Llama Shearing Day: Before and After

This is what two years of llama fiber growth looks like:

In climates that are hot and humid, it's important that a llama is sheared annually every spring, but here in the cool Pacific Northwest, unless you have a show llama, every two years is pretty routine:

I'm glad that we kept Kai's coat for as long as we did. We've had a very cold and very wet winter and it didn't phase her a bit. This coat kept her toasty and dry. I was the only one to suffer with the condition of her coat, it just looked *so* bad:

Saturday was the much anticipated shearing day. Pete and Reggie were on-hand to help entice Kai back to the barn. It worked like a charm:

Kai insisted on one, last roll in the stall bedding before we began:

My trimmer is a person I met at the Camelid Herd Health Conference that I attended in early March. Adrienne has been trimming llamas for over 15 years:

It looks bad in this photo, but Adrienne told me that Kai has beautiful fiber. Considering how many llamas she sees and trims each season, my heart swelled a little bit when she said this. A mama's pride, you know...:

Chester and Beau were never more than a few feet away from Kai throughout the entire ordeal:

Such devotion:

Once the clippers started going, though, Beau and Chester gave Kai a few, final, whispered words of support...:

and then retreated - just a bit - to a safer distance:

Underneath that crusty top layer, her fiber looked just like soft cotton:

Chester would check in, every now and again, just to make sure all was in order. It really was a fascinating process to watch. Kai's fiber basically came off like a rug - in one long, heavy piece:

A few times, Kai became less than cooperative:

And attempted a number of complicated poses to keep Adrienne from touching her:

Look...pantaloons!:

I thought it was really interesting how Chester and Beau stayed so close the whole time. My handsome boys:

With the right side complete, the left side "rug" came off:

A pedicure was part of the shearing package. Now her toes are as pretty as the rest of her:

I think everyone was really happy when Adrienne packed away her buzzy tool and life at the barn could return to normal:

Now I have a feed bag-full of llama fiber:

Any fiber fanatics out there want some of this to play with :-) :

...What's that?
Oh, you want to see Kai?
:-)
Before (taken Saturday morning):
After (taken Saturday afternoon):
Isn't she lovely?

She looks like a baby to me now! (The "clipper tracks" on her sides should disappear in a few days):

She has the skinniest, little, pointy-bottom now:

You're not laughing, right, Chester? Because guess who's getting his feet done tomorrow?: