Category Archives: fiber art

stuff I make and sell

Alpaca bio: Marcello

Posted on March 23, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Marcello is another one of our alpacas that I just don’t “get” (Morocco is the other). No matter how much I interact with the herd, I still can’t pick up on his personality. I’m not entirely convinced he has one.

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Baa baa Brittany, have you any wool?

Posted on March 20, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Yes, sir. Yes, sir, one bag full! Wait. Alpacas don’t go “baa”. “Mmm Mmm Brittany, have you any wool?” just doesn’t have the same ring though. Mom and Dad sent over pictures of our roving this morning! We have five bags … Continue reading →

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A few beginning knitting tips

Posted on March 15, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I’ve talked before about the importance of crafting with friends, and I can’t say it enough: group knitting (or spinning) is the best way to get inspired to work on a project and have fun while you work. So when … Continue reading →

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Wait, you’re telling me “baby alpaca” yarn isn’t from babies?

Posted on March 9, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Well. Technically, baby alpaca fiber is just the finest (thinnest) grade of alpaca fiber. It has nothing to do with age, only the “micron count”, or width, of the individual hairs. A “micron” is a unit of measurement, actually a micrometer, used … Continue reading →

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To the mill!

Posted on March 2, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Dad and Mom toured one of our local fiber mills this week. We made a family pact that if our next shearing day rolled around and we still hadn’t finished with all the fleeces, we’d take them to the mill … Continue reading →

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And I thought I was organized

Posted on February 29, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I’m moving in 3 days, so it’s time and past time to start packing. Nearly half my boxes are crafting related, and that’s after I reorganized. I had to sort through this mess first. The box on the left was … Continue reading →

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The journey of a thousand yards starts with one twist

Posted on February 24, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Because I am a closet hippy with superstitions of religious proportions, I saved the first yarn I ever spun. Making yarn is magic, and this lumpy, coarse, overspun wad of material is the first spell I ever cast. If you’ve been thinking … Continue reading →

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The color wheel for crafters

Posted on February 23, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

An artist friend first introduced me to the color wheel. I had been going by gut feeling to decide what colors to use on any given project, but the wheel gives you a way to organize your thinking about color. These early color … Continue reading →

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Annnd…finally, yarn

Posted on February 16, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Goodness this yarn has taken forever to get done! I’ve finally finished around 250 yards of lace weight suri alpaca yarn, from Archie’s fleece. I love this weight of yarn, it’s the thinnest I can make. The suri fiber gives … Continue reading →

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Crafting zone?

Posted on February 15, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a space usable, probably because I’m hoping to have space of my very own soon and I want to include a crafting room. Right now, my craft “zone” is functional, but kind … Continue reading →

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