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Elisabeth's Llama Ranch
Fiber
We are proud to have a small herd of Alpacas which we keep for their fiber only. Although llamas were domesticated for pack and companion animals the undercoat of the classic llama and the 'new' breeds have wonderful fiber. We are proud to have llamas with fine hair to be harvested every year.
Llama and Alpaca fiber is warmer, lighter and stronger than sheep's wool, and offers a vast array of natural colors. There is no lanolin in their fleece and it is non-irritating to the skin. People who can't wear or work with sheep's wool usually find these garments or fleeces a joy. Llama and Alpaca fibers are sought after by hand spinners, knitters, weavers, and fiber artists.
Shearing to the finished products
We like to shear our animals late spring, early summer, when the cold nights are gone and if possible the mosquito season has not yet started. At that time the Alpacas will have grown back their full fleece. While a llama takes up to two years to fully grow back its hair, many will have grown an acceptable length with in one year to work with. Another and no less important reason why we will shear our camelids is the summer heat. We like to know that they are comfortable and that the air can reach all the critical areas of their body.
On shearing day we start blowing dust and vegetation out of the llama/alpaca hair. Then the shearing begins. Depending on the animal we take everything from top to toe or we only clip the blanket (or saddle) or a more elaborate cut where shoulders and hips are shorn too.
Over the following weeks we will sort the fiber by quality and color, in some cases decide right away if we want to blend some fleeces together, and if so, which ones. The fiber is then picked to eliminate as much vegetation as possible and washed by hand afterwards. From here on we use a local mill to process the fiber. Some of it will come back as rovings (tube shaped carded fiber) for spinners or for felting, or spun into yarn for knitters or weavers. It's always exciting to see the transformation of these wonderful fleeces which come in a multiple variety of colors. At the farm we will kettle dye a limited quantity of yarns.
We hand knit smaller items like hats, mittens, and wrist warmers. The scarves, shawls and throws are hand woven by Klaske Boersma, a local weaver artist.
Visit the Yarn and Gift page or contact us for availability. Shop at the farm by appointment or chance only, or visit us at a market.
Phone: Local, including Ottawa 613-774-1514