alpaca, llama, alpaca by wonder al on flickr
Some llamas are dual coated meaning they have a soft undercoat and a coarser outer coat. Some times these are separated for making different goods such garments and rope. These animals come in a cornucopia of natural colors ranging fro white to grey,red-brown to black Llamas have a fine undercoat which can be used for handicrafts and garments. The coarser outer guard hair is used for rugs, wall-hangings and lead ropes. The fiber comes in many different colors ranging from white to grey, to reddish-brown, to dark brown and black.
I’ve found 4 types of llamas that have differing coats:
wooly llama courtesy of music4mark
The Wooly Llama (reminds me of huycaya alpaca) has wool over the whole body, including the head a down the legs. They body size on this particular type is usually smaller than other types. down the legs to the fetlock. The fiber has minimal guard hair and is considered to be single coated. The quality is can sometimes come close to the average alpaca.
Meduim Llama from Lamas of Switzerland
The Medium Llama seems to be a crossing of the Wooly above and the Classic below. This type has a longer fiber but less fiber on the head and legs. It possesses a double coated fleece.
classic llama by cookinghamus on flickr
The Classic Llama has much less fiber on it’s head neck and legs. The fiber on it’s body is longer and often flants a saddle-look. They may even have guard hairs that look like a mane. Classic Llamas have double coated fleece with rough guard hairs and a fine undercoat. They are often taller and have a larger body than the Medium and Wooly varieties.
suri llama by trrpngirl on flickr
Suri Llamas are pretty rare. The amount of wool is similar to a Wooly, but the fibers are a bit more coarse and hang off the body in locks.
http://www.lama1.ch/en/lamas-of-switzerland/llama-types.html
I admit to being a bit prejudiced to llama fiber it was the first fiber I ever had spun. It spun so beautifully that people were amazed it was my first spinning.
My first handspun
I’ve had llama as soft as cashmere , I’ve also had llama as course and strong as navaho churro. Here are some examples of both types.
Baby llama ….soft as cashmere
Adult llama fiber…….coarser stuff 🙂
Llama top……. a bit coarse
Information from wikipedia, and lamas of switzerland.
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