Selecting the Perfect Llama Fleece

We have been raising llamas since 1996 and have selected the llamas in our herd for their correct conformation and fine fiber. Our fleeces have won awards at fleece shows. You should be aware that not all llama fleeces are the same quality and are not all suited for the same purposes.

There are two types of llama fleeces: Single & Double Coat

Single Coat fleeces have fiber that is the same throughout the fleece with no guard hairs present. This type of fleece is generally softer and finer than the Double Coat fleece. Single Coat fleeces are rarer than Double Coat fleeces and are excellent for spinning. Some Single Coat llama fleeces can be next-to-the-skin soft and rival alpaca for softness and superb hand when spinning.

Double Coat fleeces have two distinct types of fibers: a softer downy undercoat and longer, coarser guard hairs. This type of fleece will generally not be as soft as the single coat fleece. You can pull the guard hairs from this type of fleece, leaving only the softer undercoat for spinning. The guard hairs can be used as stuffing for pet beds or for tying fishing flies. Some Double Coat fleeces have very fine guard hair that can be left in the fleece for a bit of added interest and texture in your finished yarn and/or project. If you have your llama fleece processed at a mill, the guard hairs will most likely be removed during the processing of your fleece. Double Coat fleeces that have had guard hairs removed are excellent for spinning and felting.

Quality & Cleanliness

Llamas love to roll so llama fleeces will have dust and small bits of debris present. It is virtually impossible to get all the matter out of a fleece. Some people shear their llamas and place the fleece in a bag to be sold without skirting it. Other sellers shear and skirt the fleece to remove any matted or heavily soiled areas and preferably have removed the majority of the larger bits of vegetable matter (VM) as well. For the best quality fleece, look for a fleece that is the blanket section only without neck, leg or butt fiber. Llamas do not produce lanolin like sheep so their fleece is less likely to have heavily matted or soiled areas. I have found that llamas with very fine fiber tend to have heavier VM in their fleece. The coarser guard hairs tend to protect the undercoat, keeping moisture and large vegetable matter out of the fibers. We almost always blow our llamas out prior to shearing, using a high powered blower that opens the fleece up and removes a large majority of the dust and VM. It is a tedious task to remove large amounts of VM and mats from a fleece, but a fine fleece will be worth the extra effort.

A well skirted relatively clean fleece can easily be spun straight out of the bag, removing any remaining VM as you spin. All the dirt and dust can then be washed out when you soak your yarn skeins in warm water to wash them and set the twist. This way you can maximize your production out of a fleece - depending on the equipment a processing mill uses, waste (loss) can be as much as 50% of the fleece! The finer the fleece, the larger the loss.

Be aware that first shearings and cria (baby llama) fleeces are the finest fleece that llama will ever produce so you should expect to pay more for one of those fleeces. Generally, as a llama ages, their fleece quality will gradually decline due to the fiber becoming coarser with age. This is not true of all llamas as we have a 15 year old male that still produces exceptionally fine and soft fiber.

Generally, the longer a fleece has been on a llama (i.e., the longer the period between shearings), the higher the potential for more VM and dryness and/or breakage of the fibers, resulting in a lower quality fleece. This type of fleece would not be very good for spinning but would work very well for felting.

Staple length (the length of the average fiber) in a fleece will vary. Generally a 3" to 6" staple length is most desirable for spinning purposes.

Crimp is the kink or wave that is present in the fiber. Shown below is a beautiful example of a llama fleece (still on the llama) with exceptional crimp and luster (the amount of shine in a fiber).

If you prefer to spin or work with rovings, your fleece can be processed into rovings like those shown below. The majority of the VM should be removed by the processing, along with the dust and dirt.

As you can see from the photos above, llama fleeces come in a wide variety of colors!

Or, if you have a drum carder or hand cards, you can card llama fiber (washed or unwashed) into batts for spinning or felting. Shown below are beautiful batts of cria fleece carded on a hand crank drum carder into beautiful lofty batts of fiber perfect for spinning into a luxurious soft yarn. This fleece came from an appaloosa cria (white with brown, red, black and gray spots all over his body). Carding it gently blended the colors which made a beautiful variegated yarn.

You can also card llama fiber with silk, mohair, wool, etc. to create your own special one of a kind fiber blends! White and cream llama fiber can be dyed any color to expand your color selection. Darker llama fibers can be overdyed dark colors - navy blue, black, dark green, burgundy, etc. Again, this expands your color selection in your spinning and felting fiber stash.

And, after spinning, llama yarns are to die for! Once you've worked with natural fibers, you will never want to work with man-made fibers again!

I hope you find this information helpful. Happy spinning! If you found this information helpful, please vote by clicking on the appropriate button below. Thank you for your interest in llama fibers and thank you for taking the time to read this Guide.