You can't spin llama!

I'm on a fair amount of spinning and fiber related groups on FB and one of the posts came up and a newbie (slang for new person or beginner) spinner was asking about llama wool to spin because someone had given her a bag full. Another member said no, only alpaca was good to spin that llamas were pack animals and their wool was no good. 

Balderdash I say! For a short summation of general wool knowledge, Merino sheep are the standard that all other wool is judged by. Alpaca and llama are members of the camelidae family along with camels, vicuna and others. There is some alpaca wool that is course and some llama wool that is soft as down. Every fiber has exceptions to the rule. Merino wool is generally finer than say Suffolk sheep, but that doesn't mean Suffolk isn't good to spin. I'll admit to being a sort of fiber snob myself, I prefer natural fibers over synthetic ones but in some instances synthetic works a lot better than natural ones depending on the application.

If someone wants to give you some fiber, for goodness sake at least try it! You just might like it. There are tons of information floating around the internet and Google can be your best friend, right up there with Youtube. You need to remember that not all information floating around in the great beyond that is the internet, is factual or accurate. Do your research and try not to rely on one source of information as being the gospel of fiber arts. Read, listen, experiment, and increase your knowledge. Take a risk but more importantly, just DO. :)