Wrapped up in llama

This "skirting table" is covered with fiber - llama fur, if you will - from Eubie. We sheared Eubie about this time last year before shuttling him to his new owner, Norma, a dear friend in Virginia.

For Christmas, I spun yarn from Eubie's fiber and knit it into a shawl for Norma. Although Norma received her Christmas gift late, she bragged on it and has drummed up some business for me.

The fiber on this table is the last of the fiber we sheared off Eubie last year. The idea is that the washed fiber is spread out on the screen so most of the the short cuts and the trash fall through, leaving the good fiber suitable for spinning.

Fiber - from wool to polyester - is measured in microns. Eubie's fiber is pretty darn sweet llama fiber. Sooo soft. I'll soon be busy spinning and knitting it into another cozy wrap. The timing is just about perfect since we'll soon be visiting again for Eubie's annual shearing.

Periodically, people who raise llamas will get a call from someone who has decided to reduce their heard or can't take care of them any longer or something along those lines. We got one of those calls last year about Eubie. Norma had been talking about possibly getting a guard llama for her goats. When we received a call about someone wanting to give away a young male, we checked into it.

There are basically two types of people when it comes to llamas. Those who see them and are immediately captivated by them and those who just don't get the llama thing at all. Those who know llamas can spot a winning personality pretty easily. A winning confirmation for an excellent show llama is a different matter.

When you walk into a pasture and can wrap you arm around a llama's neck, you know you've got a special personality. With male llamas, you need to be sure that they weren't handled too much as cria. If so, they might mistake your for a llama and become difficult to handle.

We took Eubie home, sheared him and kept him about a month before taking him to his new home. He was such a charmer. It was hard to give him away.

So here I am. Getting ready to spin the rest of last year's Eubie fleece and looking forward to seeing Norma and Eubie. I'll try to get a photo of them and the shawl I knit for Norma to share after our visit.

In the meantime, if you know of anyone who needs to find a home for llama, keep the llama rescue in mind. The "Eubies" of the world need and deserve a good home.