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fibers as a foundation, he person-
ally engineers his alpaca fibers to his
specifications. “I design my own yarn
specifically for my socks. I know spe-
cifically what is going into my socks. I
don’t buy my yarn off the shelf,” Malloy
emphatically states.
There are multiple parameters that
constitute a good fiber and how it is
properly utilized, Malloy relates. He
favors his sock fibers to be in the 23
to 24 micron range, arguing superfine
fibers at 16 through 21 microns are not
strong enough for his socks (1 micron
{μm} = 1 thousandth of a millime-
ter/0.000039 inch).
Next, he designs the sock for a
specific end use. For instance his
Prevail is a triple-ply, all-season hik-
ing sock, so he blends it with nylon
for iron-like wear. Malloy enhances
alpaca’s natural anti-bacterial/anti-
stink properties with Silver Infusion
Technology. He also claims the hol-
low nature of the fibers increases the
comfort range 30 percent over me-
rino: warmer in the winter and cooler
in the summer. Since his alpaca fi-
bers are washed with a citrus-based
cleaner and not SuperWashed, the
natural water repellency provided
by the oily lipids found on the fiber’s
surface is retained (Negri, A.P.,
H.J. Cornell and D.E. Rivett, 1993.
A model for the surface of keratin
fibers. Text. Res. J., 63: 109-115).
Alpaca, Malloy says, is also hypoal-
lergenic since it does not have lano-
lin unlike sheep’s wool; good news
for those allergic to it.
Regarding SuperWash, a study
conducted by PhDs Andy Tillman and
Cheryl Tillman, published in Alpaca
Magazine (Spring 2006), seems to
confirm Malloy’s assertion of not
needing it for alpaca. The Tillman’s
compared fibers within the camelid
family (alpacas, llamas, etc.) against
Bombay silk, SRS merino (superfine),
cashmere, angora and mohair. They
used scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) to make high resolution im-
ages of the surfaces of these fibers.
They compared the number of cuticle
scales per 100 microns and the
height of the scales off the surface of
the fibers. Their findings were clear:
both types of alpaca had the lowest
scale height and the least amount
of scales per 100 microns. Accord-
ing to Tillman’s report, “The scale
height of suri alpaca fiber was almost
impossible to measure, even with
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Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
image of the surface of an alpaca
fiber. The cuticle scales on the surface
of the fiber have a low profile, almost
flat against the surface, yeilding its
soft handle and obviating the need to
SuperWash. CSIRO (Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation - Australia)
Inside Outdoor | Summer 2016 30