The vicuna is a valuable material that is produced with the hair of the vicuna, a Peruvian camelid that lives in the Andes. This animal produces small quantities of extremely fine wool which, when knitted, is very soft and warm. These properties come from the tiny scales on the fibers that block and trap air. Vicuna has some of the finest fibers in the world, with a diameter of 12 μm. Its wool is very expensive because the animal can only be sheared every three years and cannot be raised.