The felting needle is a special needle about three and a half inches long that has reverse barbs along its shank.
They are used to compact and tangle fibers creating the felted look without the soap, water, and mess of traditional felting. They are very sharp and very brittle and this is not a craft for young children. However, children twelve or older should have no problem with them. The needles can be used individually or as a set in the felting needle punch. This is a wooden handle that locks in four to five needles at one time for faster felting on larger projects.
You will want to use a large sponge or piece of foam rubber for a working surface. It is best to use a piece three to four inches thick so that the needle is unlikely to punch thru to your leg or the table. Begin by rolling a stack of washed wool on your foam pad and just practice different techniques with the needle. Repeated stabbing in one area will create an ever deepening hole, stabs close together in a line will create a sunken line, and needling all over in an area will reduce and firm the area. Add colors and designs by stacking more wool in various areas and "stabbing it into place". You can also needle scraps of colored yarn into your piece to create lines.
Complete instructions for making a series of projects are included in our book, The Felting Needle by Ayala Talpai. The book includes four felting needles. Extra needles and the five needle punch are also available from Quality Llama Products, Inc. We also now carry a felting needle kit that includes instructions, needles and a supply of sheep wool for practice.
Felting for Fashion
Felting is the technique of treating wool so badly that it becomes beautiful. Felt is a non-woven fabric made from animal fleece. It is created using hot water, soap, and agitation. Once felted it is impossible to "unfelt" the fabric. The wool fibers have small scales, which cause the fibers to tangle and cling to each other during the felting process. Once felted, the material can be shaped and molded into a wide variety of products including hats, sweaters, scarves, and toys. Various colors can be felted together to create wall hangings and patterns in clothing without the use of seams.
Quality Llama Products, Inc. carries several books on felting that include such varied projects as hats, slippers, puppets and stuffed toys. Felting is a simple technique that can be mastered by young children and is a fun, safe activity for the entire family. Felting is an inexpensive hobby as it does not require any special tools or supplies to make beautiful projects.
Locker Hooking
Locker hooking uses raw wool and mess to make wall hangings, rugs, and bags. It is a great way to use up scraps and the not quite perfect wool and is easy enough for anyone to master. The material is similar to a hook rug canvas and generally has large, quarter inch holes. The needle is about six inches long and has a hook on one end and a large eye on the other end. Scrap yarn is threaded thru the eye for tying the wool in place. Raw wool is held under the canvas and using the hook end of the needle, pull a loop of wool up thru the holes and then pull the needle thru the loop. The yarn will hold the wool in place and prevent it from pulling back thru the hole. After the piece is hooked it can be left as is, felted, or brushed for varying effects. There is an excellent book on locker hooking available from Quality Llama Products, Inc and we also have beginning locker hooking kits as well as all the supplies you need.
Rope Making
The taravia is an ancient Egyptian leather spinning tool and is used today in Mexico to manufacture horsehair rope. Our modern taravia are handmade from hardwood and are sold in a set of three different sizes. This simple tool can be used to make everything from fine jewelry cords to heavy horse ropes. The material you used and the number of times you ply it will determine the size of the finished product.
To make ropes you will need roving, yarn, or poly cording. You need an anchor point for one end of the material. This can be a tree, a post, a doorknob, or a hook in the wall. Hook two pieces of roving or yarn to the base point 
and the other ends are hooked to the taravia. Once all cords are attached move away from the anchor point the length of your project and begin to rotate the taravia clockwise. Rotate until the pieces are wrapped and almost hard to the feel. Tie this piece to a second anchor point and make two more cords using the same technique. Next you can take these three cords and using the same process wrap them around each other counter clockwise. Tie off each end or attach a snap to one end and you have a rope! You can also take these lengths of rope and weave them into rugs or wall hangings. 
It takes some coordination to get the hang of the spinning and to learn how to keep the right tension but in no time at all you can be making your llama and alpaca wool into beautiful lead ropes, hatbands, or jewelry depending on the size and weight of material used.
If you and your friends would like to learn the ancient art of rope making first hand classes are available. Eight people or more can request a class in your area by calling Harry Hudlow at 509-787-3363. He would be happy to come to your area for a one day hands on class. Cost will vary with class size and location.
Rug Weaving
There are many ways to make woven rugs that do not require a lot of special equipment. The round wheel rug loom is the simplest loom available. You can use it to make rugs using the rope you create with the taravia, wool mill ends, yarn, or even raw wool that can be felted after it is woven. The round beginners loom can be used easily by children as young as 
four or five or can be used by seasoned weavers to make unique patterns and designs. Even the "non-mechanical" person can easily make simple looms from materials found around the house.It is limited only by your imagination. As your skills increase you may want to move up to the rigid heddle loom or the table top loom which can be used to make fabric in unlimited styles and designs. 
Quality Llama Products, Inc carries several books on weaving. One of our most popular books is the book Small Looms in Action which offers several projects for beginning weavers as well as instructions for making your own small looms. Another excellent book on weaving is The Ashford Book of Rigid Heddle Weaving.
Hand Spinning
Spinning is the most well known use of wool. Spinning can be done on a spinning wheel, with a drop spindle, or with a support spindle. It is the process of twisting strands of wool so that they lock together in a continuous strand. The resulting yarn can be used for weaving, knitting, crocheting, or other types of craft projects. 
For the beginning spinner the drop spindle or the support spindle offer excellent ways to learn the craft with the least financial investment. 
Drop spindles use the law of gravity to help create the spun fiber. Used by ancient shepherds, some form of drop spindle can be found in nearly every culture throughout history. You can create your own or purchase beautiful, hand made spindles in a wide variety of sizes and styles. The support spindle is similar to the drop spindle however, as the name implies, it is generally supported in some way rather than dropped. While drop spindles by nature general require that you be standing to make them work correctly, the support spindle can easily be used while seated. Again, support spindles can be as simple as a bowl or as complex as our precision travel spindle. An excellent guide to learn to use the drop spindle and the support spindle is the book Spindle Spinning from Novice to Expert found in the Quality Llama Products, Inc. catalog.
Quality Llama Products, Inc. also offers two different drop spindle kits. The basic kit has wool, spindle, and written instructions. The deluxe kit also includes an instructional video for the more visual learner.
Spinning wheels are available in a wide variety of styles and sizes. We prefer the Ashford spinning wheels for ease of use and its ability to ply and make novelty yarns. The traditional wheel is a great beginners wheel but is also preferred by many advanced spinners. If you travel a lot with your wheel the Joy spinning wheel folds into a compact package 
and can be placed in the cordura carry bag sold separately for ease of transport. The bag is well padded and has multiple pockets for taking all of your tools and supplies to class or on a trip.
Spinning classes are often available from craft centers at local colleges or thru the local spinning gild. To find a spinning gild in your area call your local chamber of commerce or county extension office. Spinning with a spinning wheel is very relaxing and once mastered, can be done while watching television or enjoying a day on the beach. There are many excellent books on spinning as well as some outstanding videos. Quality Llama Products, Inc. also has videos dealing with dying and weaving wool once it has been spun so that you can create an unlimited number and variety of projects. For production spinning, Quality Llama Products, Inc. also offers electronic spinners.
Weaving
Weaving can be as simple as inter-weaving rag strips into a rug to inter-lacing fine silk into elegant fabric. When purchasing a loom you need to think about the type of fabric you want to create. The loom will be identified by a size specification, such as 24 inch. This indicates the maximum width of the fabric the loom is capable of creating. The loom may also be identified by the number of heddles. The more heddles, the more threads you can string onto the loom and the more intricate a pattern you can create. Many people are intimidated by weaving as it has its own vocabulary and appears to be complicated. In reality, the hardest part of weaving is learning the vocabulary. 
If you start with a simple rigid heddle loom and understand the basic concept you will quickly be able to move to a larger four or eight heddle loom. Quality Llama Products, Inc. carries an outstanding book for beginning weavers title, Learning to Weave. This book begins with basic vocabulary and is full of detailed diagrams and photos in an easy to understand format. We highly recommend it for those ready to move to a full size loom.
Craft Stands
Quality Llama Products, Inc. offers two styles of craft stands for your hand work projects. The solid oak e-z 
stitch lap stand is made for doing needle work using both hands. The base is arranged so that you can sit on it to hold it firmly in place. 12 inch capacity can be increased to 22 inches using the adapter bars sold separately. Light weight and portable it makes a perfect travel companion.
The floor stand is for larger projects. Includes a 16" scroll frame with adjustable height and angle that pivots 360 degrees. Purchase just the stand or the 
complete set which includes optional supply box, graph holder, and storage bin. This is a perfect stand for locker hooking and needlepoint.
Nancy Chlarson - Quality Llama Products, Inc.