Alpacas of Minnesota Farm Tour September 27 & 28, 2008

On September 27 & 28, Humming Hills Alpaca Ranch, LLC invites you to join us for the 5th Annual Alpacas of Minnesota Farm Tour. Our doors are open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day!

What is an alpaca? Alpacas are members of the camelid family, which means Llamas and Camels are their cousins. They’re very gentle creatures with a wonderful disposition. They’re approximately a third the size of a llama and produce one of the most luxurious and strongest fibers in the world. Their cashmere-like fleece is 5-7 times warmer than wool and does not contain any lanolin. For people who have sensitive skin, allergies or cannot wear wool because it’s too itchy, alpaca fiber is the perfect alternative. Alpacas are also the only fiber bearing animal that comes in 22 different natural colors and variations.

In addition to educational sessions, children’s activities and fiber related demos (drop spindle and wheel spinning, crochet, loom knitting, needle knitting, and machine knitting, needle and wet felting), Humming Hills Alpaca Ranch, LLC will also be selling alpaca related products, jellies and jams, jewelry, and lots of gift items. There’s something for everyone in the family - raw fiber (used in fly tying), yarn (hand and machine spun) and garments made from alpaca fibers, alpaca toys, make-and-takes, photo opportunities, and more!

Come and enjoy the autumn colors, refreshments and the soothing sound of our humming alpacas!

Wordless Wednesday - Shearing day was a success, fleece now for sale!

More Wordless Wednesday here and here.

Drop spindles, fleece shows, planting gardens, VT squares, and more...

Wow, I have been busy, busy, busy! I haven't posted in awhile due to this very fact! I have gotten five going on six VT squares completed. I am now working on making a square on my fine guage loom and I am using my graph with the VT logo. It is tougher than I thought, but I am plugging away at it. Hopefully, once I get that down, the next one will be easier for me.

My hubby and I went down to the twin cities this past weekend first to visit my husband's mother in the hospital and then we went on from there to a small town east of the twin cities called Lake Elmo, MN to a Llama, sheep and Alpaca Fleece festival. I was in my element there! I bought a drop spindle I am anxious to learn to use. I have a lot of fleece out in our garage crying out to me to be spun up into yarn. I'll have to tackle that today.

We have been busy, busy, busy getting our new garden ready for planting. My hubby was out late last night raking all of the dead grass roots out. We need to get this garden ready since it's starting to get kind of late now. My hubby keeps saying we should have decided last fall where we wanted our garden and dug it up then. Would of, could of, should of.

I've added new products to the Looming Angels T-shirt shop. Looming Angels are making a difference, one person at a time. By choosing to be a part of this group, our Looming Angels have taken a stand to help the needy when they can. This t-shirt shop is dedicated to the LOOMING ANGELS who have chosen to make a difference in someone elses life due to a time of crisis, or they just need a helping hand because they've lost so much. At this shop Looming Angels will find products that not only advertise this new and growing group to others and hopefully grow our numbers even further and reach more people in need, but they will find products that will show the world they are making a difference....one stitch at a time!

Yes, Sir! Yes, Sir! Three bags full!

Me with Gabriela Lucia

I went to visit with my alpacas yesterday after my sister and I had our spinning class! Oh, so much fun in one day! And, on top of all of my excitement, I got some bags of alpaca fleece that was going to be thrown out by the owners of the farm where my alpacas are!!!! Yes, you heard it right! I got free alpaca fleece to play with! Not top of the line alpaca fleece, but dirty, coarser fleece. I can certainly do something with it though. My first attempt at washing a small section of it was a disaster though. I felted it before I wanted to felt it! Maybe I should just skip the washing part and card the fleece and prepare it to felt first. Either that, or I should do some more reading and asking questions before I try it again...well, I am not the researching type, so I'll just do it again until I get it right. At least I have lots to work with.

Kaden and Gabriela sure hit it off. I had to laugh and laugh, my husband said that Gabriela must have mistaken Kaden for a cute boy alpaca because he has those big brown eyes and long eyelashes...just like an alpaca!


Kaden Loves Gabriela, or does Gabriela Love Kaden????

We took the alpacas for a walk down the driveway. Paige decided she had to try and Gabriela got away from her. Paige and Gabriela made up though...



Paula is due this summer. We are hoping for a baby girl! Keep your fingers crossed for us since a girl gives you more breeding stock and helps grow the herd! Isn't her fleece the most gorgeous color??


Me and Paula

Well, I need to go announce another winner on the Looming Angels Yahoo Group Grand Opening...I'll announce the winning blog button tomorrow...see you then!

Knee deep in wool

I am so excited! This weekend I will be working with a gal practicing spinning alpaca fleece and the following weekend we will be shearing our alpacas! For the next two weekends I'll be knee deep in alpaca fleece! I'll be as happy as a pig in mud :-)

I am just about finished with my dragonfly dishcloth I designed. I only get minutes a day to work on it so it is taking me a long time! It's a busy household with six kids running around. Amanda is a little cruiser now so she is into everything.

It was close to 80 degrees today and we spent a lot of time outside (tomorrow and over the next week it is going to be only in the 40s so we enjoyed the weather while it was here). Amanda just loves being outside. She got out of her stroller and just walked around and around the garage! She was so excited to be on the ground. I let her walk barefoot (even through the mud) and she just loved it! She washed up in the tub so it wasn't a big deal.

Meat my pet alpaca sock:



I call this my pet alpaca sock because I made just one, felted it (it of course shrunk) and when I went to make the matching sock, I couldn't find my row counts sheet. Now I have a sock I have no way of replicating. It feels so nice I have on more than one occasion (ok, more than several occasions) found myself petting it. I have watched my husband pet it. My kids pet it. My dad pet it. The alpaca rancher we got our animals from was petting it. Based on what everyone wants to do to it, I've affectionately named it "my pet alpaca sock".