Balnuith Alpacas

Balnuith Alpacas is part of Balnuith Rare Breed Farm in Angus, just on the outskirts of Dundee

We specialise in Alpacas, Miniature Donkeys and Falabella Miniature Horses. We breed all of these animals on our farm on a small personal scale. The alpacas are 100% Scottish, having been bred on our farm, sheared once a year by the specialist Australian shearer who travels through the country to visit the few alpaca farmers in Scotland. Once the fleece has been cleaned by hand of the twigs and general debris, it is sent off to The Border Mill at Duns in the Scottish Borders where is it processed individually and returned as luxury balls of wool bearing the name of our lovely alpaca who donated their fleece. The fleece is 100% natural, there has been nothing added from the day it grew on the animal. Once the wool arrives back in Angus, I spend many happy hours hand knitting the lovely gift items to share with my new alpaca lovers. I can therefore guarantee that my alpaca products are 100% Scottish, not many people can say that these days. Alpaca wool is a natural, organic product which is more luxurious than cashmere. It is also very warm as the fibres are natural and bond together naturally providing the warmth. Quality alpacas are bred for the fineness and density of their fleece. A fine fleece means that each individual fibre is fine but when combined with the density it means that there are many of the fine fibres. This provides a luxurious wool which gives a soft, natural warmth. The lesser quality fleece from the leg areas can be used for felting or bedding as it has a more course fibre which would give a bit of an itch if processed into wool. For those who knit, I sell the wool as balls for you to inject your own creativity. What I can say is that when you knit with alpaca wool, it leaves a lovely smooth feeling to your fingers where processed wool can leave your fingers dry and course. That's the educational part of the alpaca story but the real excitement is when the babies are born in the summer ........ your heart just melts!