One of the fun – and challenging – things about working with my own herd’s fleece is figuring out the best use for each fiber.  Not only according to fineness – or micron count – but also by consistency and color.

I once wrote that I treasured Belle’s fleece over those of her darker cousins Briza and Bixa due to all the possibilities.  I was thinking of dyeing possibilities.  However, after working with Belle’s fiber, I would not think of dyeing it.  Her fiber is so incredibly white with a great deal of brightness to it.  This is a hat made from Belle’s fiber – knit from yarn that I handspun, then felted. 

This is actually the second hat made from Belle’s fleece – the first one sold less than 24 hours after I finished it!   

Briza and Bixa – the girls actually are cousins –  have great fiber shared, along with Belle, in their common Portland Kidd ancestry.  However, their darker colors do limit the possibilities for the use of their fiber.

Acer’s fiber is one that I am dyeing.  He is classified as “beige” and the yarn from his fiber has an off-white look to it.  It will be very pretty over-dyed in various colors. 

These batts are from Acer’s raw fleece.  I washed, dyed and carded the fiber in preparation for felting and/or spinning.  His beige color gives a heathered look to the dyed fiber.

 Alder’s fleece may also be headed for the dye pot.  While I have had great success selling hats made from his medium fawn fleece, he is turning much lighter as he ages.  I think that items made from this year’s shearing will not have that pretty blend of dark, medium and light fawn that characterized his earlier fleece.  His overall color is now closer to Acer’s.

Regardless of the color, the fiber is always wonderful to work with and determining the best characteristics of each one is part of the fun.

I want to wish a happy holiday season  to those of all faiths and cultural backgrounds who take part in special celebrations at this time of year.  May we carry with us into the new year the good cheer and generosity of the season.

They were moved out and up the hill to a small field shelter – actually an 8 x 8 storage shed.  They can see the barn but are no longer a part of the activity there.  I prepared for any possible weather extremes by purchasing sufficient light livestock panels to set up a stall in the barn where they could be brought in and put under the fans during periods of excessive heat or sheltered from the wind in case of a blizzard.

I am pleased to say that not only did the big boys adjust well to their new area, but I did not need to move them into the barn at all during the past year.  They seem to be very content – they have their little hut for shelter and appear to spend most nights sleeping inside.

 They have plenty of room to run---

Plenty of shade in summer---

Shelter from the blowing snow in winter---

 The reason for moving the big boys out was to make room in the barn for my male weanling Cosmos who has not been quite as happy this past year.  He seems to have never “gotten over” his abrupt weaning by his mom Barbi and he seems to miss his cria mates Calla and Cynara.

This is how Cosmos spends his “spare time”.  He is always hanging out at the gate to his stall, looking across the center aisle at the girls.  The girls pretty much ignore him.  They are allowed to roam through the barn while I do my AM chores and they pay scant attention to Cosmos as they walk by his stall.

I am pleased that this past year has gone well for Acer and Alder and now, as we head into winter, I will be more relaxed about the big boys as they appear to be quite happy with their little hut, their pastures, and their daily routine.

17 November 2011 – I wrote in my last posting how alpacas appear to understand what is said to them.  I saw an example of this the other day.

When I get up in the morning, I look out the back windows toward the girls’ side of the barn.  Usually they are cushed on their porch or in their dry lot area.  (Our alpacas are confined at night to their stall/paddock areas).  However, on a recent morning, the girls were up in one of the little boys’ pastures – having a great time, running all about.  The gate to their lane had inadvertently been left open and apparently they had just discovered this.  The little boys and their llama were standing at the end of their lane, behind the gate, watching as the girls ran about.

As I walked up to the pasture, the girls saw me and began to gather together in a bunch.  “What are you girls doing up here” I said.  “You know you’re not supposed to be here”.  Without any further action from me – and without their command to “walk” – their usual marching order – they began running down to their own stall/paddock area.  They knew they weren’t supposed to be in the boys’ pasture and fully understood that I was admonishing them.  

So while they may not understand the exact words that are said to them – they certainly do grasp the exact idea that is being conveyed .

Smart girls!

I now know that Jack does take his job seriously.  I recently was giving Petey a series of daily oral medication.  Now Petey is cooperative with all aspects of herd health except for oral meds – he does not like having yucky tasting stuff pushed into his mouth.  Giving oral meds to Petey involves a wild two-step dance all around the stall as I hold his head still while the rest of him dances about.  We were in the midst of this wild two-step when I heard a low growl just behind my ear.  I turned and there was Jack – 400 pounds of menacing llama up close.  I quickly reassured Jack that I was not hurting his alpaca.  (Camelid owners will know that they do appear to understand what is said to them!).  Jack backed off but for the remainder of the series of daily doses of Petey’s meds, Jack kept a close and watchful eye.

He does indeed take his job seriously.

I have been giving Ella a special senior feed to get some added nutrition into her and this is the sight that greets me each morning as I arrive at the barn.

 Ella knows that I will soon be holding out a bowl for her with her own special feed.    While I sometimes bring Ella into the barn center aisle and put her bowl on the floor, she prefers to remain outside and for me to hold the bowl up for her.  So I take the time to do this for Ella each morning and evening. 

As Ella is approaching the end of the normal life span for llamas, I know our days with her are numbered.  So I treasure the times that I can do little things for her to add quality to her life.  And I will miss her so much when she is gone.

Our foundation females are quality girls with impressive pedigrees, each with a different look and each bringing different attributes to our herd.  They live as stress-free a life as we can give them with careful attention given to their diet, health, and daily well-being.

 Glenstone’s China Girl

Color- Beige

ARI – 30399747                             

DOB – 10/15/05

Dam – Enchantment’s Corona

Sire – Elk Hercules

China is a great foundation female who passes along density and perfect conformation to her offspring.  Quiet and shy, she is a doting mom and does not like to let her cria out of her sight.

 On a warm summer’s day when the other dams are lazily chewing cud in front of the fan, China will be out in the pasture watching over all the crias.

China's ancestry includes PPPeruvian Kenamori Gold on her sire's side and Royal Fawn/Dom Lucilio on her dam's side. 

Awards: Never shown

Glenstone’s M-O-Lee

Color-Light Fawn

ARI-1237092                

DOB-5/18/05

Dam – Maizie                             

Sire – PPeruvian Felix

 This full Peruvian, half accoyo beauty is another great foundation female.  She has an elegant head with a beautiful topknot, and fineness in her fleece.  She delivers easily and produces an abundance of milk for her crias. However, she does not hover over her crias, but is always there when they want to nurse.  Her offspring tend to be independent and out-going.

 M-O-Lee is our barn princess.  On a summer’s day, she will head into the stall early and position herself just so. In such a way that when I show up to open the stall door and roll the fan over, she is in perfect position to get maximum effect from the breeze and woe to anyone else who tries to take over her space.

Her ancestry on her dam's side includes PPPeruvian Augusto and Peruvian Chocolateer. 

 Awards – Never shown

 RA Barbi

Color -Medium Fawn

ARI – 30897083     

DOB - 5/9/06

Dam - Guava

Sire - The Portland Kidd

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          This 1/2 This girl is the total package.  She is the one that almost every visitor to our farm will comment on.  Even those who know nothing about alpacas will notice and comment on Barbi.  She brings those fantastic Portland Kidd fleece characteristics to our herd with her incredible fineness and density. She has perfect conformation and a beautiful head. 

As a maiden, Barbi was aloof and had little patience with the other girls' crias.  However when she delivered her own first cria, she immediately began clucking to her baby and was very attentive, unlike our other maidens who appeared confused by the appearance of their first crias.  We look forward to more beautiful babies from Barbi who has everything that we look for in a foundation female.

Sired by The Portland Kidd, son of PPeruvian Leon, her ancestry on her dam's side includes The Gentleman and Hemingway.

 Awards –2nd VAOBA - 2007 Full Fleece Halter

              4th PAOBA - 2007 Full Fleece Halter

                        Shadowberry Farm Alpacas

    Tom & Nancy Imphong~73 Biddle Rd.~Carlisle, PA 17015

My first year with alpacas, I learned to knit.  The next year I learned to weave.  Then came spinning.  This year I have learned to crochet and made several sets of these cute coasters in various colors.

Then, in the colors in my stash that were too somber for coasters, I made felted cell phone jackets.  These are in various sizes for various sized phones and i-pod type devices.  I like the ones with the loop – I loop the jacket through my belt and slide my phone into it. 

 I really like these buttons.  They are from The Ram’s Horn Studio in Mayville, NY.  They are hand-cast from solid pewter and are, of course, made in the USA.  I was referred to them by someone I met at a recent fiber festival – she thought they would be just the thing for my purses but I am finding many other uses for these really nice buttons which come in various sizes and styles.

I made several felted hats and purses from Alder’s fleece over the summer and then decided to try a scarf.  I wish I know how to photograph a scarf well - I am unable to get a photo that conveys what I like about this scarf.  It has a nice feel in hand and while it would never be mistaken for angora, it is softer than any wool scarf I have ever felt – not bad coming from a grade 4 fiber boy!

 

I then found a pattern I liked for a crocheted flower.  These are really quick – especially the leaves.  This is a nice change of pace from hats and scarves that have been occupying much of my time lately.

 How about a whole bunch of flowers?

These cute little brooches are so quick and easy to make – they are addictive!

The Endless Mountain Fiber Festival will be held Sept 10-11 at the Harford Fairgrounds in Harford, PA.  A fiber festival is similar to a craft show with the emphasis on fiber arts, fiber animals and products. 

In the words of the organizers of this event:

“The festival is a celebration of Fiber Animals and related items. The event includes: raw and processed fibers, yarn, clothing, fiber arts and crafts, sheep skin products, and spinning and weaving supplies. There are vendors, exhibitors, animals, workshops and demonstrations. Vendors participate from throughout the Northeastern United States.”

There will be sheep, alpacas, llamas and angora rabbits present.  I am not taking any of my alpacas, but the booth next to me - Endless Mountain Alpacas - should have some of their alpacas there for me to visit for a quick paca fix.  I will also make a point of stopping by to see the llamas that will be there from Snowy Oaks Fiber & Llamas.  Their llamas look so dignified in their traditional Quechuan headgear.

Last year, at this festival, was the first time I had been anywhere as a vendor.  It was such a great experience and I am looking forward to another great weekend there. 

 http://pafiberfestival.com

 Our M-O-Lee does not handle clover in the pasture very well.  Too much clover gives her an upset stomach and I have to give her Maalox which she does not like.  I know how bad she is feeling when she lets me sit next to her, stroke her neck, and tell her how sorry I am that she is sick.  Usually she would not tolerate this familiarity!

Here is a picture of our poor sick M-O-Lee – like most females when she is feeling rotten, she does not look her best!  She is actually a very pretty girl.

So although the pasture is revived –the clover is also revived - and we must continue to keep a close eye on M-O-Lee.