When I started knitting a few years ago, I mistakenly thought that I’d be able to find lots of yarn and supplies locally. After all, I’d been scrapbooking for several years prior to that, and I knew of lots of local scrapbooking stores - surely all hobbies are created equal, right?

Not even close. I know of ONE knitting store in the whole Tampa Bay area, and it’s quite a hike from me. Wal-Mart sells yarn, but…ick. Scratchy, itchy, cheap stuff. Michael’s sells yarn, but that’s not close to me either. There’s a Jo-Ann in town, and I’ve found a few things there, but again, the store selection is limited. I made a baby blanket with yarn I bought there, but I’m not inspired by anything else I see. I’ve stayed away from online yarn buying right now because I was a toucher - I like to fondle the yarn before I pay for it, and I can’t do that online. But I’ve heard people raving about alpaca yarn, which is made from an animal called the alpaca (similar to llamas) and is comparable to cashmere, but much more affordable. Suddenly, I don’t need to fondle my yarn, as long as I stick to buying alpaca online. One great place that sells only alpaca is www.alpacadirect.com.

Brentwood, CA (PRWeb) March 14, 2007 — Alpaca Direct (http://www.alpacadirect.com), an online provider of Alpaca apparel and knitting yarns, today announced strong demand for luxury knitting yarns like Alpaca, Silk and Pima Cotton. The online retailer has seen a strong upward adoption of higher quality natural fiber yarns as more knitters take on challenging heirloom projects while participating in this rapidly growing national pastime.

Quality alpaca yarn is lightweight, soft as cashmere and warmer than wool. American knitters are beginning to discover the many unique benefits of Alpaca Yarn. This natural hollow-core fiber is lightweight and thermal regulating, making it a perfect fit for creating versatile sweaters, ponchos and socks that can be worn throughout the year. “The response has been phenomenal! When our clients discover alpaca, they become lifelong customers!” says Kelley Hobart one of the founders of the Silicon Valley dot com venture. Alpaca apparel and yarn has been somewhat of a secret among Alpaca owners since most retailers have not offered natural fiber alpaca products due to its exclusiveness and limited availability.

In addition, most of the Alpaca products available have not been designed for the North American fashion market. “We teamed up with American designers to introduce the public to fresh colors and styles combined with the incredible natural benefits of alpaca. Combining incredibly high quality products with easy online shopping and fast shipping has been a winning combination. Our goal is to educate the consumer market about alpaca apparel and yarn. Most people do not realize this natural fiber is soft as cashmere but much warmer and 5 times stronger than wool.” Alpaca Direct is addressing the market by making the entire line of Alpaca apparel available online, in popular American styles through a highly usable retail website. Most retail web sites are very difficult to use and have a high abandon rate. To solve this issue, the software design team at Alpacadirect has focused on usability of the core shopping experience. This focus, combined with old-fashioned customer service like free shipping and quality gift wrap aims to set new service level expectations for online retailers.

“Our goal is to target a specific market niche, usability test the shopping experience and refine our approach based on user feedback.” Specialty apparel retail sites like Victoria Secrets and LL Bean have been leading the growth segments in the elusive e-commerce market by using a similar online strategy. “It is all about the basics… Great products, competitive pricing, excellent customer service all delivered in an effective online shopping experience,” says Mrs. Hobart.

About Alpacas Alpaca are native to the high Andes Mountains of South America. Domesticated for centuries by the Inca of Peru, their precious fleece was worn only by royalty. Alpaca produce over twenty natural shades of a fiber that is soft as cashmere and stronger than wool. This unique hollow core fiber is extremely light yet retains the ability to warm its wearer against even the harshest winter chills. Alpaca are still very rare in the United States with the current US alpaca population at about 50,000. The average female alpaca sells for between $15,000 and $40,000 dollars in the US market.

About Alpaca Direct Alpaca Direct is the latest e-commerce retail venture launched out of Silicon Valley. Located in Brentwood, California, USA the site was extensively tested in a state of the art usability lab and offers a wide range of high quality Alpaca apparel and gifts.
Contact: Bianca Ruehlig 925-308-7655 Alpaca Direct # # #

It’s easy to find what you need by weight, fiber, or brand, and not only do they sell yarn and fiber, but you’ll find patterns (something my local stores are sorely lacking in), needles, and even instructional DVD’s. I think I’m inspired to start a new project!