Blackberry Winter

That's what the old farmers call what we have been experiencing this week in weather. "Blackberry Winter".
 Before it, we have a couple of weeks of warmer than normal temperatures. Like for the Waterloo Sheep Festival on April 9, it was 91 degrees! Now for the past week it has been cold. And it seems even colder because of the previous warm weather. I've gotten out my mitts again! Its been getting down to around 42 at night with a high of 50 during the day. And during this cold snap the wild blackberries bloom. You can see their clusters of white flowers along the fields and roadsides. This Blackberry Winter usually means a good wild blackberry crop. That will make my husband very happy. (and we like happy hubbies)

I have gotten my Susie's Reading Mitts done. I am very pleased with how the pattern turned out. The yarn was gifted to me by my friend, Bonnie Ahrens. It is a 50/50 angora/merino blend and is wonderful to wear. I got the pattern out of the Ravelry library. I've been forcing my hubby to drive places so that I have some extra knitting time. And because of it, I have them done. Getting little projects done makes me feel better about myself. I like to make things. And to anyone at the wedding last week, Jason and Megan's, these were what I was working on!

Knit happy!    Talk to you soon,  Tammy

Shearing 2011

So it was Fiber Christmas at Illini Alpacas this week! 
This is a picture of Leo getting his wool coat taken off. Look at those spots!


He also did very well on the shearing table with it being his first time sheared. We had shearers come in to do the actual shearing. It is something I wouldn't attempt alone and the shearer had a handy

table that really saved our backs! We had the help of our son, Nate, and a friend of ours from a neighboring farm, Alice Biffar. (Thanks to both of you, you were so much help!) To the right is Lonestar getting his first shearing. I am amazed at how his fiber glistens in the light. And the staple length! I watch each one with awe. The only spitter was little Vienna and she spit on the table and it was on her favorite boy, Nate. He loves her so much he didn't even mind!
The boys sheared without incident, thankfully, and we were doing a bang-up job with the girls until we hit
a snaggle.

Enter Vidalia!
Or Not! lol
She cushed in the barn and would not get up. So Bruce grabbed her backend and raised it up and pushed trying to coax her up. She wasn't falling for that! She planted those front legs on the ground and they ended up like this to the right. It was hysterical! I had to get a picture of it!
As you can see, the shearers were kinda disgusted about it and at a loss at what to do. During this time, me and Nate were too busy laughing to be of much help. She eventually got up and on the table and we resumed shearing. 
She gave us what we needed: a nice laugh to break up the day. We sheared all 26 animals in just under 7 hours. It was a full day. And a day where I got a couple of surprises. Good ones, too.

This is Diesel. I had no idea he was spotted like this! His fleece is amazing, too! Ahh, The Mighty, Mighty, Diesel! He can justifiably strut around the pasture now in all his glory spots. I am very impressed with this little guy. I would go as far as to say he is show worthy. It was a great day but an exhausting one. And Fiber Christmas does only come once a year. Darn.                                                                Talk to you soon,  Tammy

Deal of the Century!

This is  a picture of Jadzia. She is a cute little alpaca that is very mild mannered and quiet tempered. She gets along well with the other girls and even lets last year's crias eat pellets out of her dish with her. Even when pregnant. Yes, I was very confident selling Jadzia to anyone, including someone new to alpacas. She has birthed with no problems, too. Very confident I was. I had her on the website for $2500 on a special, and special is right because she was due to have her cria at any time. It was quite a deal! It was

The Deal of the Century!!






And I say that because she had her cria on Sunday. The Deal Is---GONE!

Look at the cria she had! This little guy does not come along every day. And now Jadzia has proven she can throw some amazing patterns. She is a little, quiet pot of gold! I am so excited about this guy. He sports the colors black, white, silver grey, coffee brown, medium brown and medium fawn. He is like an alpaca rainbow. And up and running in a couple of hours after his birth. Haven't decided for sure on a name yet. My son wants to name him Set, after an Egyptian god, but to me it sounds like a verb. 
                                                               

 Yes, he is a very handsome boy. He might be a keeper, I'm not sure yet. I want to to keep him anyway but I can't keep them all. That is the fun of breeding--not knowing what is in there until he comes into this world. And what a pleasant surprise!

Talk to you soon,  Tammy