Winnie Wenge Before & After

I think Winnie Wenge (wenge pronounced  weng-gay) gets the award for best shearing transformation this year.

She is such a sweet girl. Not to mention an outstanding fleece!!!

Strike a pose Winnie!

Her offical name is Arrow Acres Wenge. Her farm name is Winnie. I call her Winnie Cooper or Winnie Wenge.  She is the daughter of CCNF Smoke Ring and Geneva. Both are outstanding alpacas and she has a very bright future! 

I Wish I Had My Camera....

This morning while my mom and I were doing farm chores a osprey carrying a large fish was fighting with a bald eagle over the alpaca field. It was very cool to watch. I considered running for my camera, but didn't want to miss the show. It was very cool. I'm sorry I didn't get pictures for all of you. But I did take some pictures of some of my knits, which I'll share tomorrow for the yarn along. So today instead of a bald eagle and an osprey you'll have to settle for alpaca pictures :) 

Aren't they so cute?!

A New Addition to the Farm

The herd was all excited when they saw my parents pull up with their green trailer. They know that means something exciting is happening!  Bootiful got a front row spot to the show.

It's a new girl! Brady and Tiny were there as part of the welcoming committee.

 My parents spent the weekend in Virginia at the Breeder's Edge Alpaca Auction. Remember back a few years ago when I went with them and won Blue? If you missed it you can read about it here "Once in a Blue Moon".  This year they didn't win Bingo, but did win an alpaca by bidding on her. 

She is GORGEOUS! She is a fourteen month old medium rose gray female. Her official name is FDA Bisturi's Royal Rose Blush. She is from Flying Dutchman Alpacas in Oregon. She was owned by Amanda VandenBosch and if you know anything about the alpaca industry you will know that Amanda is a very well know alpaca judge.  

She is hanging out in quarantine with L.E. and Jatoba. Two of the worlds sweetest alpacas.

She is going to need a farm name. We usually pass around a few names until one sticks. I am calling her "Polyanna" until they decide on her real name. My sisters and I watched that movie a million times as kids and I've wanted an alpaca named Polyanna so I could yell "Polllllyyyyyaaaaannnnnaaaaa!" Just like they do in the movie. I am sure they won't call her that, but until they find a name that sticks I'm calling her that.

Jatoba is in charge of passing on her sweetness onto the new girl. L.E. just does what ever Jatoba does :) 

 The little boys think she is just beautiful. They are strutting their stuff and she is loving the attention.  Do you see Mr. Bates on the left? They will get to go to the shows together this Fall and Spring. Maybe somewhere down the road they'll have a romantic date.

Well that is enough for Polyanna right now. Don't you like that name :) 

The babies are getting so big! The three little ones will soon have even littler ones to play with soon. The Fall crias due dates are quickly approaching! I can't wait to see what else Smoke Ring has cooked up.

Maybe another Bootiful?

And just in case you snuck a peek in the picture before Tiny is sporting his new sweater I knitted and designed for him. I'll have more on that for the yarn along. But Blue said he wanted to be in this post too :) 

Tiny is still miserable from his tonsil surgery! Getting anything done is just about impossible for me, but I'm glad I got this post together!!! Hopefully I'll be back on a more regular schedule soon.

First Haircuts

Since two of the babies were not born before shearing day they got their own special day for hair cuts. Joel Mariacher came back and Bootiful and Winnie got sheared. Sapele was born before shearing day and he already had his hair cut, but I didn't want to leave him out of the pictures. He was posing so nicely.

The crias that are born before the Fall get sheared. This removes their fleece that they were born with and allows their first fleece to grow in very nicely. When they are not sheared they have what we refer to as cria tips. Their fleeces are like Velcro picking up every piece of hay and dirt on the farm. The shearers don't remove the hair from their heads, legs or umbilical area. This lets them keep their scent and helps their Mommas to still recognize them after they get their hair cuts. It has been known that some mothers will not accept their babies after they get sheared. Thankfully all mommas excepted their babies this time around.

As for the Fall crias they keep their fleeces on since they need it for warmth and will get their first haircuts in the Spring. 

Yarn Along

I've been charging away on my Fingering version of my Standing Stone's Pattern.

 

 

I am using Miss Bab's Katahdin Hand-Painted 4 ply BFL yarn in the color way "One Way". I am loving this yarn. The skein is 1750 yards! I had to break in down into two cakes. I really love the color of it and I love how the skein is so big and I don't have to worry about the color changing by switching skeins of yarn. I'm a big fan of the BIG hand-painted skein.

 

In exciting news on the farm.

 

It's another GIRL!

 

 

Meet Arrow Acres Wenge! She was named after the type of wood wenge. Pronounced (wen gay). My parents have been naming a lot of there alpacas after types of wood and she is the exact color of wenge.

 

 

She had a scary birth. She was stuck, but thankfully my sister Liz was able to deliver her safely. We are pretty sure she had a lack of oxygen from the very difficult birth and she was very weak at first. They gave her oxygen and watched her closely. I got to the farm about an hour and a half after she was born and when I got there she perked her head up and even tried to stand. It went from a huge worry to smiles! She was just waiting for her Aunt Andee to get there.  From there she just got better and better and she was up and walking all over the place! Leaving us standing jaw dropped and in amazement at her transformation. Since then she has been doing excellent. You'd never know there was a problem.

 

As for Bootiful she was so excited to have another girl around she was sprinting all over the field. It was adorable.  Sorry I didn't take any videos.

 

 

For reading I am on the second book in the Outlander Series "Dragonflies in Amber". I am loving these books and they are getting me through a lot of knitting!

 

I have a Fall Collection of knits designed and I can't wait to get them on my needles. I am not sure when I'll have the patterns ready, but I know what I'll be wearing this Fall. Now I have to go finish up my Standing Stones!

 

Happy Knitting

~Andee

 

 

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along