Llama

Remember that little post about the difference (or lack thereof) between alpacas & llamas?   This is the second part of the moment that was in preparation for.  The first one was here.

 

Also.  A joke: What do you call a very fast llama?  A llamagini!

 

Llamas are double-coated animals (much like my beloved pug, Layla), which means they have coarser guard hairs at the surface of their coats and a soft and silky undercoat.  The guard hairs are removed from the fiber and only the undercoat is used to make yarn. 

 

Cool Llama Facts:

• The llama could be considered a relative of camels, alpacas, vicunas, and guanacos.  Apparently, these little guys get around.
• They are natives of South America, and were brought to North America as zoo novelties.  They later became packing and companion animals.
• Llama fiber is clean, odorless, lightweight provides remarkable warmth with outstanding insulating capabilities without bulk and is lanolin-free.
• Llama fiber also shrinks very little during washing or processing and is hypoallergenic.

My Llama Yarn:

This is Mirasol Miski in Black Beauty.  It is soft and squishy and made some of the loveliest and simple mittens I have ever seen. 

Texture:  I think I've used the words "soft" and "squishy" a million times in this post.  There's a reason for that.  Holy cow!  It's amazing.  5 Yarngasms.
Durability: It started as a fiber to make blankets for herders in South America.  I think it can handle a little wear and tear.  You know, be reasonable. Don't wear them around the cheese grater or anything.  But normal winter wear should be a-ok.  3.5 Yarngasms.
Frogability: After too much fussing, the twist starts to unravel.  Try to frog it as little as possible if you want to maintain the integrity of the yarn. 1.5 Yarngasms.
Drape: This stuff is pretty springy.  There's enough drape for a slouchy hat, but not enough for any sort of open-work garment.  Llama yarn laughs in the face of gravity. 1 Yarngasm.

I've also knit with Elsebeth Lavold

My Project:

This one’s from way back when.  Around Christmas to be exact, during the mad gift knitting dash. 

I knit the Basic Cuff-Up Mittens by Patti Pierce Stone (Ravelry link).  I was looking for a simple, no-nonsense mitten pattern; mostly because I wasn't entirely sure how well the sqishable, dark yarn would be able to highlight any stitch pattern.  What I ended up with was a delightful and practical little knit.