Etsy Update

Added to the shop today...

Small Study #1

Small Study #2

Small Study #3

Hop on over and check it out!

Wanted: Live-In Girlfriend

Have I mentioned yet that I love raw fiber? Not just alpacas, though I really love having them around the farm...I love all the fiber bearing creatures. Alpacas, sheep, goats, etc. In fact, one of my dreams is to buy or rent a little more land and add some sheep to the mini-menagerie as well as a few more alpacas.


Lucky for me, there is another wooly animal that doesn't really need land...just TLC and attention. Angora rabbits!


Meet Tribble, the latest addition to the farm! (yes, I am a Star Trek geek!)

Tribble is an English Angora, and a lovely color for natural or dyed fiber. I am so excited to have him join our farm! Yes, it is a boy and he is only about 4 1/2 months old. He came to us from a home where the owner did not spend a lot of time with him. As a result, he had a lot of really big mats and I had to cut most of them out. His fiber should be ready to harvest in 2-3 months and I am hoping some of those areas grow out enough to be good spinning fibers.

I brush him out at least twice a week, and he really enjoys the attention. This photo doesn't show his face, but English Angoras have much flatter faces than other rabbit breeds. He eats the same alfalfa pellets as the other rabbits, but he needs extras too in the form of hay and treats like broccoli, banana, carrot etc. This is to prevent wool block, which can be deadly for angoras.

And you know what? Tribble needs a girlfriend soon!

Hats

So what with the blizzard and all, it seemed like a good time to knit up a hat for myself. Understand, I have knit a ton of scarves, afghans, baby sweaters, sweaters with hoods, lace, etc. -- I screw up hats every time. They're too short and I have to rip out the whole thing. They're too long and the brim goes all the way up to the pom pom. The pom pom gets ripped off the hat by a boy who thinks that pom poms are lame, so the whole thing unravels. Etc.

But I don't have a hat. All this yarn, and all this knitting, and I have never made myself a hat (see above.) I never even made myself a polar fleece hat -- no knitting involved, just sewing! But going out to the barn to feed the animals in a blizzard without a hat provides some incentive.


Yarn Harlot's 4 hour hat in Berroco Keltic, color 5853.

Blizzard 2008

Snow is pretty -- it really is! It makes everything look clean, and it even sparkles in the sun. (I really like things that sparkle!) I even like to take pictures of snow.

But really, did we need to have a blizzard? In March? With 20 inches of snow? Winds up to 40 mph? Thunder and lightning? Really?

I think not.

So we should be done with snow, right? Wrong. 20 inches of snow on the ground, and we are supposed to get more tonight, tomorrow morning and tomorrow night.

This is what I will be dreaming of...

Feeding Time on the Farm

One of the fun times on the farm is feeding time. When we go out to the barn, the alpacas are usually out in the field, unless the weather is wet. Norman often hears me out in the barn, so he is the first one in for breakfast. But once that grain hits the trough, they all come running in! After that, this is my view of the alpacas...




Yes, they just belly up to the trough, and I get a view of their "best" side. This always just cracks me up! Of course, this leads to one of the least fun jobs on the farm...poop scoopin!

On The Farm

It has certainly been a Winter Wonderland here on the farm lately. I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to thaw! The alpacas have been reluctant to spend much time in the field, since it has been so hard to get to any grass. It's much more comfortable to lay around in the barn and wait for me to give them some hay! I can't say that I blame them -- it's been pretty cold out there. But they do have a very nice and warm coat to wear!

If they can dig through the snow to get to the grass, they will. But it is hard for them to get enough to eat when there is so much snow on the ground.


The snow is pretty -- in the trees and on the grass. I like to take pictures in the snow and walk around. When I look back at my photo albums, I have a lot of snowy pictures.



The alpacas don't really mind it either, as long as it's not windy. If you think about it, their native home in the Andean Mountains of South America gets some pretty good snow in the winter time. So they are probably better equipped for the cold weather than we are.



But it is finally starting to thaw, and I'm ready!