A Special Gift

The last four years I was in 4-H, I was a part of the Llama club, and those were the *best* four years of my 10 years in 4-H!

I know it sounds strange, but I love llamas and they are my favorite animal. People are like ”eww, don’t they spit on you?”  Only if you make them mad. 😉 (or with the first llama I showed, when you made her do stuff she didn’t want to do.)

They have so much personality, and are so lovable, and soft, and wonderful…at least to me! 🙂

My first llama I showed was Lorelei,

Big black and very sociable. While trying to work with  her she would not always be a good llama and walk normally, quite often she tried to rub on me while we were supposed to be walking.

She was quite the spitter!  When I made her do what she didn’t want to do, she would start spitting at me, I would then hug her neck until she stopped so she could not get it on me.
And the day that I won grand champion over all in costume class, she spit at me right in the face…oh the memories! The stinky green, slobbery memories! 😉

I showed her for 2 years.

       The next 2 years I showed Annie.

(And for those of you who are wondering, the “Mike” sticker was one I got at the fair, it was for Mike Pence who was running for Governor. 🙂 )

Very adorable and very soft. 🙂 Not a spitter like Lorelei, but we still had our times of frustration, and I still had my work cut out for me since she had never been shown before.

But even in the midst of that, we had many, many good times together.

I had so much fun with this costume, and she did so well in accepting it! On my way back to the llama tent after getting changed into my policewomen costume, I had a little boy salute me. 🙂 That was quite funny!

Lots of work? Oh yeah!!! And in fact, the first year or two of llama I considered quitting, or at least couldn’t wait for it to be over with, but I am so glad I didn’t! Because believe me, on show day…every ounce of frustration, blood, sweat, and tears is so worth it! It’s SO much fun! 🙂

My last year, we were clowns, and won! 🙂 (Might I add with much help from our wonderful, llama club leaders! 🙂 )

Sometimes it can get quite interesting dressing your llama in pants that are supposed to fit people, not llamas, 😉 and not only making them fit, but putting them on! But we made it work and Annie was such a good girl and let me put all this crazy stuff on her! 🙂

Those 4 years in llama were and are very special to me! (That probably sounds ridiculous…oh well! 😉 )

So, last year when the club leaders sheared their llamas for the summer, they asked me if I wanted Loreleis and Annie’s wool…YES!

I bounded (okay, drove), home with several bags of wool, put them away in a safe place (because it was 4-H fair time, and fair time is no time to start a new project…well, unless your trying to get it done for the fair! 🙂 ), and there it sat for several months.

I thought about cleaning and carding it myself, but it would be a long and learning process because I don’t really know how to. So, I went to the expert! Or, I guess I should say I referred my family to the expert.

On my Christmas list, I put down that they could have the wool spun into some yarn for me and referred them to a friend who does that type of stuff really well!

I had forgotten that I put that on my list, but low and behold on Christmas morning, I opened a box that had all this llama yarn in it! At first, I was like “huh, what is this?” But that quickly turned into realization of what wonderfulness was before my very eyes! 😉

It smelled like llamas, it was both of my llamas wool spun together, and there were still just a few pieces of hay in the yarn…I. was. Elated!!!! 🙂

This past week I set out to make something from the yarn that I could use, but first I had to turn the nice looking shanks into balls of yarn so it would be a lot easier to use.

I started knitting…

…and finished one hand warmer. And then I knitted and knitted some more…

…and finished the second one!

 

Sewed up the sides…

 

And Wah-Lah!!!

Some nice, cozy, memory filled, hand warmers!

If I could, I would own both of those llamas…at least one of them! Or at least a llama! 😉 But for now, I will remember all the happy years we had together and keep my hands warm with their wool!

~Cassia

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