A throw is one of those purchases where the price range is enormous and the reasons for it are not obvious from a photograph. Here is what to look at.
Start with where it will live
Most alpaca throws in Australian houses spend their life over the end of a sofa and get used on maybe forty evenings a year. That is not a criticism, it is just the honest use case, and it should shape what you buy.
A throw that lives on a sofa is a piece of furniture as much as a textile. It gets looked at far more often than it gets used. Drape and how it falls over an arm matter more than you would think, and a stiff blanket that will not hang properly looks wrong no matter how good the fibre is.
A throw that actually travels, to a football sideline or a caravan, needs to survive being folded into a boot. That is a different purchase.
Read the composition, not the name
This is the single most useful thing in this article. Plenty of products marketed as alpaca throws contain 5 or 10 percent alpaca and the rest acrylic. That is a pricing decision, not a fibre decision, and the finished thing behaves like acrylic.
If a listing does not publish its composition, assume the alpaca content is low. Anyone with a high percentage says so in the first line.
Weight tells you more than size
Two throws of identical dimensions can differ enormously in weight, and weight is where the fibre actually is. A light throw drapes beautifully and suits a mild evening. A heavier one has more presence and sits better on a bed.
Neither is better. But if two throws are the same size and one costs half as much, the cheaper one almost certainly weighs less, and you are buying less fibre.
The weave
Look at the edges and the finish. A properly finished throw has secure hems or a deliberate fringe that is not going to unravel after two washes. Loose ends and rough selvedges are where corners get cut, and they are visible in a close photograph if the seller provides one.
Herringbone, basketweave and plain weave all wear differently. A tighter weave holds its shape longer. A looser weave is softer and snags more easily, which matters if you have a cat.
What alpaca gives you here
Alpaca is smooth and drapes well, and it holds less moisture than sheep's wool, around 8 percent regain against roughly 16 percent. In a throw that means it feels dry rather than clammy and it airs out quickly.
What it does not give you is elasticity. Alpaca has little natural spring, which is irrelevant in a flat woven throw and would matter in a knitted one. If you are buying a knitted throw rather than a woven one, expect it to relax and stretch over time.
Care, briefly
Air it rather than washing it. Most throws are washed far more often than they need to be. When it does need cleaning, hand wash cool with a wool wash, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat. Never hang a wet throw over a line, because the weight of the water will pull it out of shape permanently.
Store folded, not hung, and keep it clean and dry rather than reaching for harsh moth treatments that linger in soft fibre.
What to ask before you buy
- What percentage is alpaca, and what is the rest?
- What does it weigh?
- Woven or knitted?
- Where was it made?
- How are the edges finished?
A seller who can answer all five quickly is usually worth buying from.
Ours
Our throws and blankets are made from genuine Peruvian alpaca, where the weaving expertise for this kind of cloth has been built up over generations. They are not made from our own herd's fibre, and we say so plainly on every page. Our farm fleece at Mulgoa goes to hand spinners instead, which is a much better use for it.
See also: caring for alpaca products.