When Barbara Coleman postulate her Logos , Army Sergeant Micheal L. Coleman , what he would like in his next care package to Iraq in January 2007 , his request was simple-minded : alpaca socks .
Mike went on to explain that since the troops were on their feet all solar day and had to withstand freezing temperature at night , he would apprise as many pairs of air sock as she could send so that he could share the comfort of alpaca socks with his platoon .
Barbara and her hubby , Randy Coleman , own Wings & A Prayer Alpacas in Amity , Ore. , so the request was one she could easily fulfill . The Colemans sent out a plea toalpaca farmsacross the country for the 24 necessary duo of socks to provide a duet for each member of Michael ’s platoon . In a short fourth dimension , more than 1,000 socks were donate .
Thus began the Sock Brigade .
Through the BentStar Project , Ltd. , a California nonprofit originally formed to further public awareness of the efforts of recover POW / MIAs , the Sock Brigade has ship more than 9,000 pairs of alpaca socks to deployed troop , and that figure continues to turn .
For the retiring two years , the primary provider of the socks has Creekwater Alpacas in Georgia . This class alone , more than 100 farm , mortal and groups made financial donation to the cause .
Why Alpaca Socks?Because of its soft texture , alpaca fiber is sometimes compare to cashmere . Making the fiber even more coveted , it has the sheen of silk . Alpaca is 1/3 the weight of fleece , yet just as warm , ensuring warm feet for the soldiers during the stale desert nights .
hold in no lanolin , alpaca fiber is also by nature hypoallergenic . Most mass who are sensitive to the itch or temper they feel from fleece find that they can wear out alpaca fiber because it is smooth . Additional performance characteristics admit : stretch , H2O repellency , and odor reduction . For traveller , clothing made from alpaca is desirable because it is crease - tolerant .
According to Barbara Coleman , the amount of fibre from one alpaca can vary drastically depending on the size of the animal .
“ We have a very fineHuacaya alpacafemale , with a super - low micron , who shears about 1½ pounds of her meridian blanket fleece . We also have a Suri female person who sheared over 9 pounds this year , ” she says .
However , she approximate that on average an grownup alpaca will bring forth 3 to 5 Lebanese pound a twelvemonth .
“ Given the weight of a pair of our Creekwater socks — less than 3 apothecaries' ounce — there are heap of pairs of sock to be made from any give alpaca in an yearly shearing , ” she says .
How you’re able to DonateThe Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association has partnered with the Sock Brigade to help give soldiers affectionate foot , and more importantly , the admonisher that they are not block .
For more information about how you may help , chaffer theAOBA website .
