The Crafty Llama and Alpaca Knits by Peggy Gaffney is the ninth book in The Crafty Knits book series published by Kanine Knits. In this case, author/designer Peggy Gaffney moves away from the household pets of dogs and cats to take on the world of camelids, llamas and alpacas. The reason for this diversion from her usual subject is the growing market of natural yarn from these animals that is now available from North American animals. Thousands of farms across America are raising these camelids in wonderful conditions and with the best of care. That means that annually, when they must shear them in order for the animals to deal with the heat of summer, that the fleece which is incredibly soft can be spun into yarn and knit into any of the 25 designs available in this book. Since alpaca and llama come in more than 20 different natural colors, the yarn doesn't require dying and therefore is a truly green product. As with the other books in the Crafty Knits series from Kanine Knits, part of the book deals with the animals, their history and everything about their lifestyle. Many aspects of this lifestyle provide the inspiration for the 25 charted intarsia picture designs which can be knit into patterns for 25 patterns for sweaters, hats, mittens, scarves, afghans, pillows, and even a Christmas stocking. The patterns come in all sizes from infant all the way up to men's 2x. This means that you can create beautiful sweaters for the entire family picturing these animals. Designs are charted so that even relatively novice knitters who know only the knit stitch and the purl stitch will be able to complete the pattern. The joy of working on picture knits is that the beauty of the design grows more visible as each row of the sweater pattern is completed. When you have completed the design, the beauty of the picture, which you have painted with yarn as part of the sweater, will astound you.