Alpaca Fibre

[Pleater]

Alpaca - I strongly suspect - would not hold a pleat.
I tried knitting with it once and although it seemed alright when first made, when worn it sagged, bagged and stretched dreadfully.
My husband rebelled and would not wear the garment I made, and he is normally really pleased to get to the top of my 'to make' list.

Here in the UK farmers cannot sell fleeces for anything like the cost to have them sheered, even for lambswool.

These days I only buy yarn on cone intended for industry and create the thickness I want by combining multiple strands and sometimes colours as well, but I have enough yarn for several lifetimes, plus a large sack of fleece to spin.
The yarn used for ganseys was a worsted spun, i.e. smooth as it was combed to get the fibres aligned before spinning. The navy blue was called seamen's irons for its hardwearing properties, but I think it was available in green, brown, grey and a lighter blue as similar garments for working men were made all over the country.

Anne the Pleater