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Author Archives: cliffhousealpacas
Spinning marathon
There’s nothing like 5 big bags full of deliciously fluffy roving (that’s unspun, processed fiber) to get a girl spinning again. I started slow, since it’s been almost over a month (!) since I have done any spinning. We have … Continue reading
Posted in fiber art
Tagged alpaca yarn, art yarn, black yarn, crafts, hand spinning, hobbies, spinning, spinning wheel, yarn
2 Comments
Spinning wheel styles
It’s been a while since I’ve written a love-letter post about my spinning wheel (probably because it’s buried somewhere in the junk…er…craft room). But maybe a short post about the various styles that wheels can take will inspire me to … Continue reading
Posted in fiber art
Tagged hand spindle, spinning wheel, spinning wheel types, wheels
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Alpaca bio: Trip the hummer
Little Tripoli was the first cria (alpaca baby) born on our ranch. His momma is our sweet Tulip, a medium fawn (light brown), and Tuscany is his half-brother. As a young ‘un, Tripoli’s personality is still developing, but one thing is … Continue reading
48 hours
Marcello looks at across his domain through long, dark eyelashes that are crusted with ice. The wind has blown all day and night, and the snow that started sometime after midnight is plastered to his right side. Glancing down at … Continue reading
Winter lessons for summertime fence building
We tried oh-so-hard to build perfect paddocks for the ‘pacas. But the thing is, you build fences under the blistering summer sun. The earth is like pre-fired clay under the auger, and it’s hard to even imagine the crisped-grass landscape with … Continue reading
Posted in animals, business
Tagged fence building, fences, paddock, seasons change, snow, snow removal, tractor, weather
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And we have another hand spinner!
Aunt Geri’s first yarn arrived in the mail this week! It is b-e-a-u-tiful. She’s named it “Desert Rain”, which is a lovely name for the soft blue and pastels (as someone who thinks about yarn names quite a bit, I … Continue reading
Posted in fiber art
Tagged alpaca yarn, art yarn, hand spinning, handspinning, merino, spinning, yarn
2 Comments
From start to finish: Part 5 – Carding
Carding is the process of organizing the fibers so that they are all pointing one direction. It’s essentially a really complicated way to brush hair that is no longer attached to an animal. There are three ways to do it: … Continue reading
Posted in fiber art
Tagged alpaca fiber, carders, carding, drum carder, drum carders, fiber processing, hand carders, rolag, roving, woolen yarns, worsted yarn
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Cliff House Alpacas 