“If I were a rich man”. Much like Tevye, its fun to think about what the luxurious things I’d buy if I had the money.
Most of us will never have Smaug-sized piles of money (especially in this economy), but it’s still fun to fantasize.

I decided to vicariously indulge myself for today’s Fiber Friday & compile a list of 8 of the most expensive yarns in the world.

Be sure to subscribe & save this list, in case you win the lottery and need ideas of how to spend your newfound riches. 

Also be sure to check back for my upcoming post on affordable luxury yarns for us plebs that have to spend money on things like gas.

Some of these fibers are well known as the height of luxury. Others are more obscure due to their high cost and scarcity.  
You may be asking what’s so special about them that demands the high price. All of these fibers have a high price tag due to the qualities of the fiber as well as the scarce amount produced by the animals. There are also frequently a number of regulations on these fibers.

**This post contains affiliate links, if you choose to buy something from this page, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. These help support the blog, and as always all thoughts & and opinions are my own.**

8 of The World’s Most Expensive Yarns

I’ve organized this list from “least” expensive luxury yarn to ”most” expensive luxury yarn.

For price comparison purposes, I’ve given the price per ounce (50 g). However, the yardage of the yarn can vary across different fibers and weight of yarn. If possible, I’ve also included a link to the fibers referenced so that you too can dream. 

Alpaca – $15-20 per oz

Alpaca wool looks similar to sheep’s wool, but is not as prickly feeling as sheep’s wool. It’s much warmer than standard sheep’s wool and is slightly warmer than merino wool but with a similar micron count to merino. It naturally doesn’t contain lanolin, making this a hypoallergenic option if you suffer from allergies or sensitivities to sheep’s wool.
It’s also becoming a more common farm animal here in the U.S., with backyard herds becoming popular.

You might be able to find someone local to you that has a heard and spins the fiber into yarn. It’s always great to support local yarnbenders if you can!

If you can’t find anyone local, KnitPicks has some undyed 100% alpaca yarn and Hobbii has some 100% dyed alpaca yarns in various weights. Many other brands also have a variety of yarn blends that have alpaca in them which makes it more affordable

Angora – $16 per oz

This soft & fluffy fiber is obtained from the undercoat from the Angora rabbit. It’s unique in that it has a hollow core which gives it a halo and silly texture.

The downside of this fiber is that is extremely warm and can felt very easily through humidity and abrasion making this not ideal for items for year round use. Most of the time it’s blended with wool to reduce the downsides of this fiber (and makes it more affordable).

Bare Hare from KnitPicks is an example of this.

Mohair – $20 per oz

This beautiful fiber is obtained from the Angora goat (not to be confused with the aforementioned angora rabbit, don’t ask me why they’re named the same).

Standard mohair fiber is typically 25-45 microns in diameter. Like many mammals, the hair gets less fine (increases in thickness) as it ages. This fiber is loved for its natural sheen and its ability to take dye well which leads to beautifully saturated colors.

Mohair is insulating and warm in the winter, but can also be comfortably worn during the summer thanks to its moisture wicking properties.

Common items made from mohair include shawls, scarves, and sweaters.

Yak – $27 per oz

This fiber is harvested from Tibetan yaks and is a slightly thicker fiber than the other fibers with a micron count of 20-50. Baby yak is finer with a micron count of 17 similar to that of fine cashmere.
Try for yourself: Simply Yak by Purl Soho

Camel – $30 per oz

This has long been a staple of the fiber world, with camel hair even being mentioned in the New Testament.
Camel hair is used to make many clothing and accessories with the most popular application being suiting and the eponymous camel coat. 
This fiber is obtained from the fine undercoat of camels during moulting season. The fiber of adult camels is 20 microns in diameter, with the fiber of baby camels being about 16 microns. 
Try for yourself: Simply Camel by Purl Soho , Baby Camel Wool by ULA+LIA

Cashmere – $60 per oz

This fiber has long been synonymous with luxury. If you ask people to name a luxury fiber, chances are high that it would be cashmere. 
Cashmere comes from the cashmere goat and is expensive due to the low amount of hair that each individual goat produces. It is incredibly soft and very insulating.

What’s considered cashmere comes from the goat’s undercoat and measures between 19 (largest that can legally be labeled as ‘cashmere’) – 14 microns.

This is frequently blended with merino wool.

Try for yourself: Baby Cashmere by ULA+LIA (100% cashmere)

Quiviat – $150 per oz

This triple digit yarn is obtained from the undercoat of the musk ox, a large arctic mammal more related to sheep than oxen.
Musk oxen naturally shed their undercoat every spring when it is then collected and processed into yarn. This fiber is incredibly fine, with a micron count of 11-14,
Try for yourself: Pure Qiviut from Windy Valley Musk Ox

And the no. 1 spot for most expensive yarn fiber goes to:

Vicuña – $300 per oz

I’ll be honest, I had never heard of this fiber until I saw Sunset Boulevard (1950). This is actually what lead me down the rabbit hole of fiber research for this post.

This expensive fiber is obtained from the vicuña, an animal related to the llama and also believed to be the ancestor of the alpaca (aren’t they cute!).

These animals live high up in the Alpine area of the Andes mountains. These animals are protected by law, and can only be shorn in the wild. Each one produces a very small amount of fiber.

This scarcity makes the fiber ridiculously expensive, with an off the rack sport coat costing at least $21,000.

In ancient times they were revered for their fiber and reserved for Incan royalty.

The fiber diameter is 12.5 microns making it the lightest fiber on this list as well

Try for yourself: The only listing I was able to find for yarn was from Windy Valley Musk Ox and it says they are frequently out of it due to the rarity.

Have you used any of the fibers on this list? Which one? Let me know in the comments!