Last Entry for this blog

As of today I will no longer be updating this blog in favor of the new one I've started at www.heartofdreamsalpacas.biz.  We moved the website to a new provider and they have blog services as well as an online store (I'll be working on that later today) - in addition to being focused on alpacas.  So please join me in our new adventures in alpacas, fiber arts, shows, markets, selling online etc. 

A Very Wet 2012 Memorial Day

I am sitting here watching Clint Easwood casually shoot and stab enemy soldiers in "Where Eagles Dare" as I type this.  The book for this movie was written by a favorite author of mine, Alistair MacLean.  I'm pretty sure I've read all of his books and I think even a few that were ghosted after his death.  Richard Burton never seemed the right lead for this movie, but at least they followed the book - unlike "Guns of Navarone" and especially "Force 10 From Navarone".  The former was a pretty good movie, the latter - ugh.

Our three new Akbash/Pyr livestock guardian dogs are sort of working out.  Rosie and Lea still chase the alpacas so we've blocked those pastures so they can't get inside - which kind of defeats the purpose of having LGDs.  But at least we can leave them out of their stall for most of the day now.  We placed our foster dog, Bucky, in a really nice home and when they're ready they'll probably take Rosie also.  She's the more shy/timid of the three, but she's also the main instigator for alpaca chasing.  Once she's placed if Lea continues the behaviour we'll be placing her as well and then getting an LGD pup to keep Bob company.  All three of them would make good house dogs, just not at our house (-:

Chloe with an exhausted Gary snuggled up to her

Chloe, our mini-Oberhasli, is now giving us close to three quarts of milk a day (four quarts makes a gallon).  That's close to what a full sized goat produces.  We'll probably be breeding her in September - 1) to give her a break from milking and 2) to make sure her milk stays nutritious (and has what it needs for cheese making).  Whether it's a doeling or a buck/wether we'll definitely be selling them - two goats are enough at this point.

I've spent the morning trying to update our new website on openherd.com - adding pictures for the farm store, eventually I'll add prices. I've been trying to get the whole thing published, but for some reason it's just not cooperating. We'll see what their support has to say about what I'm doing wrong and hopefully we'll get it straightened out. Eventually we'll probably shut down heartofdreamsalpacas.biz, but if I do it right it should be a seamless transition. (It's now less than an hour after I sent my request for help and I got an email response indicating that the issue has been fixed - how cool is that?  Check out http://heartofdreamsalpacas.openherd.com )

The main reason behind updating the website is 2012 is the year we start working on downsizing the herd.  We have 29 alpacas at last count and in two years we lose one of our farm hands when he graduates high school.  Two years after that we lose our last farm hand when he graduates.  Which means that the daily farm chores will fall to Tim and myself and we ain't getting any younger )-:  Plus it will make our CPA happier (-:  So keep an eye on the website (openherd.com) for deals and updates!

Whimsy - laminate alpaca blanket 6'x4'

Now I think I've procrastinated enough and I need to start work on two pairs of slippers that were requested Saturday by the cutest couple I've seen in a long time who stopped by the booth just as the market was shutting down.  She asked for sky blue for hers and dark blue for his.  The gotcha is I've never successfully made slippers before - the one pair I attempted last year were never cut from the form because they looked too stupid.  Sigh.  Plus I just rememberd the third panel of the blanket I started in CA - one panel of dark rose-grey, one panel of light brown and on panel (to be done) with a mix of both colors.  This time it's straight felt, not laminated like my "Whimsy" blanket.

April and Sunshine?

I thought it was April Showers bring May Flowers?  So far I think we've had more sunshine than rain this April, not that I'm complaining.  And considering we're starting to shear the llamas and alpacas the more sunshine the better.  So far the two rescues have been shorn - probaby the first time in YEARS - as well as one of our llamas  and two of our alpacas - only 28 left to do at our place.  So if anyone wants to swing by and help we'll be doing two or three a night during the week and however many we can get done on weekends - call or email to make sure we're still shearing - you never know what may happen on a farm.

Sunshine and Snow for St. Patrick's Day

The weather is the usual unpredictable stuff - snow from 7am to about noon and now at 5pm we have gorgeous sunshine and all the snow (about an inch) is gone.  Unfortunately the mud continues and after digging out all the silt that has built up against the barn I know of at least one project for either the kids' spring break or summer.  They hate it when I have a list of projects to keep them busy during breaks.

Last weekend I was in Port Townsend, WA attending a wonderful spinning seminar put on by Beth and Kevin Hansen, of Hansen E-spinner fame. Judith Mackenzie was the teacher and it was fascinating from minute one. To make a long story short I'm going to let the pictures tell the story of my spinning seminar:

The complete treasure trove

my alpaca on the left and the 2-ply of alpaca and buffalo on the right

three different rovings made of wool, alpaca, and silk

texas mohair in amazing colors

naturally colored cotton - the little wad of yarn on the left is the first cotton I've spun in DECADES

bamboo that I'll be blending with alpaca for spinning and felting

novelty slub yarn on the left and a four ply that was used in "Binding" around a fifth ply on the right

And Now for March!

Unbelieveable!  It's now March - where is the year going?!  We were busy in February - clearing the fallen trees in the pasture, repairing fences, working on scarves and hats, taking fiber to Superior Fiber for processing into roving and yarn.  Not to mention making more cheese and taking care of the farm and the kids etc.  Oh- and the day job, can't forget the day job. 

Thanks to my day job I spent two sunny days in San Leandro, CA learning how to safely climb ladders and drive defensively.  The upside is I get to see if I get a discount on my insurance since I passed the driving class.  Yay me!

This weekend I'm headed to a three day retreat focused on spinning with my Hansen E-spinner.  It's the first spinning lesson I've had in YEARS, if not actual decades!  I'm very excited about it and can't wait to be on my way tomorrow!

I mentioned that I spent Frideay making scarves and hats and I actually have the pictures to prove it.

hat and scarf ensemble

This is a matching hat and scarf made from beige fiber from Samson.  I thought it needed something so needled on the flower and leaves.  The two were created using warm soapy water - the scarf was rolled in bubble wrap and the hat was made "on a ball". 

I made four sets of matching hats and scarves including the black hat on the right.  I'll post pictures of the other two as soon as I take some decent photos - the pictures I have are terrible.


I also found a wonderful scarf idea in the handbook I got with my new felting machine from Anne Vickrey Evans (FeltCrafts).  These are two scarves, silk, that started out the same length and width.  I used white fiber for the scarf on the right and brown for the other one.  They were rolled on the machine and then fulled in the dryer.  Besides color the only other difference was the amount of fiber used - I used very little for the brown scarf and quite a bit more for the other.

For the scarf on the right I used a navy blue dyed fiber and filled it fairly full.  I'll have to add a finished picture when I get it along with the picture of the scarf I filled with black fiber - that one is pretty amazing.

I'm also working on more fish and have decided to try a slightly different approach - insted of felting the tail and fins as part of the body work I'm going to needle them on after the body is complete and stuffed.  Along with the lips, eyes and other details. 

My goal is to make a bunch that I can take with me when I got to Detroit for the rest of my training in April.  I'll be there six days and this should give me something to do - plus I can always bring my e-spinner and fiber (-:

Where Did January Go?!

It's now February 1st and I don't know what happened to January?!  I know some of it I spent in CA with my parents.  Dad is in a rehab facility recuperating from a car accident back on Thanksgiving and Mom was having eye surgery.  Mom got to try spinach souffle (cooked in an 8 cup Pyrex measuring cup no less) as well as home made butternut squash soup.  I made Dad a black mouse with teal ears/nose/tail for his room while we sat and talked one visit.  We also mailed the pieces of a felt mobile to hang in his room - of course I didn't get any pictures of the pieces, but they were based on the Celestial Mobile by Marianne S. Dubois in "Designer Needle Felting".  I hope it brightens it up for him a bit.

I've also taken two cheese making classes with Julie Steil of River Valley Cheese in Snohomish, WA.  I'm still working on the aging side of the process - I've lost the rounds of Tomme, Blue Tomme and Camembert I've tried so far.  But Julie says that aging is the most difficult part of cheese making so I haven't given up.  My goat cheese and goat/alpaca cheese are coming along - my favorite is still the blended goat/balsamic vineagar cheese.  Next on the list is to make provolone from my stock pile of goat's milk.  I have the culture, now to give it a try and get the aging process going.

We're starting to ramp up for the 2012 market and festival season - we're back at The Redmond Saturday Market and we'll also be doing a Spring show in Duvall in March and probably the Duvall Plant and Garden Art Sale in May.  I'm hoping we'll have the llamas and alpacas at some of those venues.

My taxes are calling, as is the scarf I started that needs to be wetted down for felting. 

Happy 2012!

The Weekend Before Christmas

We'll have all of our products in our booth at the Washington Public Market this weekend, http://www.winecellarsofwa.com/.  The only thing missing will be the animals themselves. 

 Buzz at 2 months

Speaking of which this is the month Buzz and Penny are being weaned- oh joy!  Fortunately the moms have been quiet during this process - not constantly calling to their crias.  We've also been lucky that the crias have been fairly quiet.  Buzz will be going to the bachelor herd and Penny will stay with the girls - we generally let the  moms wean the girls, but we move the boys.

Chloe, the goat, is still going strong in the milk department.  I just took a cheese making class and can't wait to make my next batch of cheese.  I've got provolone and Camembert aging in the frig - neither will be ready until January darn it!  We're going to be trying something new so stay tuned.