New product alert: woven yarn baskets

Posted on July 27, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I may be down and out, crafting-wise, but the rest of the team is still working overtime. Aunt Geri has been making another new product! I got the first prototype of for my birthday:

I’m not sure what she’s calling them, but I went with “woven yarn basket”. Though I think of mine as the LBB (little blue bowl).

It works great as a catch-all for my everyday jewelry (that shot is only a teensy bit posed, there’s normally a lot more in the basket). It keeps my precious bathroom counter space from becoming too cluttered.

Happy Friday! It’s been a week and a half since I slammed my finger in a window, and it’s feeling much better. I may try spinning a bit tomorrow, if gardening in the morning doesn’t do me in.

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That dreaded word: shots

Posted on July 26, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Duhn duhn duhn! Guess who needed a checkup?

“Muh teef don’t need no trimming. Kuhyuck!”

Well, everyone needed a checkup; it’s Farm Check! time. But Vanny really needed to get his teeth and nails trimmed. Cici also got the full spa treatment. Bravado and Merlin got their nails done (Bravado screamed the whole time), and little Trip got his teeth done. That is a three man job, Dad holding the alpaca, Dr. Balch using the dremmel tool and Mom keeping the tool cool by spraying it with water. So we don’t have any pictures.

Dr. Balch trims Bravado’s nails. He’s carrying on.

Everyone needed their shots. One quick little prick in each shoulder, CD&T vaccine  (something, something and tetanus – 3 diseases caused by Clostridium bacteria) in the left shoulder and rabies vaccine in the right shoulder, and it’s over.

A pocket full of syringes. ‘Tis the life of a veterinarian.

Unless you are a drama queen. I’m looking at you, Marcello. Vanny and Cici were both ridiculously well-behaved; they’ve clearly been halter trained (and well).

“THEY’RE KILLING ME!”

All went well. Dr. Balch is a master alpaca wrangler, in addition to being a conscientious and kind vet. The visit ends with a stack of meticulously filled out paperwork, which we add to the detailed health records we keep for each animal.

Just another day in paradise, really.

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Summertime sunsets

Posted on July 25, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

This lovely picture was taken by my friend Barbara.

I know the cats have it good, but I don’t think the dogs can complain either. Bobbin, on the far left, is the ranch beagle. Derby, the black dachshund in the middle, is mine. Iggy, the poodle mix on the right, belongs to Barbara and Laura, two friends of mine. I love that we can have four-legged visitors too!

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Vanny joins the herd, permanently

Posted on July 24, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Yesterday, as usual, Dad and Mom let the boys into the “exercise paddock”, and then let Vannny out to join them. Bravado and Vanny had a spitting match or two, also par for the course, then everyone settled down to graze together. When Dad went to bring everyone in for the night, Vanny was kushing (laying down) with the rest of the boys in their paddock, calm as can be. So, he decided to let him stay.

This morning everyone was just as chill. In fact, Vanny seems to be enjoying full membership in the herd.

I don’t think Vanny will be going back to his bachelor pad. Mom and Dad’s slow integration technique worked like a charm, allowing us to consolidate the herd and do some work on the fences.

In case you were wondering, fence work never ends on the ranch. Like taxes and death, it’s a certainty.

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Hay, lots of it

Posted on July 23, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

It was a BUSY weekend down at the ranch. The family picked up, drove home, and then unloaded 200 bales of hay. That’s 5 tons of hay that had to be moved by hand from the truck into storage in the hay stall and lower barn.

Mom estimates we go through a bale of hay every day, between the 2 horses and the 12 alpacas. We feed two varieties: smooth brome and an orchard grass/alfalfa mix. Because it’s been so hot, this mix has more alfalfa than usual. Alfalfa has a deeper root system than the grass, so it’s survived better this year. We’re hoping for a third cutting (or harvest) later this summer, if the weather cooperates. Otherwise, the alpacas will have to eat the brome, which is normally just for the horses.

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Race to the finish: Artists for Wild Mustangs Show

Posted on July 20, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

With only 2 weeks until the Artists for Wild Mustangs Show, production has gone into high gear at the Ranch. Literally all the horizontal surfaces, and some of the vertical ones, are covered by a scarf or hat, and Mom is still knitting.

This will be our second year at the show, which features drawings, paintings, photography, greeting cards, jewelry, knit items, and much more, all to benefit the Cimarron Sky Dog Horse Rescue. A large percentage of the sale of each item is donated to the horse rescue, where it goes towards acquiring more range land and fodder for the winter (the exact percentage is set by the artists themselves).

Dad coined the name for this one: “Ice cream and sprinkles”.

In addition to our usual scarves and hats, we’ll have quite a few skeins of yarn for sale, and an entirely new product: scarf pins. Aunt Geri and I will be demonstrating our spinning at the show, and Mom will be knitting. And I’m sure we’ll all be drinking wine!

If you are in the Denver, Colorado area on August 4th, and are interested in coming by let me know in the comments and I’ll get you the information.

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Drop spindle types

Posted on July 19, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I have a not-so-secret love of drop spindles. I sometimes ply on one even after spinning the singles on my wheel. It takes longer, but I’m practically guaranteed to get a balanced yarn since I check the twist every three feet or so, when I wind the yarn on to the spindle.

Top whorl spindles. By “Pschemp” from Wikimedia.

Continue reading →

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Yarn – Swirly tweed

Posted on July 18, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

If there is a yarn that captures that “classic alpaca yarn” look, this is it. It’s made by plying together one single that is two different colors (it’s called marling, see here for an explanation) and one single that is straight white. I run into yarns like this, down to the very color, nearly everywhere alpaca yarn is sold.

We like this yarn because it allows us to get the most out of our colored roving. The orange-y brown is Tulip’s fiber. She has very short hair, and is not as soft as our other alpacas. But the white fiber is from Morocco, who has a very thick, super-fine fleece. His fiber brings softness and bulk to the yarn, while hers adds color and structure.

It’s a match made in heaven. I named it “Swirly tweed” because it reminds me of vanilla and chocolate soft serve swirl ice cream. EVERYTHING, even the color of the paint on my craft room walls, reminds me of ice cream.

On a side note, my finger is gross-looking and ouchy, but I don’t think it’s broken. Anyway, not much anyone could do if it was.

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Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow

Posted on July 17, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

I slammed a finger in one of my heavy 1920s windows 15 minutes ago. After walking around in circles for a few minutes repeating the title of this post and trying not to throw up, I got out an ice pack. I’m still trying to decide if I need medical care, but I’ve pretty well decided that I’ll be delaying our scheduled post. I have a new yarn to share (puns in the face of danger), but it can wait until tomorrow.

Be safe out there people. Even the architecture is after us.

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Alpaca factoid: teeth

Posted on July 16, 2012 by cliffhousealpacas

Alpacas have three pairs of incisors at the very front of their mouths, on the bottom, and a chewing pad on the top, which they use to snip grasses. In the back of their mouths, they have molars and pre-molars (on both top and bottom), all designed for grinding grasses into pulp. Males, and occasionally females, also have three pairs of very sharp, canine-like teeth in the space between the front incissors and the molars (two pairs on top, one pair on the bottom). These so-called “fighting teeth” are sharp and dangerous, designed for tearing into the soft, fleshy bits of rival males.

In this picture, you can see the three pairs of bottom incisors, and the empty gap between the incisors and the molars.

They have less enamel than human (or even llama) teeth and they continue to grow throughout an alpaca’s life. And for whatever reason, they seem to grow faster on white alpacas. Cici, our newest girl (who is white), is getting her teeth trimmed this week! Our vet uses a dremel, a sort of drill thing that grinds the teeth down a bit. It sounds disturbing, but it’s more like trimming your nails than having a root canal.

So. Now you know about alpaca teeth. I’m sure you needed to.

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