Alpaca: ‘eco-fiber of the future’

For a story I’m working on for the Spokesman’s Away Finder travel section, I stumbled upon the SuperSuri Alpaca farm out at Green Bluff. Has anyone ever been?

Yesterday, I talked with Nancy Walker, who owns the farm with her husband, Dick. She told me about how alpaca not only produce a very soft, insulating, water-resistant and beautiful fiber, but the animals also tread lightly on the earth, making clothing made from alpaca yarn very green.

Besides, just look at how cute they are. The two critters above are from the Walkers’ herd of 100 animals. Think they’d be happy living in the backyard of my city lot?

Nancy says alpaca is softer than cashmere, hypoallergenic, a natural flame retardant and both breathable and insulating.

“It’s warm—second only to polar bear fleece in warmth,” she says. At the same time, “you can wear Alpaca in the summer, and it keeps you cool.”

Garments made from alpaca can be very light and lacy since the fiber is soft and drapes well. Alpaca is also durable, though, so it’s often used for coats and capes.

The Walkers started their farm 13 years ago. Nancy left her job as a dental hygienist, but Dick still works as an emergency-room physician at Holy Family Hospital, a job he has held for about 30 years.

They live in a newer log home on the farm and converted the property’s original 1950s farmhouse into a boutique to sell clothing made from alpaca yarn. Nancy named the shop Two Sisters Boutique because her sister does the bookkeeping.

The shop doesn’t carry garments made from the Walkers’ alpacas, though. Nancy had a hard time finding U.S. clothing factories, so she imports Fair Trade garments made in Peru and Bolivia for the boutique and sells the yarn wholesale to other manufacturers.

Nancy calls alpaca “the eco-fiber of the future.”

“It’s a healthy fiber to wear, and the animals themselves are very easy on the environment,” she says, explaining that alpacas’ feet are padded, like a dog’s, so they don’t erode the soil as much as hoofed animals do. “You shear (the animals) once a year, so it’s a renewable resource.”

You can learn more about what makes alpaca such eco-friendly animals here .

To find the SuperSuri Alpaca farm and Two Sisters Boutique from Interstate 90, head north on Argonne in Spokane Valley for about 15 minutes. Go through the roundabout to the T-intersection at Day Mt. Spokane Road. Turn right and travel east 0.7 miles. The farm will be on your left.

The boutique is officially open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. But Nancy says if she’s home, she’s happy to open up at other times. Just call her cell: (509) 475-5110.

The Walkers’ new Web site is still under construction. You can get information from their old site , as well.