This is it: the finest and most luxurious fiber in the whole world. Vicuña are the wild ancestors of domesticated alpaca, and their wool is the finest natural fiber in existence. The Average Fiber Diameter (AFD) is only 12 or 13 microns, and many fibers measure only 7, 8, or 9 microns. Touching vicuña fiber is like touching a cloud. Most of the annual harvest is bought up by the elite Italian fashion designers, who turn this same fiber into luxurious yarns, scarves, suits, and jackets. We are making raw vicuña fiber available for the very first time for hand-spinners and fiber artists. Please note that wild vicuña fiber has a short staple length; the individual fibers measure between 1 inch and 1.5 inches long, so extra care is required when spinning.

To learn more about vicuña fiber and the vicuña trade, please check out the Frequently Asked Questions on our main vicuña page.

* All Shepherd Textiles vicuña products are imported under license by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Our vicuña is fully traceable to healthy wild populations listed in Appendix II of the treaty. Please note that all sales of vicuña products are final. Also, note that vicuna products cannot be shipped internationally, neither by us nor by third-party shipping consolidators.

Qiviut is the downy fiber of the arctic muskox, ovibus moschatus. Muskoxen are native to the Arctic Circle, with a range that at one time stretched from Alaska to Greenland to as far east as Russia. Like many animals adapted to cold climates, they have a dual coat; an outer layer of long, coarse guard hair and an inner layer of extremely fine, warm downy fibers that allows them to survive temperatures as cold as -100°F. Qiviut is highly valued in its native range and it is often used for making hats, scarves, and gloves that stand up to the chill of arctic winters. Our qiviut fiber is gathered by hand by the Inuit and Inuvialut peoples of northern Canada, from wild muskoxen that are hunted as a traditional source of food and hides. It is thoroughly dehaired and then carded by hand into soft, cloud-like batts of fiber. This is an ultra-premium grade of qiviut, with a good 2” to 2.5” staple length, and it will spin into a wonderfully soft and warm yarn.

The only source of true pashmina is the Changthangi goat, a special breed of cashmere goat native to the high valleys of the western Himalayas. Changthangi goats are raised in small numbers by the nomadic herders that inhabit a crescent stretching from the valleys of Ladakh in northern India, across southwestern Tibet, and into the Dolpo and Mustang valleys of Nepal. In India they are raised by the Changpa, a nomadic Buddhist people who speak a Tibetan dialect. The Changpa rotate their goats across a series of high-altitude grazing grounds each year, and only small herds can survive on the sparse vegetation. Their fiber is collected in the spring when the goats begin to shed, and each adult goat produces only about 3 or 4 ounces of pashmina. This special fiber is celebrated as pashmina, “soft gold,” the finest and rarest form of cashmere.

Our Changthangi Pashmina is imported direct from northern India. It comes in loose batts of hand-carded fiber rather than as commercially combed top, because it is entirely processed by hand instead of at a mill. It is exceptionally soft—sticking your hand in it is like sticking your hand in a real cloud. The micron count is approximately 14, although expect some natural variation. Natural cream/ivory color, 1-2 inch staple length. Please note that since pashmina is carded by hand, there will be a small amount of vegetable matter (specks of grass) and some dark-colored guard hairs which can be picked out while spinning, as well as a slight goat smell that will disappear after a wash.

Our Peruvian Royal Alpaca combed top is imported directly from the mill in Arequipa. This is the finest grade of alpaca produced at the most advanced mill in South America. Fewer than 1% of all alpaca fleeces are graded as “royal,” which means the that average fiber diameter (AFD) is only 18 microns. It is only available in white, because only white-fleeced animals have been selectively bred for decades to achieve this degree of softness. And it really is buttery soft, with a hand like cashmere, but it has a good staple length of 4-5” that makes it pleasant to spin. A great choice for super-soft yarns that will be durable enough for weaving, knitting, or dyeing, but also enjoyable for against-the-skin wear.

Product of Peru. Independently analyzed by a fiber laboratory in California to confirm the average fiber diameter (AFD) of 18 microns.

Cashgora goats are the descendants of downy (cashmere-producing) goats that were bred to Angora (mohair-producing) goats in the former Soviet nations of Central Asia. This dual lineage produced a hybrid fiber with characteristics of both cashmere and mohair. Cashgora goats inherited some of the softness of cashmere, but kept the long staple and the luster that makes mohair such a charm to work with. Indeed, cashgora fiber is probably best described as somewhere between “super-soft kid mohair” and “high-luster cashmere.” The long staple makes cashgora easier to spin than cashmere and it requires less twist to hold together, so it can be made into very soft and fluffy yarns. It will also take dye beautifully. Our Cashgora is a bright white combed top with a good 3”-4” staple length and an average fiber diameter of approximately 19 microns, and it is ideal for making against-the-skin soft hats, gloves, scarves, and blankets.

A Shepherd Textiles exclusive. Llamas are the largest camelid species native to the New World. They are prized as pack animals and also as guardians of sheep and alpaca. Llama fleeces combine a soft downy fiber, similar to alpaca, with a small number of longer guard hairs that give the finished yarn excellent strength and durability. We imported this gorgeous natural roving direct from the mill in southern Argentina, where enormous herds of llama still graze in Patagonia and the pampas. Rather than having it dehaired like other fiber vendors, we asked the mill to leave the dual coat so we could take advantage of llama’s natural texture. We had it independently tested at a fiber laboratory in California to confirm that the average fiber diameter (AFD) is only 25 microns, with a staple length of 6”. Our llama is softer than well-known sheep breeds like Corriedale or Lincoln, but the dual coat makes it warmer and stronger than wool. Llama is also a superlative felting fiber, wet or dry, with very little effort. This gorgeous roving is versatile enough for any project, whether it needs to be soft, durable, or both at the same time.

One of our best sellers! Shepherd Textiles Tussah Silk Roving is a gorgeous, high-luster fiber harvested from the cocoons of tussar silk moths. Unlike mulberry silk moths, which have been domesticated and selectively bred for thousands of years, tussar moths still retain their wild form and produce strong, durable silk. Our Tussah Silk Roving is the lightest, fluffiest tussah silk sliver we’ve ever found. With a staple length of 5” and a light, open texture, it is perfect for spinning. Our natural white tussah silk is also popular with soap-makers—a few pinches dissolved in lye and added to homemade soap will give it a luxurious, silky feel. Try this fiber and experience just how soft wild silk can be.

We import this wild-gathered tussah silk from a village of weavers in Odisha. Most tussah silk on the market is commercially-produced Chinese tussah silk (antherea pernyi). Although it is inevitably described as “wild silk,” Chinese tussah silk is cultivated just like mulberry silk. The silkworms are raised on farms in growing frames, and after they spin their cocoon inside the frame, the cocoons are harvested and boiled with the silkworm still inside. This prevents the adult moth from chewing its way out, which would cut the silk threads and make it impossible to unreel the cocoon as one long silk filament. The boiled larvae are then removed manually and sold as a snack or ground into livestock feed. Our Jungle Tussah Silk is produced from antherea paphia, the wild Indian tussar moth. A. paphia is not grown in frames; the moths still grow wild, and attach their cocoons to tree branches with a strong black stem called a peduncle. The cocoons are harvested after the adult moth has already exited and flown away. Unlike commercial tussah silk, this silk is not bleached. This wild silk is much coarser than cultivated tussah silk, but it has a beautiful golden glow. Product of India.

Mulberry silk is produced by Bombyx mori, a silkworm that was first domesticated by humans nearly 5,000 years ago in China. It is called “mulberry silk” because B. mori feeds almost exclusively on mulberry leaves, in contrast to other silk moths that feed on oak or castor. Mulberry silk is the finest and softest of all the silks: five millennia of selective breeding have produced a silkworm that spins cocoons of immaculately light filaments that yield strong and highly lustrous yarns. The trade-off is that B. mori has been so thoroughly domesticated that it can no longer survive in the wild; it has lost both its natural fear of predators and its ability to fly, and it has to be carefully cultivated by humans.

Mulberry silk was one of the major trade goods of the eponymous Silk Road, and during the Renaissance, Italy became Europe’s main center of silk dyeing and weaving. That long tradition continues today. Florence and its surrounding cities still produce exceptionally fine yarns and woven brocades from Chinese mulberry silk; they have also mastered the very demanding art of dyeing mulberry silk sliver without ruining its soft feel (commercial silk is nearly always dyed after the yarn is spun or woven into finished goods). Our Florentine Mulberry Silk is dyed in the city of Prato just outside Florence, using exceptionally fine Chinese silk. This is a superlative sliver with excellent hand and high luster, and is perfect for spinning bright, vibrant yarns.

An exclusive blend of 50% mulberry silk and 50% gray cashgora. Cashgora comes from goats that are a cross between cashmere goats and Angora (mohair) goats. Cashgora fiber feels very similar to kid mohair - it is smooth, shiny, and has a long staple - but it is much finer and softer than mohair will ever be. We blended gray cashgora with mulberry silk to emphasize that natural luster and softness of these two luxury fibers. This blend has an average fiber diameter of approximately 16 microns. This is an exquisite blend that will spin up into a shimmering silver yarn. Perfect for super-soft scarves, hats, shawls, and other goods meant to be worn against the skin.

The fluffiest, whitest, warmest fiber we’ve ever seen. Shepherd Textiles French Angora Roving is the soft down brushed from French angora rabbits. It makes exceptionally warm yarns—the fibers are hollow, which helps trap heat—and they have a beautiful, fluffy halo. With a staple length of 3” and measuring approximately 15 microns, it is as soft as cashmere, although it has a very different, wispy texture. This is a luxurious fiber meant for very special projects. Our angora roving comes from Europe. An excellent choice for projects that require maximum warmth while still being as soft as possible on the skin.

Navajo Churro are the iconic sheep of the American Southwest. Descendants of the first animals that Spanish colonists brought with them in the 16th century, churro are a hardy dual-purpose breed used for both fiber and meat. The Diné people of what is now Arizona and New Mexico began to acquire them in the 1600s, and churro quickly became an important part of Diné culture. They were raised in large herds for their meat and milk, and churro wool was used to weave beautiful rugs that are still highly valued today. Our churro wool comes from small ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico, part of the traditional range of churro sheep. This is a rustic cream-colored sliver that still has a few off-color guard hairs and bits of grass in it, although these are easily picked out while spinning. Churro is not a soft wool, and it is not really meant for against-the-skin wear, but it will spin into tough yarns that are perfect for weaving rugs or heavy blankets with a Southwestern flair.