Llama Fiber

How does lama fiber stack up ?

Let's start by comparing the average fiber thickness of lamas to sheep (lama data from South America; alpaca range includes high-quality fiber llamas):

Compared to sheep's wool, llama fiber is lighter and warmer, and has no oil, and thus produces a greater yield (yards of yarn per ounce of fiber). Warmer also means that a thinner yarn and lighter garment produce the same heat retention. This is terrific for fine dress garments, but not for the bulky look our culture expects from sweaters. No oil means that the fiber does not need to be washed before processing or storage, but that handspinners who have learned to spin raw sheep's wool will generally find pure lama fiber tricky to adapt to at first.

Llama fiber also is rigid, slippery and has much less crimp. These characteristics make llama fiber resistant to spinning (meaning a different technique is required, not that it is necessarily “harder” to spin). The resulting yarn also either “has drape” or “lacks bounce,” depending on the user's perspective and intended project -- for this reason, most knitters and crochetters prefer to blend about 50% sheep's wool into their lama fiber (to provide “bounce”), and yet many weavers wouldn't think of committing such a sacreligious act.

Like sheep's wool, lama fiber is susceptible to sunlight damage and natural color bleaching. Also like sheep's wool, lama fiber will take a dye. Pure lama fiber products and garments will shrink (although less than those made from sheep's wool), and because they are natural fibers, lama fiber, sheep wool, and the objects made from them will be voraciously attacked by moths unless protected.

Characteristics of different llama fleeces

Classic llamas have distinctly double coats with more guard hair and markedly less wool density than the coats of guanacoes and vicuñas. Classic llamas' shed fiber combs out readily, unlike any other lama (guanacoes and vicuñas do indeed shed, but other fleece characteristics make them difficult to comb). The underwool ranges from somewhat short to very short. Although classic llamas are found in the full natural color range of any other llama or alpaca, the guard hairs are frequently a different color than the underwool, and the inability to remove all guard hair from the combings means that the resulting natural colors are not as distinctive or pure as those of alpaca or woolly llamas. South American native cultures use classic llama wool for items such as ropes and bags (where guard hair is a distinct asset), and sometimes for blankets and outer garments. The classic llama fiber is not for next-to-the-skin garments.

Alpacas are the result of selective breeding to produce a fiber-production-only animal. Alpaca fiber comes in a wide range of natural colors and two basic coat types.

Woolly llamas were the original mutation that made alpacas possible, and woolly llama fiber still has many applications. Alpacas and llamas (all types) have distinctly different physical features as well as different original purposes. However, once fiber has been harvested from a lama, South Americans reportedly classify it by its quality -- “alpaca,” for instance, is any fleece without guard hair. Alpaca wool is reserved for fine clothing, clothing worn next to the skin, and export.

Despite the practice of fleece classification by fineness and lack of guard hair, there are significant differences between llama and alpaca fiber, and these differences can almost always be discerned without knowing what animal it came from. Llama fiber tends to felt well (even on the animal!), and when shorn, woolly llama fleeces tend to be just that -- fleeces. Alpaca fiber, on the other hand, has a different lock structure and when shorn, each cut usually falls from the coat. The lock structure also means that alpaca has a softer “handle” (regardless of micron count), is easier to keep clean, and the fiber tends not to felt or felts only at the very tips.

Whether llamas make a significant contribution to the South American “alpaca” wool pool or not, some North American llamas definitely have excellent fiber. The best woolly llama fiber (18-22 microns) in North America does fall in the alpaca range, and both llama and alpaca fiber are significantly finer (on the average) than Lincoln and Romney, the two sheep breeds most often raised for naturally colored wool. When the broader color range of lama fiber is also considered, it's no wonder that handspinners and others interested in natural colored fibers are enthusiastic about llamas and alpacas.

The woolly llama and huacaya alpaca were selectively bred to minimize the percentage of guard hairs -- virtually eliminating them -- in order to produce a very fine and uniform fleece with a lot of crimp for the species (even the crimpiest lama fiber still has notably less crimp than sheep's wool). These lama wools appear dull or matte because only the guard hair of lamas has lustre. The yarn from these lamas is very soft, luxurious, and warm.

Silky llama and suri alpaca fleece types have instead maximized the amount of guard hair. The guard hair was selected to be super-fine (and, for the suri alpaca, as crimpy as possible), thus minimizing the character differences between guard hair and underwool to produce a different kind of uniform fleece. The resulting fleece has notable luster, but it has less crimp than the woolly llama and huacaya alpaca, and the resulting yarn is less suitable for knitting and crochetting.

Juvenile llamas have much finer fiber than they will as adults, and their guard hair is much less defined when they are still young.

borrowed from Lost Creek Llamas.  Thank U!