Here at Hill House Llamas, we have both classic, ccara llamas and their woollier counterparts, all of whom have a fantastic fleece that is a joy to work with.  Emily, Fizz and Hattie are example of ccara llamas - they have no fleece on their legs, a shorter blanket covering their backs and more guard fibres within their coats.  Our woolly llamas - Freddie, Eric and Misja are much heavier coated.  They have a much longer blanket, hairier legs and their coats overall contain fewer guard hairs and are generally softer and slightly easier to work with.  The rest of the herd are a happy mix of both fibre type and quality.

I shear or groom all the llamas myself, storing their fleeces in cotton pillowcases until I have a use for them.  When I am ready to use their fibre, I also process it myself.  The best quality fleece is spun into yarn; the second best quality is used for felting and other crafts, whilst the poorest quality fibre is hugely popular with gardeners who buy it to wrap around tender plants in the spring, and with keen ornithologists who leave it in the garden for nesting birds to gather up and line their nests with.  We don't waste a single hair here!

If you are interested.... please click here to see the processes involved with spinning llama fibre and read the answers to questions I am most commonly asked.

If working with fibre isn't your thing, we also stock an ever-changing range of art and craft kits, as well as accessories to help make crafting a little bit more fun!