Paca Snow Races

This is how Bootiful has fun in the snow!

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

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

 

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 :)