My best friend and I have known each other for most of our lives.
We’ve been each other’s confidants through our highs and lows. We have been through school, college and lack thereof, marriages, divorces, deaths, illnesses, children, hurricanes, and careers, looking out for each other. Her presence in my life is the sister I never had.
So, when after 37 years, she asks me to make this llama, you bet your ass I’m making this llama! And then I looked at the FREE pattern, found on Red Heart’s website, and almost started to cry. This is not a pattern for an amateur or for the faint of heart. Unless you like a challenge, in which case, make it! It’s a rewarding experience to not only create to, but also to put it together.
The llama and blanket are crocheted and sewn together in 12 steps. The most tedious part of the project is actually the special “fur stitch” which gives the llama its texture. The fur stitch consists of a chain of 10 that is looped back and single crocheted back to the round. Once the project gets going, there are sixty stitches per round. When you sit down to do the math as to just how many crochet stitches you made, there’s like, 2 billion stitches.
I made a few errors and omissions(the llama has a bald spot on the back of it’s head!), but it had nothing to do with the instructions. They are very well written and easy to understand for someone comfortable with a challenging project. I used a 3.75mm hook and a large amount of Caron’s One Pound Yarn in Taupe and some scrap yarn to make the serape.