9/4/08 – Lluscious Llovely Llama Yarn!

Back last spring, a mutual friend introduced me to a man raising a small herd of llamas in Shenandoah county who was interested in turning their fiber into yarn.  I’ve been helping him with the process, and just today, the resulting yarn has been added to my etsy shop! (link to the right).  There are five colors (all natural, no dye) all spun to a light DK weight.  Most llamas have a “double coat” with longer, coarser guard hairs mixed with their otherwise heavenly soft downy coat, so before spinning, we had the mill “de-hair” the fiber so only the soft stuff ends up in the yarn. 

Llama fiber is not crimpy like wool (nor is it oily).  It is lustrous and silky-feeling, and insulates wonderfully (I’ve heard that it’s warmer than wool).  It’s a great fiber for lace knitting and items like shawls and scarves, because it drapes beautifully.  Can’t you see an icelandic or “old shale” lace stole in these colors!  This range would be great for fair isle knitting too… 

Here are some pictures for you: