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This is the United Nations International Year of Natural Fibres. Here at Greenberry House, although we feature local fiber and fiber producers, many of the animals that our farmers and shepherds tend originated in other countries.  Linda Wunce of Lil Bit of Heaven Fibers in Spotsylvania, Virginia, keeps a herd of beautiful llamas along with a herd of Shetland sheep.  Linda's llamas produce a wonderful fiber for spinning and she also creates beautiful yarns with it.

The domestic llama originated more than 6,000 years ago in South America, created by selective breeding by early cultures in the area.  From the time of the Incas llamas have been used in the Andes mountains as pack animals and to produce fiber and for meat.  The llama, the alpaca, the guanaco and the vicuna are the four forms of camelid found in South America.  The llama and the alpaca are completely domestic animals, while the guanaco and the vicuna are still found in wild herds.  A species of guanaco is considered to be the wild ancestor of the llama while a species of vicuna is the ancestor of the alpaca.  The timid vicuna, once an endangered species, produces a small quantity of very soft fiber. 

An adult llama can range from between five and six feet tall and can weigh from 290 to 450 pounds.  A cria, or baby llama, weighs around 20 pounds when it is born.  Crias are usually born in the morning, during the warm daylight hours and are up on their feet and walking within an hour of birth.

Llamas are herd animals and very social, with a pecking order in the herd that is constantly changing.  Their famous spitting behavior is used in the herd to discipline lower ranked llamas, and rank order is tested by small fights between the males.  Females use spitting more to control other herd members.  Llamas also use vocalizations to communicate within the herd: humming, braying or groaning.  An irritated llama lays its ears back, and if it is irritated enough, it will spit! 

In the 1990s shepherds and ranchers began to use llamas as guard animals to protect their herds of sheep, goats, alpacas, and cattle.  Because a single llama will bond with the herd it needs to protect, using llamas to guard animals from predators has been successful in many areas.  Other animals that have been used as herd guardians are dogs, donkeys, ostriches and even kangaroos!  While guard dogs are still the most popular herd guard, studies with llamas have proved that they are being used successfully throughout North America.

Llamas are found in many colors, brown, black, white, gray and even spotted.  A llama's coat, or fleece, contains guard hair and an very soft undercoat.  The guard hair protects the animal's skin from water and dirt while the soft undercoat provides warmth.  The amount of guard hair can vary a great deal between individual animals, and many North American llamas have little or no guard hair.  This is due to selective breeding to produce a higher quality fleece.  Llama fiber is called "wool", although technically the fiber is hair.  The guard hair that is produced can be spun into rope or used to make a sturdy rug yarn.  The softer undercoat is valued by handspinners, who create wonderful yarns from the fiber.  It is ten times warmer than sheep's wool and much lighter to work with.  Llamas in general don't produce large quantities of wool but what they produce is very soft and warm.

Llama wool can be harvested from the llama by shearing, clipping or brushing, usually once a year.  Most producers first clean the fleece while it is still on the animal by using blowers or brushing to remove any debris picked up in the field.  Llamas like to roll, so to get the hay and dust out the farmer can spend thirty minutes blowing the coat.  Then the animals are sheared or clipped, or painstakingly brushed to remove the undercoat without the guard hair.  Shearing a llama can take thirty to forty-five minutes.  After clipping the fleece is skirted to remove any matted fiber or any short fiber from the neck and legs.  Lllama wool does not have lanolin, like sheep's wool, and depending on how dusty the fiber is, the fleece might not have to be washed.  Washing llama can be tricky, as it is easy to felt if it is agitated too much or very hot water is used.  Linda Wunce recommends lukewarm water and several washings if you're working with a dusty fleece and then spreading the fiber out to dry.

The next step in fiber preparation is carding or combing and dehairing, if necessary.  This can be done by the fiber farmer with hand cards or a drum carder, or the fiber can be sent to a small mill to be processed.  These mills process the fiber sent to them and then send the same fiber back to the farmer that produced it.  Often the cost of processing by the small mills is less expensive than the time invested in hand processing.  Carded fiber that is ready to spin is found in rolags, batts, roving, sliver or top, depending on the final processing.

Handspinning llama is a little different than spinning wool.  Since it is a hair fiber, it can be more slippery than most wools.  Llama is also less elastic than wool, more lightweight, and usually doesn't pill as a yarn since it is a durable fiber.  Often producers add wool to llama to make it more elastic and add memory.  Experimenting with twist to produce a balanced yarn that is still soft is required if you're a new spinner to llama, but llama is not a hard fiber to spin.  Too much twist and the llama is like wire, says Linda Wunce.  She says she finds that the wool will tell her how it wants to be spun.  To care for garments made from llama yarn, it is suggested that items be hand washed and carefully laid flat to dry in the shape and size of the original piece.

Here at Greenberry House we are proud to feature the beautiful llama fiber and yarns from Lil Bit of Heaven Fibers.  The pictures and descriptions just can't do these lovely and soft rovings and yarns justice.  Visit us and be sure to ask where the llama fibers are!