Yarn Along & Alpacas

I've actually had a ton of projects on my needles lately. I was so proud of myself for only having one sweater on my needles. Suddenly I'm drowning in WIPS! I did some quick gift knitting and I never got pictures :( 

I have three sweaters on my needles. One for me, one for my son and one for my nephew.  They are all big wads of yarn right now and hard to photograph. Sorry for no pictures in progress, but I did have to share my stash enhancements. I got this wonderful Rowan Fine Tweed. It is so fun. I will be using it in one of my new patterns and I can't wait to start working with it. There are so many colors to pick from I wanted to buy the whole bowl when I was in Chelsea Yarns.

For reading I am still listening to the audiobook "Voyager" it is the third book in the Outlander Series. I love it! I wish I could figure out how I can have more time to knit and listen to it. Over the Summer I was getting up very early and knitting and listening to my audiobook while having my coffee before the kids got up. I got a solid two hours of knitting in before 7:30 am. But now to get the kids to school in time I don't get my morning knitting time, then so much is happening after school I can't find much time to knit before I am so tired and have to go to bed.  I am thinking about not working on Fridays and devoting the day to knitting and working on my patterns. We'll see if that works out..... fingers crossed.

I am loving this cooler weather!!! I think the alpacas like it too. We've been halter training the little guys so they will be ready to go to the shows this Fall. They are so funny to watch as they learn to be walked on a lead. I wish everyone could walk an alpaca every day it makes me smile. I love those fuzzy critters.

Some random pictures at the farm.

Happy Knitting!

ps- if you are in the New Jersey area and want to come meet these alpacas my parents are having a big open house as part of National Alpaca Farm Days. The open house is on Saturday September 27th & Sunday September 28th from 10:00 - 4:00. For directions you can visit their website Arrow Acres Farm.

Joining with Ginny's Yarn Along

Can They Fly?

There are good days and then there are GREAT days. Today was a great day at Arrow Acres Farm.

We welcomed a new member of the herd! 

 

Arrow Acres Sacagawea "Wea" gave birth to a healthy baby GIRL! Yes after 7 grandsons and 7 male crias in a row my parents have been blessed with a girl. Not only is she a girl she is a gray girl!

 

Obviously the rest of the herd was just as excited as we were!

 

When my parents started with their alpaca venture my grandmother "Mommom" was going through a difficult time with her health. She was spending a lot of time in the hospital and then to rehab and then back to the hospital. Old age wasn't kind to her body, but her Spirit never grew old. Unfortunately they didn't age at the same rate.

 

So while she was spending all this time in the hospital my mom was by her side. They talked about my mom's alpacas and it was a great thing to focus on during such a difficult time. My grandmother told all the nurses and doctors about the alpacas. If you ever met my grandmother you would instantly love her and know she had a thing about her that glowed. It was infectious.

 

As her health declined and she was put on more and more pain medications she asked my mother one day in the hospital "Dee Dee do the alpacas fly?"  This brought my mother to tears she was laughing so hard. Her response was, "No they don't fly!!!"

Realizing that my grandmother had never actually seen an alpaca, despite all the conversations she had about them, my mom realized she had to do something about that. So she brought her a small alpaca toy.  She kept that alpaca with her until her last day. 

 

Before my grandmother passed away she asked to have the first cria to be named Sacajawea. My grandmother was a girl scout leader and that is the name of our local girl scout camp. Of course her request was granted and the first born cria on the farm was named in her honor.

 

So now that it was Sacajawea's turn to give birth we prayed and prayed and prayed for a gray female.  My parents are working on a gray breeding program with their alpacas. To make that program successful they need gray alpacas.  So they have been selecting just the right alpacas and making just the right matches and today they got just what they ordered!

 

 

The gestation time for an alpaca is 11-1/2 months. To me that is just about a forever wait!

 



 

There isn't anything wrong or bad about having boys. But having girls means you can breed them and make more alpacas.  In other words make and sell more alpacas.

 

Since the last 7 crias have been boys they all need some girl friends.

But not this guy.

 

Well at least for this little girl. This is her half brother. Their light rose gray father CCNF Smoke Ring has really outdone himself with these two!

He is a whole 3 weeks and already being a pesty big brother to his one and a half hour old little sister.

In a few weeks they will be able to keep up with each other and I know they will be running a muck all over the farm.

 

Geneva is also due with a CCNF Smoke Ring baby and of course our fingers are crossed for another gray girl. I told her to take a good look at the baby and make one just like her.

 

Anna you too.

 

 

If alpacas could hold and cuddle a new born I think it looks like this.

 

So Arrow Acres Bootiful made her grand entrance today and we love her!  I also enjoyed thinking of my Mommom so much today :) I thank her for Wea who was born 6/2/11 and now for her baby who was born 6/1/14. I'll make sure Wea gets a few extra carrots tomorrow for her birthday :) 

Shearing Day 2014

Joel Mariacher and his shearing team showed up at the farm last night to turn the big fluffy alpacas into funny skinning looking creatures. We started shearing last night and finished up today.

Didn't I tell you it is so hard not to laugh at them!

 

Little baby Sapele was as good as gold getting his hair cut.

 

Remember this guy? We kept insisting he was gray.

 

People didn't believe us.....but

 

Look at him now!!!!

 

That is a gray alpaca if I've ever seen one!

 

CCNF Smoke Ring got extra treatment for his hair cut since he is and needs to look like the macho herdsire that he is.

 

Of course Blue was very well behaved for his hair cut too.

 

 

Look at all that gray fleece!!!!

 

 

Although I didn't think I worked too hard this year. Apparently I did because I fell asleep at the bus stop waiting for Brady! As soon as I stopped moving I crashed!  Now it is time to get all those fleeces ready to be spun into yarn!

 

Today

 

When I got up it was dark.

 

I went to the gym.

 

Then it got lighter out.

 

Then I went to the farm (even though it was still kind of dark).

 

 

Then it was actually sunny, which made farm chores pleasurable.

 

 

 

 

I was done with farm chores by 8:30 am and as I was walking to our truck it started raining.

Then it started to thunder.

Thunder in January???

 

 

 

On the way home it was down pouring.

When I got home there was a rainbow.

 

 

 

Then it started to rain / sleet / snow. A wintery mix as the weather people like to call it.

 

Then I went to the grocery store.

 

It started to rain hard again.

 

Then it got sunny again.

Then it got dark and I watched the Priority Alpaca Auction on my computer while it was going on live in Las Vegas. I was glad to see my alpaca Blue's relatives sell for so much $$$.

Good bloodlines :)

 

Now it is really dark and cold and we have a fire going to warm up the house. I knitted a hat, ripped it out, knitting it again, and I think I'm going to rip it out again.

 

In other words it was a crazy, yet good day.  Nothing bad happened.

 

I was so jealous of my sister and cousin because they spent the day at Vogue Knitting Live in NY! I was on Instagram following her the whole day. I wish I was there. Maybe next year, or maybe next year I'll be in Vegas for the Priority Auction, but I'm pretty sure I'll be home taking care of the alpacas. That is something I can't complain about. I love those fuzzy faces.

 

 

 

 

 



TIDAL WAVE a lace wrap

I released a new pattern!

 

TIDAL WAVE

a lace wrap

 

 

 

 

 

My lovely friend Ryan came over to model my new pattern for me.

Since the wrap is made of 100% alpaca yarn I thought the alpacas should be included in the photo shoot.

I designed the scarf using a pattern made up of knits, purls, yarn overs and a few purl togethers.

I wanted a lace pattern that wasn't a very open lace. I wanted it to be able to hang over my shoulders and cover me up at times.  I didn't want it to be too transparent, but I'm sure if you wanted to make this on larger needles it would give you a much more open lace feel.

Ono was very interested in the photo shoot, but didn't think getting too close to the model

was a very good idea.

 

 

The babies might not have wanted to get too close, but the big girls were very interested and made sure to check out both Ryan and the wrap.

 

Ryan with her herd of alpacas hee hee

Finally one of the kids came around and wanted to find out more about the model.

Do you see how comfy the wrap looks just draped over her shoulders? That is how I like to wear it.

 

Arrow wasn't shy about getting his picture taken.

 

 

 We went over to see Maggie. She is always up to have her picture taken.

 

 

Ryan is also a photographer and a picture she took of Maggie was used for the cover of

our local paper. It was such a fun picture I thought I had to get a picture of the two of

them together.

 

 

So whether you want to wear the Tidal Wave as a wrap, scarf, bundled around your neck or even over your lap it is warm and comfy and I really enjoyed knitting it.

 

The yarn I used was Shibui baby alpaca dk.

The color I used was Mineral.  I had made a shawl with this same color a while back and it is my most worn hand knit. It goes with everything. Which I love.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's yarn choices for this knit!

 

Pattern here- Tidal Wave

Yarn here- Chelsea Yarns

joining Ginny's Yarn Along