Lucca

A while ago I finished my Lucca Shawl but I never shared it on the Yarn Along.  I was hoping to get a few pictures of me wearing it with Treasure & Lily the two alpacas who's fleeces I used to make this pi shawl. But that hasn't happened yet.

This is a Brooklyn Tweed pattern and I really enjoyed every second of knitting it. It knitted up very quickly. I made it using heavier weight yarn than the pattern called for but I wanted to use it as blanket. Since it has been finished it has been living at my spot on our brown leather couch draped over the back. I love getting to see it shown off in our Family Room everyday. I love that the yarn is from of two of my most favorite alpacas! 

I think what helped me knit it so quickly was that I listened to "The Martian" while I was working on it. I really LOVED the book. My husband also listened to the book. I would tell my kids (ages 8 & 6) about things that happened in the book and they loved hearing about it. Finally after we had both finished listening to the book we all watched the movie together as a family and we all really enjoyed it. 

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along

Lucca

I casted on a Lucca Pi Shawl by Jared Flood and I haven't been able to put it down! The  pattern calls for lace weight yarn, but I am using more of a sport weight yarn. The yarn is from one of my alpacas, Treasure, and my parents alpaca Lily. Their fleeces were combined to make this wonderful yarn and it has been a joy to work with. Good yarn, good pattern, Happy Knitter! 

I started listening to the audio book "The Martian". I love it. Between the pi shawl and the book I am staying up too late at night! I can't put the shawl down and I can't stop listening to the book. I am looking forward to watching the movie after I finish the book.

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along

Road Trip with Lily

My mom and I took a road trip the other day. We took Lily up for a breeding to TNT Peruvian Neveda. I didn't want to intrude on their privacy, but once they were finished and relaxing in the pen I couldn't resist getting some pictures of them with the beautiful Fall colors in the background.

All well wishes and prayers for a healthy cria are much appreciated!

I posted pictures of our ride up on my Instagram account. I've been better as posting pictures there lately so if you want to follow me look me up "AndeeKF".

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

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

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!

 

A Pack of 30

My parents herd is officially at 30 alpacas. It think my mom said something about once she had 30 alpacas she would get some additional help for the farm.... Good timing that our school district changed Kindergarten from a half day program to a full day. It looks like I might be able to spend a little more time at the farm starting this Fall.

 

The alpacas are due for their annual sheering.  I have been going around the farm getting pictures of the herd in their full fleeces. Pretty soon they will be sheered and go back to looking like characters in Dr. Seuss books.  I did laugh while editing these pictures. I can just vision what they look like with out all the beautiful fleece on them.  I try not to, but I do catch myself laughing at them for a the first few weeks after sheering.

 

One of the biggest questions we get asked is about sheering them. Does it hurt them? Do they have to be tied up? It is horrible?  Yes they have to be tied up and they are laid out on the floor and each alpacas takes about 10 minutes to sheer. Pregnant moms are down and up as quick as possible. The show alpacas get a little extra attention.  No the whole sheering process is not horrible. Shearing is done for the health of the alpaca. We benefit from the fiber!  Oh that beautiful alpaca fiber!!!

Leading up to sheering day the alpacas are very cranky. Their fleeces are hot and they are uncomfortable. Unshorn they can suffer from heat stroke. So for the health of the alpacas the fleeces are taken off once a year in the Spring. We tie their feet and lay them down this helps the process go much faster. Some don't even make a peep they just lay there and enjoy the instant mega weight loss. Others well... they let you know what they think.  I compare it to cutting a toddlers hair. Some sit fine and others.... well.

 

This post doesn't include all the alpacas in my parent's herd. Just the ones I've gotten a chance to go through their pictures.  I can't resist giving a little tid bit of info on each of them.

 

MFI PERUVIAN ANNASCHAE

DOB 10/7/06 Proven Female

 

Annaschae has a HUGE place in my heart. There is something overwhelming about this alpaca that I can't resist. She is as close to a wild beast as they come.  Her mother 5Peruvian Azucena 8366 was an import. In other words she was wild.  Annaschae possesses so many of the natural instincts an alpaca should have. I am sure if she was to escape the farm she would live fine in the wild. Unlike many of the other spoiled rotten alpacas :)  Annaschae may be wild when she needs to be handled, but she is a wonderful member of the herd. She protects, cares for and disciplines the herd.

 

 

An interesting story about Annaschae is the time she helped out a maiden female.  When one of the first time mothers had a cria she didn't want to nurse her baby. Annaschae forced the mother against the fence and made her stand still so the baby could nurse.  It was amazing.  When the last cria was born she went to work helping the mother during the birth process. She is powerful and protective, kind and gentle, and in my opinion a very important member of the herd.  Now on shearing day I will be sure to stay as FAR away from her as possible! I did mention she is a beast.  I prefer admiring her from the field :)  Oh but her fleece is AMAZING!

 

She has been bred to CCNF Smoke Ring and due this Fall.

 

TKA'S ARROW OF ARROW ACRES

9/10/13 Dark Brown Male

 

Just born this past Fall Arrow is still sporting his cria fleece. He is up for his first sheering. Arrow was one of the first bred and owned alpacas on the farm. That means his sire and dam are both owned by my parents. He is the spitting image of his dad. He is so gentle. We halter trained him last week and instead of walking on the lead he hopped like a kangaroo :)

ABENAKI AWAN

Awan is packing some fleece! He has so much fleece it is amazing. He is a fiber animal. I love his fiber and I love that he has so much of it!  He was one of the first alpacas on the farm and he is quite possibly one of the most easiest going alpacas. He can usually be found laying by the fan cooling off.

 



 

ARROW ACRES MR BATES

DOB: 5/18/13

Medium Silver Gray Male

Mr. Bates is a character. He has some beautiful fleece. I can't wait to see how it comes in after his first sheering. We'll see if he makes it to herdsire status!  I have hope hopes he will! He has impressive staple length and his fiber is going make some beautiful yarn in the mean time.

 

 

DOM'S BLUE MOON OF ELK

Okay so I already showed pictures of Blue, but I had to include him in this post :) Because he is mine!

ARROW ACRES BOCOTE

DOB: 9/25/13 Dark Brown, Male

 

 

His guy is so much fun. We halter trained him the other day and he walked like a pro. He is going to do great in the show ring in the Fall. He is another bred and owned alpaca. 

RR FRANCESCA

DOB: 6/20/11 Medium Brown Female

 

 

Frankie! She comes from California. She is pregnant and due this Fall. She was bred to CCNF Smoke Ring. I hope she has a rose gray female!  She is one of the alpacas I'm looking forward most to have my hands on her fleece on shearing day. Her fiber is heavenly!

 

ARROW ACRES JATOBA

BOB: 7/15/2012 Dark Brown Female

 

Every time I go out in Jatoba's field it is essential that I let her come over and give me a kiss. Otherwise she will be offended. She is such a sweet alpaca. She is one of the show alpacas and she will be getting into the breeding program this Spring.  Her fleece is incredibly dense and she is going to make some beautiful crias.

 

MLIKIGO'S TKA OF ABENAKI

DOB 10/23/09 Dark Brown Proven Herdsire

 

 

Kigo has done very well in the show ring. He is the sire to Arrow & Bocote who I have already talked about. Kigo likes to help me out when I'm at the farm. He is always picking up the rakes and likes to be right next to me checking out what I'm doing. He always makes me laugh. 

GLEN RIDGE DIPLOMACY'S SUGERLILY

DOB 9/17/2010 White Female

I can't say enough about Lily! If you were thinking about getting alpacas I would recommend meeting Lily. You will be sold on alpacas in a minute. She is such a great alpaca. Easy to handle and work with. She is always curious and always finding some kind of trouble to get in. A funny story about Lily is the time she jumped out of the van window. My parents were picking her up from the farm she was staying at for a breeding. They had their van. It has two front seats and then a large open cargo area. It was the summer and they that the windows down. They loaded Lily up in the van and my mother got in the back with her. My father closed the door. My mom went to move something in the back and then Lily (approximately 140 lb alpaca) went to the front and jumped out the open window! Thankfully Lily is not a wild beast and she ran back towards the herd where she was easily caught. Silly Lily.

 

Her fleece will make your jaw drop and gasp for air. It is out of this world!  She was bred and is due this Fall. I can't wait to see if her baby will be as amazing as she is!

 

 

BLACK MIDNIGHT'S ONO OF ARROW ACRES

DOB: 10/12/2013 True Black Male

 

Isn't Ono so stinking cute. Sorry Ono handsome!  If you want bright, soft and gorgeous black fleece his is your ticket!  On the day he was born his father sold at auction for $78,000.00. I wonder if he will bring in that much. Or maybe a little more. We can dare to dream right?! Oh an no we didn't own his father he was owned at another farm.

 

ABENAKI ASKEN

DOB 5/22/10 Bay Black Male

 

I love Ox! His fleece is one of my absolute favorites to work with. It shines! I would give it a comfort factor of 100%.

ARROW ACRES NAZARENO

DOB 6/9/12 Dark Fawn / White Male

Reno is another one of the show animals. His fleece is so uniform and crimp and all the other fancy things that go with impressive fleece qualities. Reno is a farm favorite from visitors. He unlike many alpacas will let you pet him. He loves the attention and we love him.

 

 

ARROW ACRES SAPELE

DOB 5/8/14

 

Sapele is the first cria for CCNF Smoke Ring. And boy Smoky didn't disappoint! Sapele is like one big bundle of knock your socks off bundles! He have high hopes for this guy as well as his daddy's breeding career.

 

ARROW ACRES STONE

DOB: 9/27/13 Medium Rose Gray Male

 

Stone is just want we ordered with this breeding. After he gets shorn he is going to look like a totally different alpaca. His fiber is medium rose gray and the outside looks so much lighter than the inside. Once his cria fleece is off he is going to be growing in some gorgeous fiber. We have been drooling over him since the day he was born.  The spot on his neck is from an area that had to be shorn when he was born for some medicine to be administered. His mother didn't think she had to feed him so he needed a little help the first few days of life. But after a week or so it was smooth sailing for momma and baby.  I can't wait to see him in the show ring this Fall!

ABENAKI WDAMO

DOB: 10/11/09 Dark Brown Proven Female

 

Wdamo is retired from the show ring and now making some beautiful crias! Sapele is her latest baby and she is such a good mom. Wdamo is packing some impressive fleece and since she is such a tall alpaca she produces a ton of it!

 

ARROW ACRES APONI

DOB: 9/11/12 Medium Fawn Female

No she isn't a pony she is Aponi! Which means butterfly. A butterfly landed on her right after she was born! So the name stuck.  She reminds me of a mime with her white face.  I am sure she is going to look so different after she is shorn. 

So that is a little taste of the farm. I still have so many more to photograph and time is running out. I'll be updating all their info on the website.  I'll also be updated pricing on them. If you are interested in purchasing any fiber animals, breeding animals or looking for breedings let us know.

 

Arrow Acres Farm