Life-altering experiences come in all shapes and sizes. Barbara Ronchetti’s was about four feet tall with a long neck and pointed ears.

Such is the power of an alpaca.

Five years ago, Barbara became so enamored of the alpacas she saw at the Ag Fair that she embarked on a journey that would ultimately lead to leaving her job at The Martha’s Vineyard Times to start her own alpaca farm, Island Alpaca Company, in Oak Bluffs. After one year of operation, she started 2008 with thirty-nine alpacas.

If you’re unfamiliar with alpacas, they look similar to llamas, only a foot or two shorter. But unlike llamas, alpacas were never used as beasts of burden; they were valued solely for their fleece. In fact, alpacas were once reserved only for Incan royalty, and their fleece was called “the fiber of the gods.” This seems an apt description, even for today, given that a top-notch breeding female can sell for $100,000 or more.

Barbara confesses that she’s still mastering the art of shearing so she hires professionals to do the job. The only real equipment needed is a comfortable mat to lay the alpaca on, a halter to lead them to the mat, ropes to bind their legs, and a good set of electric shears.

You begin by tying the animal’s front and hind legs and stretching them out. You use long, even strokes, or blows, to shear the alpaca. The prime fleece is found on the area known as the blanket, on the back and sides of the alpaca. The fleece on the neck and upper legs is less fine and shorter than the blanket. And since the lower legs, belly, and brisket, or breast area, usually have a large amount of coarse protective hair, this fleece is often discarded. One animal can yield as much as ten or eleven pounds of fleece. A good professional can shear an alpaca in as little as seven or eight minutes.

Alpacas generally live into their late teens, in some cases early twenties, and can be shorn as early as a few months old. The older the alpaca, the coarser the hair becomes. The shearing is done once a year, in April or May, so the alpaca will be cooler during the summer months.

Alpacas, in addition to being almost painfully adorable, generally possess a friendly, gentle disposition. Having said that, if they become frightened or agitated they also possess the ability to spit more than ten feet – something to keep in mind when you’re deciding upon your vantage point for the shearing.

Alpaca fleece is similar to sheep’s wool in some respects, but it’s lighter in weight and silkier to the touch. Also, the fibers are hollow, which gives them great insulation properties, and as a result alpaca fleece is about four times warmer than sheep’s wool. It is also less irritating and less allergenic.

There are two types of alpaca: huacaya, whose fleece is dense, fine, and crimpy, and suri, whose pencil-like locks resemble dreadlocks and whose fleece is more lustrous. Barbara has one suri alpaca and his name is Marle (pronounced Marley).

Barbara sends fleece from the farm off-Island to a mill where it’s washed and spun into yarn. She then gives the yarn to knitters, many on the Island, who produce items such as sweaters, caps, scarves, and gloves. These items, along with apparel from other alpacas not raised here on the Island, are all sold at Barbara’s store at the farm.

If you have a favorite alpaca, Barbara says that it’s possible to order the mill to process the fleece of just one animal individually.

In an age when everything seems to be imported from offshore, this could lead to a uniquely personal relationship with a garment.

If someone asks you, “Where’d you get the great sweater?” you can reply:

“Marle.”

Island Alpaca Company, 1 Head of the Pond Road, Oak Bluffs, 508-693-5554, www.islandalpaca.com.