Monthly Archives: May 2012

Frustration

Posted on May 31, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Generally, the yarn and I are one with each other. We can compromise between what I want it to become, and what it wants to become. But I’ve spun hundreds, probably thousands of yards of beaded yarn, and I can’t seem … Continue reading →

Posted in fiber art | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Skirting

Posted on May 30, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I think I’ve written before about skirting. It’s the one step we have to do before we send our fleeces to the mill. On Sunday, Mom and I skirted another seven fleeces. We start by laying half of the fleece on … Continue reading →

Posted in fiber art | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Gifts of fiber

Posted on May 29, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Our shearer Scott, who also has alpacas, just gave us a car full of fleeces! There were so many stuffed in the back of the car that they were crowding the head space in the front seat. I’m excited, not … Continue reading →

Posted in fiber art | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Conservation of mass

Posted on May 25, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I’m stumped. It’s like an unsolvable word problem from grade school math. I start with 6 ounces of unspun fiber, intending to make 6 ounces of finished 2-ply yarn. I divide that roving in half, and spin a bobbin of singles … Continue reading →

Posted in fiber art | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nekkid boys

Posted on May 24, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Here’s one final set of before and after shearing shots. Morocco, Tuscany, and Merlin before shearing… And Merlin, Tuscany and Bravado after… Snicker. I think I’ve said about all there is to say about shearing day. I’ll follow up at some … Continue reading →

Posted in animals, fiber art | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Spring Too Fibers – our mill

Posted on May 23, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Mom and Dad dropped our fiber off at the mill on Monday! It’s amazing how fast I went through all our roving from last year, so I’m really looking forward to having this year’s fiber. Andrew, at Spring Too Fibers, … Continue reading →

Posted in fiber art | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

They’ve been disrobed

Posted on May 22, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Not much to say today, just thought you might enjoy these before and after shots of the girls on shearing day. Before… And after…. That never ceases to crack me up. They actually look like camelids when they’ve been sheared, … Continue reading →

Posted in animals | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Yarn – Soft mist

Posted on May 21, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Happy Monday! Blech, eh? Pfft. Work days. Anyhoo, I had a busy weekend. In addition to doing battle with an overgrown forsythia bush, I spun about 300 yards of this medium weight grey yarn. This is Loredo’s fiber. He isn’t one of our … Continue reading →

Posted in fiber art | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The shearing process

Posted on May 18, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

What exactly does shearing entail? Until we got the alpacas, I had an image of wiry lads clipping sheep with big scissors while jig music played in the background. And hey, maybe that’s how they do sheep, but alpacas, not so … Continue reading →

Posted in animals | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Like lambs to the…shearing

Posted on May 17, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I love shearing day. It’s full of promise for a new year, an event that signals we’ve survived another winter, and frankly, it’s hilarious. Alpacas, who are never really dignified, look absolutely ridiculous after they’ve been sheared. And they’re quite silly … Continue reading →

Posted in animals | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment