Llama / Alpaca

Scarves - Wraps

Fiber for Margaret’s llama and alpaca scarves and wraps comes from small family-run farms.  Responding by name, these animals are lovingly and devotedly raised in the United States, many within the New England area.  Luxurious fleece is washed, picked, carded, and spun by machine at small mills. Their wool/hair shrinks very little during washing and processing allowing for high yield after shearing.  Many of Margaret’s handwoven pieces are highlighted with handspun offered and spun by the same llama and alpaca farmers.  

Llamas are the largest members  of the camelid family. They originated in North America about 40 milllion years ago and migrated to the south about 3 million years ago.  They are now native to western South America.  Traditionally, they have been a beast of burden and a source of fiber and meat.  Referenced as wool but technically hair, the fiber from llamas is lanolin-free, extremely soft, remarkably light-weight and warm.  Llamas have a fine, downy undercoat and a coarse, protective outercoat containing guard hair.  Due to selective breeding, the fiber of the North American llama is more like the alpaca, who has been historically bred for fine, cashmere-like fiber, absent of guard hair.  Originally coarse, llama has been used for utilitarian items such as outerclothing, blankets, roping, and pack sacks.  Alpaca has been used primarily for clothing.  Colors range from white, grey, reddish-brown, brown, dark brown, and black.  Llamas may be solid in color or display patches of assorted colors.  

The alpaca, a small relative of the llama, is native to South America. It is believed alpacas are descended from the vicuña, which has the finest fiber in the world.  Alpacas were domesticated in the Andes mountains approximately 6000-7000 years ago for their long silky-soft hair.  There are 2 varieties of alpaca – suri and huacaya.  Suri alpacas are delicate creatures with pendulous locks of hair almost reaching the ground.  Hair is thin with a high oil content.  Huacayas are stronger, fluffier creatures with fine, crimpy fiber. Variations of white, beige, fawns, browns, blacks, and greys can amount to more than 22 natural fleece shades. 

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