why it is here
100% baby alpaca, worsted, approximately 220yd per 100g skein, at 20 stitches to 4in on US 7 (4.5mm). Hand wash cold, lay flat to dry. It is the softest and warmest option on this page.
What you give up
No wool means no crimp means no memory. A pure alpaca sweater is heavy, and heavy plus no recovery equals a garment that lengthens and narrows and stays that way. That is not a defect - it is what the fiber is - but it makes it the wrong yarn for anything fitted.
Specifications from Cascade Yarns - Pure Alpaca. We have not handled this item - see how we pick.
The one thing alpaca cannot do
Wool fiber is crimped - naturally wavy - and each fiber behaves like a tiny spring. That is where wool's memory comes from, and it is why a wool sweater returns to shape after being worn.
Alpaca has very little crimp. It is smoother, it hangs, and it does not spring back. Combined with a fiber that is dense and heavy, that produces a specific failure mode: a pure alpaca garment lengthens under its own weight, narrows as it lengthens, and stays that way.
Reading the percentage
| Alpaca content | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 100% | Maximum warmth, softness and drape; no recovery | Shawls, scarves, wraps |
| 50% with wool | Most of the warmth, with memory | Sweaters, cardigans, hats |
| 10-30% with acrylic | A softer hand; machine washable | Gifts, kids, hard wear |
| Under 10% | Marketing | Nothing in particular |
The ten-percent yarn above is honest about being ten percent, and it is a genuinely nicer acrylic for it. Just do not buy it expecting alpaca's warmth - it is an acrylic garment.
Warmth, which is the reason to buy it
Alpaca fiber is hollow-cored, and that trapped air is why it is warmer than wool of the same thickness. It is the warmest fiber on this site by a clear margin.
- That is sometimes too warm. An alpaca sweater worn indoors all day is uncomfortable for a lot of people.
- It suits outerwear and cold climates, where the warmth-to-thickness ratio is the point.
- It suits accessories - a hat or a cowl is the easiest way to get alpaca's warmth without a whole garment of it.
- Blend it down if you run warm. Half wool halves the intensity as well as fixing the memory.
Baby alpaca is a grade
Baby alpaca does not come from a baby animal. It is a fineness grade, describing the diameter of the fiber rather than the age of the alpaca it came from.
It matters because fineness is what determines whether a fiber prickles - the same mechanism as with wool, and nothing to do with species. What makes yarn itchy sets out the threshold, and alpaca yarn pros and cons goes further on the fiber.
Knitting with it
- Knit firmer than the band suggests for a garment. A loose alpaca fabric grows most.
- Hang a weighted swatch for a day. It will show you exactly how much a garment will lengthen, and it is the single most useful thing you can do before casting on.
- Wash the swatch and measure it wet and dry. Alpaca blooms and softens on the first wash.
- Be conservative with length. Take an inch off the body of a sweater and let it grow into it.
- Dry flat. Always. A wet alpaca garment on a hanger is a permanently longer garment.
Care
- Almost all of it is hand wash. The blend above says hand wash in cool water and lay flat; the pure yarn says hand wash cold and lay flat. Only the acrylic blend is machine washable.
- It is a protein fiber, so moths eat it. Store it as you would wool - see best yarn storage solutions.
- It pills less than merino but more than a firm untreated wool.
- It does not felt as readily as wool, which is a mixed blessing - it also means it will not full into a denser fabric if you want it to.
What we would buy
- A sweater: the 50/50 alpaca-wool blend.
- Something machine washable: 10% alpaca in acrylic.
- If what you actually want is soft: superwash merino.
- To blend or hold with it: untreated worsted wool.
- A shawl, not a sweater: 100% baby alpaca.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best alpaca yarn for a sweater?
An alpaca-wool blend, typically around 50/50. The wool supplies the crimp and therefore the memory that alpaca does not have, which is the difference between a sweater that holds its shape and one that lengthens permanently.
Does alpaca yarn stretch out?
Yes, and it does not come back. Alpaca has very little crimp, so the fabric has no recovery, and the fiber is dense enough that a garment lengthens under its own weight. Blend with wool, knit firmly, and always dry flat.
Is alpaca warmer than wool?
Yes, clearly. Alpaca fiber is hollow-cored and traps more air, so it is warmer than wool of the same thickness. For some people an all-alpaca sweater is genuinely too warm to wear indoors.
What does baby alpaca mean?
It is a fineness grade, not an age - it describes the diameter of the fiber rather than a young animal. Fineness is what determines whether a fiber prickles against the skin.
Is 10% alpaca yarn worth buying?
As a nicer-feeling machine-washable acrylic, yes. As alpaca, no - ten percent is a hand-feel additive and will not give you alpaca's warmth or drape. Buy it for the care label, not the fiber.