No Prob-LLAMA

spinning llama
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I’m spinning Llama. Its a fiber that I’ve worked with before but not often. One hundred percent llama blends are a bit hard to come by, but I know a source. As it turns out… so do you!

Llamamama, a regular commenter around here, is a surrogate mommy to a bunch of llamas. Can you just imagine how much work that must be? Llamas are Big. They eat mass quantities of grass and generate equally mass quantities of poo. But they also generate nice fleeces and Llamamama sent me some to play with and spin up.

llama batt

This batt comes from Vulcan. According to the note that came with the fiber and the picture, Vulcan eats constantly. Told ya. I bet he poos constantly too.

 

The batt came “raw” and that is just how I’m spinning it. Llamas, unlike sheep, do not secrete oil. Their fleeces don’t have the grease, which is actually lanolin oil, that you find on raw sheep fleeces. So you can usually count on a llama fleece to be cleaner and fluffier and less sticky. (Btw, the same applies to alpaca fleeces.) Vulcan, however, was exceptionally clean at the time of his shearing. His fleece has some bits of grass it in but that’s about all. And there is almost no smell. I suspect that Vulcan is very a very spoiled and pampered llama.

So I’m spinning the fiber just the way it came to me and I’ll wash it after its yarn. I’m spinning it fine, at a light fingering weight on a Turkish drop spindle.

Right now I’m planning to ply with two singles together but I may change my mind and make it a three ply. The fiber takes a twist very easily so I’m anticipating getting a nice tight ply in the finished yarn.

I’ll have more on this little spinning adventure as I go. But if you’re already interested in trying out some llama for yourself, don’t restrain that impulse. You can contact Llamamama, aka Kris, through her facebook or through her etsy store. A portion of her sales go to the Southwest Llama Rescue.

Isn’t it wonderful that there are people out there who rescue llamas from bad homes? People who are not me? I certainly think so. I enjoy spinning the fleeces from cute wooly creatures but I don’t much enjoy raising them. I’m already bullied and pushed around by two house cats. Can you imagine what I mess I’d make out of raising 600 pound llamas? Me either. So I’ll leave the llama-raising (and alpaca-raising and sheep-raising and such) to Kris and other competent souls.

 

 

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"There is no failure. Only feedback." - Robert Allen

19 Comments on "No Prob-LLAMA"

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Carla
Guest

What a wonderful gift. It’s soft too, isn’t it? Wish I knew how to spin. I hope your Christmas was Merry and you had some quality time with family and friends. The New Year will be here in a blink of your eye. If you drink, please be safe and have a very happy New Year. I’m just going to curl up on the couch and work on a mermaid tail for my granddaughter. Happy New Year and God bless Jenn.

Lllamamom
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Awww, thank you! Vulcan is a fluffy 350 pounds. The neat things about their poo? They are basically “potty trained”, in that they go only in certain spots. You can take even fresh poo and put it on your garden or yard, and it won’t burn the plants…or you can make a “tea” of it for house plants…and it doesn’t retain a smell! Also, llamas are such efficient “processors” that a poo pile looks like rabbits have visited. Think licorice jelly beans (evil grin) The rescued crew here aren’t all that pampered, really…they each eat about the same as many… Read more »
Joan
Guest

I am excited to read that you are going to have llama roving that will knit up like Icelandic yarn. I don’t have the dexterity in my hands to sping, but I do enjoy knitting and would love to have the opportunity to work with it.

Lois
Guest

Bless your heart for doing llama rescue! How nice that there are “fringe benefits” from your good work.

I do Great Dane rescue, that means short fine hair (unspinnable), plenty of slobber and heaps of poo. But the benefits are counted in love.

Shirley
Guest

The llama fleece looks lush and if I were a spinner, I’d be drooling. I’ve never heard of a Turkish drop spindle before. Can you tell more about it and how it’s used? More to the point; will you?

Richard
Guest

Lucky you! I hadn’t heard of anyone shearing a Llama much less spinning up their fleeces. I enjoy knitting and crocheting with Lion Brand Fishermen’s Wool and the lanolin helps the skin on my hands. It’s interesting odor doesn’t bother me either (and I’m allergic to most everything under the sun too – especially cats).

Joan
Guest

Happy New Year, Jenn. May 2017 be a wonderful year for you. The llama fleece looks very soft and squishy.

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