Livestock and Alpacas

I wish I had the flair for writing that Paige does. My posts seem so boring compared to Paige's but I occasionally have some piece of life to share. As many know my farm life has changed greatly in the last 2 years. I went from managing a farm with as many as 40 alpacas at one time to living in downtown Indianapolis. I have wanted to keep as much of farm life as possible and so with just 5 females left I decided these were mine to keep. This would be my little breeding herd. Of course my best animals were sold so of the 5, 2 are from my original purchases over 10 years ago. However, 1 of the 5 was a granddaughter to a male of mine and a daughter of one of the best white males in the country who I was lucky enough to have owned. She, Copper Ridge's Pinkstar aka Pinky, was what I had left to show for 11 years of breeding. I took her to AOBA Nationals in May and she won a blue ribbon. While a blue ribbon was great it was not nearly as exciting as the fleece scores she received. She seemed to have an extremely above average fleece. As I write today my little herd has dwindled to 4. This is because Pinky got ill last week and within 24 hours of arriving at Purdue she died. The alpacas are so frustrating. By the time they are showing you any signs of being sick they are really sick. We didn't wait she went right away and arrived at Purdue much healthier looking than most but as we waited for Purdue to get started working on her we could see her going down hill quickly. This falls' crias will help make the ache of the animals lost a little less painful but here's to hoping each experience helps us to take better care of the next.

So exciting, your head might explode

Okay, it's not *that* exciting, but we think it's pretty cool.
We have kinda-sorta introduced a new product! Starting now, we're going to sell blank Baby Twist (in a special 100g/220 yard quantity), undyed Socrates, and undyed Fino to Indie dyers everywhere! So if you are a dyer or know a dyer and would like to try out some of our totally awesome yarns, then give us a call, leave us a comment or make a really obvious alpaca-shaped smoke signal and we'll get you some information! (Must have tax ID number)

We're also really close to having people move in upstairs! Hooray for neighbors! It's been a huge team effort to make it possible (I painted the bathrooms, part of a hallway and some of an office!) and it's fun to look for all of the little changes that happen over the course of a day. They're putting in some really awesome things like cubicles....

And a copy machine (I'm totally going to copy my face tonight when they leave!)

And a wheelchair ramp/bridge from the parking lot. I was really hoping they'd put in one of those Bridge-of-Peril things that you see in Indiana Jones movies where it's made of rope that's billions of years old with wood steps that makes a toothpick feel significant....and of course we'd need a moat, preferably filled with anacondas and alligators (but I'd settle for large, ill-tempered garter snakes). But since that was pretty much what we had before (minus the moat) they decided to put up something a little safer and less...Amazonian. Here's a picture of what I was hoping they'd install...and then one of the bridge they're actually putting in.

Seriously, where is their sense of adventure? :p

Single Skeins: Highlander

Name: Highlander

Color: Hawthorne Pink

Sign: Libra

Yardage: 145

Story:

"I'm just your typical outdoorsy lass looking for that special crafter to bring out the best in me!"

Perfect Match:

"I'm a very easy to please yarn that works in all sorts of projects. I'm looking for someone who is fearless and loves working with ruggedly adorable yarns like me! :p I work up best on 7's to 10's for you knitters out there and am a snuggly blend that makes sweet sweaters and awesome accessories!"

Perfect Date:

"While I may come in girly colors, I'm no girly-girl! Take me hiking, camping, or rock climbing. I also love a good road trip and any adventure is good enough for me!"

Movies/Music/Books

"Braveheart is the best movie ever. End of story. I love pretty much anything on the Discovery Channel and am totally addicted to The Deadliest Catch. I love reading anything by Sir Walter Scott and love Scottish and Irish pop and punk music like Snow Patrol, The Coors, Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphy's. And I might have an Enya CD or two. You know- for chill time."

Anything Else?

"I can do a great Sean Connery impersonation and make a mean Shepherd's pie!"

Single Skeins: Fino

Do you feel like you're missing something in your life? Is wool or cotton just not enough for you anymore? Do you need your yarn to be as passionate as you are? Well, Fiber Crafters, you have come to the right place! Welcome to Single Skeins, the website devoted to matching you to the alpaca yarn of your dreams! Name: Fino
Color: Silver Belle
Sign: Aquarius
Yardage: 875

Story:
"Hello there, my name is Fino. I don't normally do this sort of thing, but I thought I'd give it a try! A lot of people find me intimidating since I'm a little....you know...lacey, but once you get past the whole little gauge thing, I think you'll like me! I'm a silk/baby alpaca blend and I enjoy everything from stockinette stitch to mind-bending lace patterns."

Perfect Match:
"I'm really not very picky- I understand I'm a little higher maintenance than most...so perhaps a more experienced fiber crafter? I do really well with shawls and scarves and would love to wrap myself around you to keep you warm this winter!"

Perfect Date:
"I love to be spoiled! Take me out to dinner and then an Opera or the Symphony- I really shine on a fancy night out!"

Movies/Music/Books:
"I love a good costume drama, whether it's Jane Austen or Shakespeare. There's just something so magical about the vast English countryside, quaint manor life, and the cliffs of Dover. Some of my favorites include Jane Austen's Ply & Prejudice and Silk & Sensibility. I quite enjoy classical music and as I mentioned before, I adore opera. There is nothing quite knitting along with a good aria."

Anything else?
"Once on Spring Break in Cabo, I won a poolside competition for "Best Plies!"

New Patterns!

Hey there! We've got a whole bunch of new patterns that we're adding to our collection! We're super-excited about them and we're in the process of getting them put up on the web site so that you can see all of our shiny new patterns! Until then, here's a little taste of what's headed your way! (To order these patterns, contact your local yarn store. We don't sell patterns online.)

Dragon of Happiness by Sharon Winsauer- 2 hanks Fino in Ruby Slippers

Smocked Socks by Amy Polcyn- 1 skein Socrates in Khaki

Lovely in Lace by Christina Wall- 6-12 skeins of Tempation in Glacier

Wrapped in Ivy by Cheryl Beckerich- 2-3 skeins Socrates in Wednesday Night Green

Georgette by Christina Wall- 5-13 balls of Baby Twist in Berry Sorbet

And there's tons more! So check out the website in a few days to hopefully see more of these fun knits!

Won't you be my neighbor?

As always, exciting things are happening here at Alpaca With A Twist! Well...not actually here, but up one floor. We're getting warehouse-friends! The warehouse from where all of our products ship is a big nearly-empty warehouse downtown Indianapolis and while it's really nice to wear whatever I want to work and crank up the radio whenever I feel like it, it will be really nice to have other people in the building.
So far it's just been a lot of work to get the upstairs looking like offices. Some days its two guys up there and some days it's twelve, but it's been quite loud here for a while. These are two of our favorite guys that are working upstairs, Jeff and Cameron.
Aren't they awesome? We think they are!

Congratulations and Thank You!

So firstly, I'm going to send out a huge THANK YOU to every single one of the fabulous fiber artists who entered our Jumbo-hank shawl competition! We had some really great entries and the final decision was really really hard, so drumroll please!

(brrrrrrrrrr) (yes, that's supposed to be a drumroll)

Congratulations to Michelle Maurer of Kent, Washington!

Her fabulous design, "Hearts and Diamonds" will be available soon from Alpaca With A Twist. Check out this awesomeness!

And once again, thank you all again for your beautiful entries!