Combing Llama Fiber

After a moment of frustration with the socks I just finished (they were too short -- how, I don't know -- necessitating a frogging -- grr!) I decided to return to a project I mess around with off and on. I have vague plans to spin and knit a shawl for myself. Unfortunately, the amount of yarn required and the amount of preparation involved in producing said yarn means that progress is, and will be, slow. The fiber in question -- llama wool from a friend -- is full of vegetable bits, meaning that it needs much cleaning. Luckily, if I take the time to comb them free (rather than just picking them out) it is easier to spin a fine yarn. Easier is good, since I'm working with a drop spindle and the less fussing with the fiber the better.

So this weekend I have gone back to the slow process of combing the fiber. Here, for your edification, is the procedure.

I begin by taking a firm grip on the pre-carded fiber, which has been conveniently arranged into a long strip wound into a ball. About 1/2 inch is allowed to hang off to the right. (The fiber itself is only about 2-3" long, so you can't let too much loose.)




Next, I take my handy wooden comb, and comb through the tuft with the coarse side of the comb. The goal here is to untangle the fibers, cull out the noils (short fuzzy bits) and get out the worst of the vegetable bits.




I repeat that step with the fine end of the comb. Again, the goal is to tidy the fibers and clean out the junk.




I then firmly grab the combed fibers and pull. The goal is to free them from the rest of the uncombed fibers still remaining in the strip.




The coarse combing is repeated on this side.




Then the fine combing. (Yes, the comb is held differently than before; I have trouble flipping the comb over as deftly with my left hand as with the right. I'm working on it.)




Ta-dah! The finished result.




The combed fibers are carefully placed in a cooler on top of layers of newspaper. This keeps them clean and portable and safe from napping cats!



The next step is spinning. If I can figure out a way to photograph the process, I will post pictures at some point in the future!

Comments

[LiL]

This is fascinating. I hope you will figure out how to take pictures of the spinning process & post on that too!

[Rana]

I hope so too. The technical aspects are daunting. The process itself is pretty fast and needs to be kept in motion for best results(unlike this, where it's easy to pause for each step) and that makes taking pictures tricky. (The stupid digital I use has a significant lag between steps -- it's like Press. Focus. Take picture. There's no way to speed it up, alas.)

I'd also need to recruit another person to play photographer; these were done holding the camera under my chin while using the self-timer! (I'm surprised they turned out as well as they did.)