Llama Fibers and Clothing For Sale
Hand-Made
Shawls, Scarves, and Hats
If you would like to purchase any of our llama fiber clothing, please call 828-689-5918 or send an e-mail to Jana@AngelsWayLlamas.com and we would be delighted to assist you.
Llama Fiber
Roving and Skeins
Angels Way offers high-quality roving and skeins of yarn for handspinners, knitters and weavers. We are co-owners of Clinch Mountain Fibers, a mill for washing, picking, and carding the wool. You may purchase roving and skeins directly from Angels Way - please call us at 828-689-5918 or send an e-mail to Jana@AngelsWayLlamas.com and let us know the color shades and quantities you need. We will process raw fibers from other sources for you by arrangement - please call us for details.
About Llama
Fibers
Llama coats consist of two types of fibers - the guard hair and the undercoat hair. Guard hair is coarser and straighter. Undercoat fibers are very fine, soft, and crimped - which gives it excellent loft and insulation value. The undercoat is most desirable for spinning. When a Llama is sheared, only the coat from the 'torso' of the Llamas is taken - between withers and haunches. Here in the southeast, Llamas MUST be sheared to keep them cool during the summer months, even in the mountains. To gather the fullest length of fibers, only the 'first cut' is taken - that is, if any part of the coat gets cut a second time, the short stuff is rejected. A practiced shearer can get the entire fleece with one pass of the clippers. But none of the fleece need go to waste. Fibers not suitable for spinning can be used in a variety of ways, especially as a filler/insulator. Birds absolutely love it as a nesting material.
Advantages
of Llama Fibers:
- No-itch, less allergenic than sheep's wool
- Very soft, luxurious, and lightweight
- Good 'memory' and springiness for shape
- Doesn't pill
- Dyes well
- Blends well
- It's durable
- Washable by hand or dry-cleaning
Grading the
Fibers
Most rovings produced today in the U.S. come from carded undercoats, after the guard hairs have been removed. This is ideal for use in clothing and felting. The fine fibers also blend well with other materials such as silk, cotton, cashmere, or sheep's wool.
Blends of guard hair and undercoat can be used to weave blankets, rugs, pillows, wall hangings, and textile art. Guard hairs are somewhat more resistant to dyeing, spinning, or felting.
"Single coat" refers to Llamas that have been intentionally bred to produce a fleece where the guard hairs and undercoat are more uniform and resemble each other more closely. The advantage is that all the fibers can be blended together with less intensive processing. In general, however, it is not quite as fine, soft, or as lofty as using the pure undercoat of regular, two-coat llamas. The term "suri" (wavy rather than crimped fibers) refers to both alpacas and single-coat llamas.
In South America, the llama fiber may be gathered and put in with alpaca fiber by grade. Finer fiber is called 'alpaca' and the courser fiber of either animal 'llama'.
For More Information
Very detailed information about grading and using Llama and Alpaca fibers for the experienced spinner can be found at The Joy of Handspinning website.
Angels Way Llamas 385 Angels Way, Mars Hill, NC 28754 828-689-5918 Jana@AngelsWayLlamas.com