I LOVE the way alpaca feels. I wanted to find out more about the animal from which the fibre comes from and this is what I learned:
1. It is an ungulate, meaning that the mammal uses the tips of its toes to maintain its entire body weight.
2. Alpacas are not used as burden bearers like llamas, but are raised primarily for their fibre.
3. They (ahem) poo in neat little dung piles kept far from their grazing area.
4. They can be domesticated and are kept indoors like one would a dog or cat.
5. If they feel threatened, they will kick and spit.
6. They don't like their heads to be touched.
7. Female alpacas do not ovulate on a regular basis, rather, ovulation is induced after mating and with the presence of sperm.
8. Females are pregnant for 11-11.5 months.
9. As with most things, Alpacas have been succesfully cross-bred with llamas.
10. Their life span is a little over 20 years.

For more info on Alpacas, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca