Ema alpacas ngemalunga lacishe afane-ekufuywa ema camelids ase Ningizimu Afrika. Asetjentiswe iminyaka lemidzala ngekutsamba kwawo kanye nekufaka ifibre. Njalo ngemnyaka munye ngesikhatsi sentfwasahlobo, alpacas ingagucula kudla kube yinsontfo kantsi futsi itsatfwa njengefibre lenguyona-ikhicita tilwane.
Tintfo te Fibre ye Alpaca
I-Fibre ye alpaca itsambe kakhulu ngakoke iphansi, cishe iyisilk, nawuyibamba. Kutsiwa icine kasihlanu kantsi futsi itsambile kunensontfo phindze yindze kunaletinye tintfo tendalo te fibre. Tintfo letehlukene titfwala lokutsamba kwe fibre ye alpaca. I-Fibre ye alpaca ngayinye itfwele ‘tigogo’ letingaphandle letilele kule fibre. Lesikali lesiphakeme se fibre ye alpaca sicishe sibe ngu 0.04 ngema microns nawucatsanise ku microns lengu 0.08 ye nsontfo. Loku, ngemalungiselelo, kuchaza kutsi ifibre ye alpaca ivakala imelula kunensontfo. Letikali tindze kune nsontfo kanye neboya, phindze kwengeta lokutsamba ku fibre ye alpaca ngetulu kwaletinhlobo letimbili te fibre.
I-Fibre ye alpaca ayivani nemanti, ayivumi isolar phindze itfwele emakhikhi emicroscopic emoya lekunika tintfo letifakwako.
Ayikavami kutfwala ilanolin, intfo lemantana lengu oyili letsetfwe kunsontfo-lekhicita tilwane. Lolokusele lokusuka kumakhemikhali kudzinga kutsi kususe le lanolin eboyeni kwetimvu kuvame kubanga kuluma njengeluphawu lolukhomba kutsintseka. Nomakunjalo, ifibre ye alpaca ayikavami kubanga kucansuka kantsi kulungele kusetjentiswa etimphahleni tebantfwana kanye nakubantfu besikhumba lesisheshe sitsatsele.
I-Fleece ye alpaca ichamuka kumibala lehlukene ngemashumi lamabili nakubili phindze kupende lokuchaziwe kanye netinchazelo letiningi tekutsamba letihambela emkhatsini wema microns langaba lishumi nesitfupha kanye nemashumi lamatsatfu. Ngekwehla kwekutsamba kwe micron kanye nekutsamba kwayo. Imibala ihambela kusuka kumhlophe, titfunti tansundvu, kanye namphunga kuya kumnyama lonebumhlophe ngekuba libala lelivelako.
Tindlela te Alpaca iFleece
Timbili tinhlobo te phenotype ye alpaca, yi Huacaya lene fibre leningi ye timvu lekungatsi sipontji kanye ne Suri alpaca lene fibre yayo lendze, letsambile. I-Fibre ye Huacaya inefibre lengatsi magagasi lebuyisa kuma kwayo ngekuhamba kwesikhatsi futsi ilungele kakhulu tintfo letinithiwe. I-Fibre ye Suri inesilk letsite lefana ne lustre kantsi itsandzelwa letintfo tayo letisetulu letifana nemasudu ealpaca.
I-Alpaca fleece idzinga kubekwa kahle kwentela kunciphisa kuvela kwetintfo te fibre, letibitwa ngagadzi wetinwele. Tindlela letifana ne nsotja lephuphile, emaproteni laphakeme latfwele kulokudla kwe alpaca, kanye nemnyaka wesilwane kungabanga kubangeka kwale fibre.
Kwentiwa Noma Kwakhiwa kwe Alpa Fleece
Kukhona tintfo letiningi letifakwako ekukhiciteni letintfo te fibre ye alpaca. Lenchubo icala ngekuvunwa kwe fleece. I-Alpaca Fleece (noma ifibre) ivunwa kanye ngemnyaka ngenyanga ye Nyoni noma nganyanga yeMphala, kushiyana ngebukhona bebusika base Ningizimu Afrika. Bonkhe labadzala kanye ne crias (ialpacas yebantfwana) natitincane tinetinyanga letisitfupha tihhulwa lifundza lelihhula le alpaca ngekusebentisa tintfo takhona letifana naleto letisetjentiswa etimvini. Le cria ikhokha cishe 1kg we fibre ibe ialpaca lendzala ingakhokha cishe 2.5kg noma ngalesinye sikhatsi ngetulu.
Le fibre ibese iyakhiwa ngesandla iyahlotjiswa kwentela kususa tintfo tetibhidvo letifana nemanyeva kanye netjani. Bese le fibre ye alpaca yemibala lefanako iyahlanganiswa. Labanye bakhiciti be alpaca bangacokelela tinshwana te fibre yemibala lefanako ku ‘macashata’ lamaningi. Kufana nekutsi, ifibre lensundvu lesuka esilwaneni lesimhlophe lesibelibala lelincane lelinsundvu.
Kucokelela nguyona ndlela ngesikhatsi kuhhulwa (noma kumbe muva) ngesikhatsi letindlela letibonakalako ‘Tinwele tekugadza’ – letingakala ngetulu kwemamicron lamashumi lamatsatfu lasuswa kulencenye letsambile ye fleece. Lenchubo lengiyo yetinwele ngesikhatsi sekususa letinwele letisele leticinile.
Le fibre ibese imikiswa ekwakheni endzaweni yekukhicitela lese Butterworth lese Eastern Cape. Kusetjentiswa kwe mishina lesetjentiswa kunchubo yetiboya ayikhoni ikukhokha ifibre ye alpaca. I-Fibre kwekucala iyawashwa kube kugcinwa lamabala lahlukene, komiswa ngemoya bese kufakwa emshineni. Lokufakwa emshineni kwentela kucondzisa le fibre ye alpa kutsi ibemalayini. Ngemuyva kwekufakwa emshineni le fibre ilungele kurawundiswa ibe yekunitha noma tigadla tekunitha.
I-Alpaca Fleece yeNsotja
Kuhlanganisa kwentela libala lelitsite le fleece yintfo lehlangahlangene ekulinyweni kwe alpaca, ikakhulu libala lelimphunga. Lucwalingo loluningi selwentiwe ngekuhlanganisa kwentela lemibala, kusho Alison Notley, mengameli weNhlangano YekuHlanganisa iAlpaca yase Ningizimu Afrika kanye nemnikati we Helderstroom Alpacas.
I-Australia yenta lokungetulu kutsi itfutfukise lelizinga lensontja ye alpaca ye fleece ikakhulu ngetigaba tekuhlukana kwekucina kwe fibre, kunciphisa tigaba te fleece phindze nekunciphisa silinganiso lesiphansi kuya kulesisemkhatsini se fibre (sento sagadzi wetinwele).
Translated by Phindile Malotana