Country Life!

God has been so good to us.  He has allowed us the opportunity to live in the country where the grass is green and the air is really pretty fresh.  We have alpacas that live with us and give us fertilizer for our garden and landscape, and wonderful luscious fiber in which to spin into yarn and then knit or crochet or even weave into something very special.

We have been priveliged to host several groups who wanted to learn more about our alpacas and now have been able to host a Spin-In every 2nd Saturday each month.  Last month we had 4 in our Big Red Barn spinning fiber right along side the alpacas.  This past weekend, we had 7 spinning there and even got to watch our newest addition to our alpaca herd.  A beautiful little white suri boy that I have been calling Moses.  He is gorgeous.

We have also been able to attend the Farmer's Market all summer on the 4th Saturday every month where they invite the crafters to sell their wares.  Yes, I take my spinning wheel there too.  It is a lot of fun and we have been able to meet a lot of people and re-connect with some we had lost touch with.

We are preparing for National Alpaca Farm Days, September 24th & 25th.  We will have some flyers and facebook posts as well as some newspaper and radio spots.  We are looking forward to visitors.  Maybe by that time, we will have our 2nd baby for you all to see.  In October we will have our 3rd one if all goes well.  Sometime, this fall, my wonderful husband will travel to Iowa again to pick up 2 more females who are bred and due in late Spring.  Very exciting time here.

Country Life!

God has been so good to us.  He has allowed us the opportunity to live in the country where the grass is green and the air is really pretty fresh.  We have alpacas that live with us and give us fertilizer for our garden and landscape, and wonderful luscious fiber in which to spin into yarn and then knit or crochet or even weave into something very special.

2nd Saturday Spin-In

At our farm we host a “2^nd Saturday Spin-in” each 2^nd Saturday of the month from 10am-2pm.  We hope that you will join us and if you have a spinning friend, please bring them along.  Last month (July) was our first and there were 4 of us spinning fiber into yarn in the middle of our barn with our 10 alpacas.  It was a lot of fun.  We had two Ashford Traditional Spinning Wheels (both had spun for only a year), there was a Kromski Spinning Wheel (she spins at Spring Mill State Park occasionally and has been spinning for 34 years now) and then we had a gal using a drop spindle that just started but has now also purchased her first wheel, a Kromski. 

There were fans and a wonderful breeze blowing right through the barn so  it was a really perfect day for spinning in the barn.  Bo the barn cat even found a nice place to sleep. He had been under my feet while I was spinning until the expert spinner from Spring Mill arrived and then he became her buddy.  By the end of the day, he was inside her Kromski bag in a side pocket sleeping soundly.  I guess he knew she wouldn’t mind. 

There were some really beautiful yarns made that day and I know we all look forward to doing it again on August 13^th.  I will provide drinks but if you would like to bring some sort of snack to share that will be great too.  I really do hope you will join us as we try to revive this lost art. 

Bring your spinning wheel, drop spindle and a chair (I have some white plastic lawn chairs if you forget).  You can also bring your own fiber to spin or I have some carded alpaca batts for sale in our farm store which is also in the barn. 

Directions:
From US Highways 50 & 31 Go north on US 31 approximately 3.5 miles Turn right on County Rd. 900 N. Go two miles to County Rd. 1300 E. (County Line Road)
Turn Left on CR 1300 E./1000 W.
We will be ½ mile on the right.
2500 North County Road 1000 West

Happy Spinning and hope to see you soon,

A 4H Farm Visit

On Saturday this past week, we had visitors.  Mom, Grandmother, Granddaughter and Grandson!  The Granddaughter in particular, Kennedy, is in 3rd grade.  She wants to be a vet when she grows up.  That is a great aspiration.  She wanted to visit our farm because she is working on a 4H project this year for the Bartholomew County Fair.  Her project is on the Vetinary science of the Alpaca.  She had a whole list of questions, I believe they all got answered.  We have one alpaca, Maggie, who was due 2 weeks ago and we hoped that she would be delivering our first Cria (baby alpaca) that morning, but Maggie didn't think it was such a good idea.  So we wait.  Kennedy wants to come back out after the baby is born.  She hopes that it happens before the fair so she can add that to her poster project. The poster has to be turned in on Friday this week so we'll see.  It was a very good visit.

Farm Visitors from Borchers VBS Day Camp

The bus arrived around 3pm followed by several other vehicles carrying the younger kids, about 85 in all.

 Inside the barn, I demonstrated my drum carder and showed them what the fiber looked like before carding and after carding.

 There was no age limit here.  One of these fine ladies was the great grandmother of these two little tykes at her feet.

 "Alpaca Gold" of course, I had to tell them about this too!  After all, I am the poop queen on this farm.  God gave it to us so we are going to use it.  We have it in both of our gardens and around all my landscape.  It doesn't smell, doesn't burn your plants and you can use it anytime of the year.  I do have it for sale in our farm store and I will take it to the 4th Saturday Farmer's Market in Seymour throughout the summer but if I miss you there and you want some, please call.

 I was explaining to them about the things we feed them, and add to their feed (minerals, garlic, lactation herbs)........

 Justice, taking it all in.  His fiber was what I had to show them on the spinning wheel, it is so soft.

 Taking it all in.  We had divided them into two groups so the alpacas wouldn't become too upset and also so that everyone could get close to the demonstrations and hear the talks.

 After the carding demonstration, I took them a few steps and showed them just how yarn was spun so that they could knit sweaters and socks.  They thought that was really cool.

This was the alpaca talk to the entire group outside under the shade tree before entering the barn.

 Walking to the barn, excited to see the alpacas.  They were some of the first to arrive.

This was our Borcher's Day Camp visit yesterday, June 14th. Doris counted 85 but may have missed some already at the barn. Fun filled day!

Home Schoolers visit to the farm

June 7, 2011

Today, we had about 17 home schooled kids and parents out to visit and learn more about our alpacas.  It was very good.  Two moms brought their looms with them and asked me for help... I hope I answered them right.  I think they will come back and bring their looms with them and we can just sit and spin and weave and talk..

Ed took off work and explained a lot of the details about how alpacas came into the United States and all the technical stuff about the animals and I just showed them and talked with them about the fiber and what all you can do to and with it.  They liked it as much as we like talking about it.  I am sure they will be back for other events we have here.

Japanese ESL Farm Visit

Japanese ESL Farm Visit   Actions

June 7, 2011

On May 25th, we had a group of Japanese ladies who are involved in an ESL class at Zion Lutheran Church.  Their leaders are Darlene Cooley and Maggie Schneider.  They were a great bunch of ladies and I think enjoyed their cultural experience on the farm.  We talked alpacas in the barn, they visited the farm store and then we went into the house to see the loom and spinning wheel and talked a little about needle felting.  They enjoyed some homemade, still warm, Persimmon pudding and Rasperry Iced tea.  They were so very thankful for the hospitality.  I hope they come again some day!