Monthly Archives: September 2011

Daddy’s boys are eating out of his hands, literally

Posted on September 30, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Dad has had a project recently, trying to teach the alpacas to eat their crumbles (a pellet treat) from his hands. Alpacas as a general rule don’t really approve of interactions with people, so it’s actually quite a difficult endeavor. … Continue reading →

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Random fiber word of the day: batt

Posted on September 29, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

If you quilt, or play baseball, you may have an idea of what a batt/bat is. In baseball, it is long piece of wood used to bean people who make you angry. In quilting, batting is the layer of filling … Continue reading →

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Fall barn cleaning

Posted on September 23, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Note: Sorry for the lack of pictures lately, Dad is out of town. Mom keeps a very, very clean barn. The daily barn chores keep the place spick and span (cleaning: 2 horse stalls, the horse paddock, 2 alpaca stalls, … Continue reading →

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Annnnd…fail

Posted on September 22, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

I finished the spinning project I’ve been working on. Unfortunately, it was supposed to be black and brown yarn with BROWN beads. Now I have 250 yards of the wrong yarn, and no more Brittany or Tulip fiber to work with. … Continue reading →

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Update on current spinning project

Posted on September 21, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

I can tell that the creative juices aren’t flowing when I’m already winding the two-ply yarn off the bobbin, and I still haven’t come up with any names. Usually I have half a dozen by this point, most of which … Continue reading →

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Random fiber word of the day: spindle

Posted on September 20, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Ever since I started spinning, I’ve wondered “How in the world did Sleeping Beauty prick her finger on a spindle?” Like most spinners, I learned the basics of turning fiber into yarn on a simple device called a drop spindle. In … Continue reading →

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Big boys meet the little boys

Posted on September 19, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

We’ve been a little nervous about introducing the big boys the herd, since Marcello has a bit of a reputation. But now that the big boys have had their *ahem* operations…we figured the timing was right. Besides, when it gets … Continue reading →

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Herd dynamics

Posted on September 16, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

One afternoon last weekend, I went out to the alpaca turnout to shoo the girls into their paddock and let out the big boys, and I couldn’t find them. They weren’t at the feed troughs, or grazing on the stubbly, … Continue reading →

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Knitting/spinning clubs

Posted on September 15, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

Last night, an awesome friend of mine organized some of us crafty folks for wine and spinning/knitting. I know she read my burnout blog post, I suspect she was trying to get me moving on spinning again. It worked. I … Continue reading →

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Retroactive post: A quick story about gates (and closing them)

Posted on September 14, 2011 by cliffhousealpacas

The very first day that I took care of the animals all by myself was a proud one. Mom and Dad were somewhere, off at a work conference maybe. I only had to keep things running for one whole day … Continue reading →

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