coloradofiberblog

I’ve passed Eye Dazzler Alpacas a few times while driving into Westcliffe.   I’ve also seen their beautiful roving at Colorado Fiber Arts in Pueblo. Recently, Allie agreed to answer some questions so that we could get to know a little more about them…

What got you started in Alpacas?  When did you get involved?

Newly retired, we toured an alpaca farm in Pagosa Springs, Colorado and met the alpaca for the first time.  My husband, a Chicago boy, always wanted to live and work on a farm.  Me, a farm girl, always wanted to live and work in the city!  We did the city thing for most of our working life and decided to try the farm for our retired life.  The alpaca was a perfect solution.  We have owned alpacas for almost 7 years and have lived in Westcliffe, Colorado for 5.  We love the lifestyle change and, of course, our alpacas.

What does a “day in the life” at Eye Dazzler look like?

My husband, Phil, goes to the barn around 6:00a, starts feeding the alpacas around 7:30 and does chores (never ending poop scooping, herd maintenance such as shots, etc.) for the rest of the morning.  He then does maintenance around the ranch and we do various other errands and jobs that are required with a herd of 50 alpacas.

I am totally involved in the fiber side of the business.  I work on marketing the fiber by selling  roving and all the amenities for handspinners, needle felting shades , cria coats, and even dog and cat beds filled with alpaca fiber. . I am the chief web designer for our website and partner with Phil in marketing our alpacas.  I am also the birthing assistant—a job I adore.

All in all, I would say that we are as busy if not busier than we were before we retired—and that’s a good thing!

What is your favorite part of the whole venture?

The crias (babies) are absolutely both our favorites.  We love watching them play, pronk and grow.  They are simply the best part of an alpaca herd.

Least favorite?

Phil’s least favorite thing is shearing.  My least favorite is trimming teeth.

Tell us about your herd and focuses that you have.

We raise show ring quality alpacas focusing on the dark colors—browns and blacks.  Our goal has always been to raise the very best that genetics allows.  This is a slow process since gestation is 11+ months and alpacas typically only produce one cria at a time.  However, with careful research going into each breeding decision, we are seeing our labor come to fruition.  Our crias are consistently born with better, more consistent show ring quality fiber and conformation.

In addition to the alpacas - I see you offer fiber and other related things for sale on your site - can you talk about what you offer?

Fiber is the “sidecar” to raising show ring quality alpacas.  Often with better breeding decisions comes better fiber.  The rovings I offer have to be of a certain micron count (meaning that each fiber diameter has to meet my criteria) and staple length.  I am working on developing special blends for handspinners as well as signature colorways (dyed and natural).  And I’m having a blast doing it!.  I work with several handspinners that I respect—getting feedback from each one.  I then use those comments to improve my next batch of roving.  As with breeding, this takes time but it is well worth the effort.  I am eagerly awaiting my next roving run coming from the mill the end of July.

Another plus I offer handspinners is raw alpaca fiber in small quantities as well as silk, tencel, nylon, Angelina, yak, camel, bamboo, mohair and wool for blending with the raw alpaca.

I also sell Schacht and Majacraft Spinning wheels and I am looking at adding one more brand to the line up.

Another “sidecar” but to fiber this time is dye.  We offer Jacquard, Cushings, Gaywool dyes, and will soon add a “green” dye that has been developed using no hazardous metals in its processing.

Because I am always interested in using all the fiber from an alpaca (often only the blanket is used), I offer dog and cat beds that have thick alpaca quilts and foam for mattresses.  The fiber for the beds is from the legs and neck.  Once the fiber is washed and carded, it is then quilted between two layers of a very tightly woven cotton.  The quilt is washable although we don’t recommend putting it in the dryer.  We offer monogram services as well for the pet beds.

For the herd I have developed a cria coat that doesn’t use Velcro fasteners.  As with human babies, their heat regulators need supplementation.  The lining can be added as you would a lining for a coat for extra warmth.

Needlefelting is such an exciting and instantly gratifying fiber medium, that I developed Shades of Alpaca.  The set consists of small quantities of a variety of 16 colors to be used for shading and depth in a needle felted project.

Tell me about your guard dog that is mentioned on the site.

Tekoa is named after an ancient Hebrew land found in the book of Amos in the Bible.  He looks very much like a Great Pyrenees but is actually a breed from Poland called Owczarek Podhalanski also known as a Polish Tatra Sheepdog.  They are quite rare in the United States.  He is the first dog I have ever had and feel very fortunate to have found such a gentle-spirited and intelligent dog.  He lives with the alpacas and only barks when there is danger.  We are certain that he has persuaded many a predator to keep moving—that there are easier pickings down the road.

I see that you also offer a rental vacation site..want to talk a little about this?

We were using our guest house (casita) as a school room for fiber classes when the downturn in the economy severly cut back on the number of students attending our classes.  Since we love to have company, we decided to close the school for now and turn the casita into a bed and breakfast.  The panoramic view of the Sangres de Cristo Mountains from our property is breathtaking.  .

Where can folks find you? www.EyeDazzlerAlpacas.com On Twitter, I’m “DazzlersAllie”.  Shows? We will be attending shows this fall in Colorado, Kansas, and Ohio.  Watch our website for more information.  Farm visits? Farm visits are free and open to the public.  We just ask that you call ahead and make arrangements.

Coming up in July (the 10th to the 12th) is the SLV Folk Arts and Fiber Festival in Monte Vista, Colorado.  Laura Murphy and Crystal Mascarenas, who started the festival, took the time to answer some questions so that we can all learn a little more about the SLV Fest.  I’d highly recommend heading down there and checking it out…

Pagosa Fiber Festival Falls End of May

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Pagosa Spring, CO - The Pagosa Fiber Festival opens the season of fun in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  The event falls on the last weekend of May  – the 30^th and 31^th. Events actually begin at the Community Center on Thursday, May 28^th with two days of fiber arts workshops and include the annual Festival sponsored Navajo Rug Auction on Saturday evening.

During the days fair goers should plan to spend their time under  the big white tents in Town Park (corner of Hot Springs Blvd. and 160) enjoying the animals, the gorgeous fashions and home accessories handmade from their fiber, activities for youngsters, some very good food….and planners hope, good weather.

For those who are interested in learning how to work fiber, the Festival offers a variety of workshops: World of Color – Yarn Design by Inspiration (Ruth Baldwin); Crochet a Silk Flower Neck Warmer (Tina Valles); Knitting with Beads/Japanese Kuhmihimo Braiding (Judy Ditmore); Wet Felting a Hat (Lois Burbach); Two/Handed/Two Color Knitting (Diane Braun); Long Wool Spinning (Diane Braun); Navajo Weaving Boot Camp (Mary Walker); Beginning Spinning (Linda Smith); Wet Felting a Nuno Scarf (Lois Burbach);  Yarn Dyeing (Pam Ramsey); Needle Felting a Bear (Kim Perkins); Sculptural Knitting of the Southwest (Ellen Sibelius).  Workshops are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, May 28^th and 29^th.

For all information, guidelines and application check the Festival website at www.pagosafiberfestival.org

Alternately, for information on workshops and registration contact Nancy Wilson at (928)567-6684 or spinllama@msn.com .   To reserve a vendor or exhibitor space, contact Barbara Witkowski (970)264-4543 or ba_witkowski@yahoo.com For general questions about the Festival, contact Jane McKain at (970)264-4456 or jemckain@centurytel.net ..
Submitted by Pauline Benetti 264-5232; paulineb@centurytel.net

Midnight Designs is named after my cat, Midnight, whom we rescued just before Halloween when he was about 6 weeks old.  We turned the idea into a real business by becoming an LLC in Sept 2007.

MD was always intended to be art, but really went more towards the fiber direction in 2007.  I’ve been crocheting since the age of 7, and knitting for about 7 or 8 years.  I’ve really been spinning for about 5, but have owned a wheel for about 7.

We have hand dyed yarns and fibers, hand processed Alpaca fiber, raw fleeces, fleeces in various stages of processing – (Want to buy a washed fleece?  You can!   Or what about a fleece that has been washed and picked, ready for you to work your own magic?  We can do that too!) , hand spun yarns, batts, as well as various exotic rovings – from camel, to yak, to silks, and many many more.

The Bee Travel Wheel

I am the Colorado Distributor for Spinolution Spinning wheels – they have the Mach 1, the Bee Travel Wheel, spindles, a kate, and are always working on the next new and improved product.

I also have several antique circular sock knitting machines (CSM).  I prefer the Gearharts, and also do restoration and sales of them, of course in addition to knitting and selling socks made on the machine.

We also make our own candles, soap, body butter, lotions, shampoos, and conditioners.  Due to allergies and intolerances, we decided to begin making a lot of our own bath and body products too.  What we will have available in the near future will be the same that we use daily ourselves.

The other half of MD is my husband, who is also an artist at heart and we will be listing some prints of his art work on there soon.  My ravelry ID is one of his paintings of a Mardi Gras Mask.

I love the way it feels,  so soft , and you know there are no additives or preservatives – also it contains no lanolin, which is not allowed in the house due to allergies.

We choose what we like – Initially we started with solids, because I could not find the solid I wanted for a project.  We still do solids, but multi colors have crept into the picture… and again, we dye what we would like to buy.  (but I have also been known to solicit input from others in my local knitting group…

My DH is the dyer behind the yarn and fiber… J

Hand Dyed Yarn

Spinolution wheels are new on the field.  The wheels are make here in the USA, by a father son team that has many years of experience between them.  They designed a wheel for what they thought was missing in the market.

The main difference that will be noticed, is the treadle – it is more of a rocker style than the traditional “pedal”.  It can be treadled with one or two feet.  I find there is very little “impact” on the joints, and I can sit and spin for much longer.  I have arthritis, and the design of the wheel does not agitate my joints – which makes it a winner in my book.

The Bee has such a wide range of ratio’s  - 1:5 all the way to 1:33.  I just got my wheel, so I’m still working on putting it through the paces.

When  available , I also have a Louet S17 and a Mach 1 that is available for rent.

The Bee Wheel in its travel bag

What is your favorite part about MD?  Your least favorite part?

Most favorite – would be the idea of taking the fur from an animal at shearing and the transformation process of turning it into yarn, and then into a finished product.

Least? Bookkeeping. But ya gotta do it.

Eventually, we would like to be able to grow into a mini mill.  But that will be in the 10- year plan. Currentlly we are working to build our name and following and provide quality products!

I will be at the Great Western Alpaca show May 1,2, &3.  And I can be found at knit group on Sundays in Frederick.  E-mail me if you want to know exactly where I’ll be when, or if you would like me to come visit your group and bring a wheel or two..

I was able to catch up with Jessica last week to take a look at the Bee wheel - it is a very neat package.  It contains so many ratios - and you don’t have to change whorls to get them.  I also like the fact that there is so little to do to get it ready to travel - you don’t have to remove the flyer or disassemble anything, simply pop it back down into place and you’re all set.  Definitely one to think of if you are looking for a travel wheel.  Midnight Designs has some beautiful fibers and yarns - visit their website and see for yourself what they have to offer, or visit them this weekend at the Great Western Alpaca Show and Fiber Fiesta.  You can contact them using the info below.

Jessica@midnight-designs.com

www.midnight-designs.com

The Alpaca Extravaganza is a show put on each year by the Alpaca Breeders Alliance of Northern Colorado. It comes at a great time, at the end of February, as the end of winter makes you want to get out and about.  This year - though the show is indoors and heated in case of inclement weather - it was a beautiful day to soak in the sun, and enjoy some alpaca and fiber fun.

The show has a little something for everyone.  There are informational meetings for those looking at the possibility of starting an alpaca farm themselves.  There are vendors with fiber, yarn, equipment, completed garments, and many other alpaca related items.  Of course there are also many member farms there in case you want to meet some of the fluffy little creatures in person.  Overall it is a fun way to spend the day or even just a couple of hours, whether you want to learn, shop, or just feel a bit of alpaca in your fingers.

So next spring make sure to put the Alpaca Extravaganza on your calendar.  To see a list of other Alpaca Breeders Alliance of Northern Colorado events visit www.abanc.org.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t remember if I first came across Brandywine Woodworking while reading the forums on Ravelry, or while searching my way around Etsy.  Either way - I was led to the site one way or another - and am very glad I found it.  Chris, of Brandywine WW, makes beautiful fiber tools, and other lovely items as well,  in his solar powered Colorado shop.  He was nice enough to answer some questions for me so that we could all come to know a bit more about the work he does…

 

 

 

 

 

When did you start Brandywine Woodworking?  What led to you do it?  

Brandywine (in its many incarnations) is over 23 years old, and came about from my natural attraction to the beautiful organic forms that nature makes. After a childhood full of collecting interesting branches, roots, stones, and leaves…well I had to do something with it. I found wood to be a fairly forgiving medium that holds a natural beauty. 

And, of course, having a woodworking shop gives me a reason to bring home anything that catches my eye during my Mountain wanderings.

How did you begin turning/carving wood? 

When I was 15, I opened a shop at the Colorado Renaissance festival where I was making carved walking sticks, chess sets and many other things. As I became aware of peoples need for beautiful, useful tools…then I felt I had found my niche. My interest in woodturning grew from wanting to make attractive and useful tools. Looking back through the rich history of fiber arts I continue to discover many wonderful tools that were relied on to produce fabric, clothes, and blankets. I then add their function with my want to beautify the design, and craft a new tool.    
 

What is the best part for you of BrandywineWW?  You least favorite part? 

The best part of crafting is that what I craft is on my terms (very important for an artist of any nature), secondly it is knowing that the creations are found attractive and useful and will be in use for a long time…possibly even handed down through a family over time.  

My least favorite part could be waiting for the pieces to find their home.    
 

I notice that your shop seems to have a large number of fiber arts tools - are you involved in other areas of fiber arts as well - or is there another reason for this?  

I love the fiber arts, and behind the scenes I am developing designs and prototypes for spinning wheels, spindles, felting tools, weaving shuttles, hooks and needles, etc….

The custom work I craft encompasses all types of fiber related arts. You may not see them in my etsy store, but I make weaving shuttles, shawl pins, kitchen tools, and much more. My family all practice fiber arts skills (spinning, knitting, weaving, crochet, felting, etc) so naturally I have a close ‘test’ audience and they are tremendously helpful in guiding my designs.

Can you talk a little about your process?  Do you usually start with an idea - then find a wood piece to match?  Or do you let the wood decide what it becomes? etc. 

Both at the same time. I usually have an idea of the kind of object I will craft, but give leeway to the wood to guide me to the finished piece. Some wood just speaks to you, and it is wise to listen. Other times it will nudge you this way and that leaving much of the shaping to you. Always I strive to respect the materials that I shape and craft with.    
 

Your profile talks about your shop being solar powered and health and environmentally friendly processes and materials.  Can you speak about this a bit?  It’s importance, or anything else you’d want to include… 

Our home is off the grid, so naturally the shop is solar powered as well. This is limiting in the amount of power I can use during long cloudy times. So during those times I work by hand. We chose years ago to live efficiently and simply and over the years have been practicing the lifelong art of building and rebuilding a homestead . 

Healthy crafting is very important to us, and we assume, to everyone. Why craft anything that causes discomfort, or is made of cold unfriendly materials. I like to think that what I craft is warm and pleasing, both to the eye and the hand. It is my hope that my tools will be used throughout time and handed down to the next eager hobbiest/crafter/artist. Therefore they should be made from simple friendly materials that can be used over and over again. 

Often the materials I am using are recycled from some other purpose, where they are no longer useful. The finish I protect the woods with is simple, natural and wholesome and has also been time tested and favored amongst woodworkers for many centuries.   
 

How can folks find your work?  Etsy?  Festivals? other? 

Email: COinfo (at) brandywineww (dot) com 

Etsy:

http://brandywineww.etsy.com 

Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/groups/brandywine-woodworking-fans

(soon I will be posting items I have crafted here before they are for sale) 

I have applied to the Estes Wool Festival, and hopefully we be attending as a Vendor this year. In 2009 I am planning on attending SLV, Pagosa Fiber Festival, and maybe Best of the Southwest (just over the CO/NM border). I will consider attending any Colorado ‘gathering’ with an invitation.  
 

I see that you make all sort of things - can you tell of the things you make now - anything you plan or would like to add in the future?   As far as custom orders go - what types of item are available or possible? 

It is not my within me to limit my creativity by staying within a specific realm of artistry, so as I craft fiber arts tools I also find myself working hot glass, silver, gemstones, and vegetable ivory. 

It would be difficult to list all that is possible for custom items, I am open to most anything. 

The only requirement I have for crafting custom items is that they are made from simple materials and are enjoyable to craft. If you can show me a picture or drawing of some ancient, unknown or little used tool/accessory/etc. I can most likely craft it, given time and patience. 

 After seeing someone turning crochet hooks last year at the Sustainable Living Fair in Fort Collins, I finally searched out and signed up for a woodturning class.  (Something I had wanted to learn since I had an idea for the type of spindle I wanted but couldn’t find anywhere.)  It was a one day class and a lot of fun.  I came home with some fun little trinkets - and a whole new appreciation for beautiful wooden pieces like those that Chris creates.  (Needless to say I won’t be skilled enough to create that spindle any time soon:) Be sure to take a look at the Brandywine Woodworking store on etsy.com as I have only been able to show you a few items - and there are many more on the site.  Also - if you are on Ravelry be sure to look for the Brandywine WW fans group.  I’ll also be looking forward to searching out his table this summer at the festivals.

Last month I posted a listing of several Colorado charities and non-profits.  Here is a closer look at one of those - Warm Woolies.  I was particularly drawn to Warm Woolies as it is specifically geared towards children, many living in orphanages or on reservations.   I was able to catch up with Kimberly recently to ask her a few questions (which is no small feat after you read about her schedule below!) - read on to learn more about Warm Woolies and what they do.

When did you start Warm Woolies?
Warm Woolies began in January 2003, the first anniversary of my friend’s adoption of two boys, Andre and Roman, from Russia. Andre and Roman were preschool classmates of my two daughters and the four became fast friends. The more I learned about the living conditions in their orphanages, the more strongly I felt compelled to act. So, to mark the anniversary, I decided to knit 100 pieces to send to a Russian orphanage. A co-worker and another knitter joined in the effort and by the end of the year, the three of us had knit 507 pieces, which were delivered to children living in orphanages in Russia and Lithuania.

Why Warm Woolies? What was the motivation behind it? 

Some recipients of Warm Woolies items

The name seemed to fit — we only use wool (animal fiber) because is it so much warmer and more durable than synthetic yarn.  We also try to send warmth — both literal and figurative — in the pieces we knit.
 

 
What does a day (or week or month) in the life of Warm Woolies look like?  Can you talk a bit about the number of donations you get throughout the year?  The delivery of the items?Hmmm…. Where to begin!  How about a typical week?  We receive between 50 and 80 packages per week, with a total of about 250 pieces and some in-kind donations of yarn and needles.  We sort the pieces by type and size, and repair pieces that come in not quite right (needing buttons, with necks too wide, etc).  We acknowledge and record all of the donations.  We pack up pieces and send them according to the following factors: where knitters request, where we know of the the greatest need, and where we have the best (most reliable) transport and delivery options.  The unpacking, packing, repairs and acknowledgments alone take between 30-40 hours per week.  We have volunteer hours on Monday evenings when a lot of the above takes place.  That’s also the time local knitters can drop off finished pieces and pick up supplies.  In a typical week, we also ship yarn to 5-10 volunteer knitters around the country who prepay for shipping.  I answer over 50 emails each week.  On top of that , we might have any of the following activities: We have a few fundraising events each year — typically a letter in the spring and 2 -4 sales in the fall of lovely pieces we make with donated yarn that is not well-suited for the purposeful knitting we do.  We travel to the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations each fall to deliver knit pieces and other humanitarian aid (we hold supply drives to collect diapers, formula, and infant clothing).  We circulate a newsletter 4x a year to about 700 subscribers.  We update the website as frequently as possible.  We research and apply for grants when possible.  We coordinate knitting groups at three senior living facilities in Denver and a handful of knitting groups around the country.  When time permits, I design patterns for pieces to meet the specific needs of the children for whom we knit. 

The number of volunteers and donated items has grown tremendously since you started - can you talk a bit about this?  What brings people to you?
 
I think four main things are responsible.  First and foremost: there are a slew of kind-hearted knitters out there who are committed to making the world a better place.  I remain awed by the generosity of time and spirit from our volunteers and knitters.  Second, Page 1 Solutions has donated their talent and resources to making sure we have a top notch website.  By having that tool, we’re able to communicate with so many people interested in our work.  Third, we’ve been very fortunate to receive some amazing donations of yarn and needles.  We have 100+ knitters who knit more than 50 pieces a year.  Most could not afford to do so were we not able to supply them with wool yarn.  Thankfully, we have been able to provide wool yarn to every knitter who has requested it, and we should be able to do so for a couple more years.  Fourth, I have an amazing family who have endured the encroachment of yarn and boxes throughout about a third of our home, my attention to Warm Woolies rather than to housework, and a stream of volunteers traipsing in and out. 

A car full of donations headed to South Dakota

Who are the recipients of the donated items?  Where are donations sent?
Our mission is to reach children living in the coldest climates and with the fewest resources.  We work with international adoption agencies in Russia, Kazakhstan and China, and international relief efforts in Mongolia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Lithuania to deliver pieces to children who would otherwise suffer from the cold.  We deliver or ship pieces to a number of tribal reservations and indigenous communities in the northern United States, including Alaska.

How can people help to support Warm Woolies? (both knitters and non-knitters?)
We can always use help!  We welcome new knitters and non-knitters alike.  We can always use help sorting, packing and writing thank you notes. 

What is the greatest need that you see - what can people donate to help most in this area?
Our greatest need is funding for a permanent, part-time, paid assistant.  We’ve grown to about 1,000 volunteers and 12,000 pieces a year — I could really use a hand! 

I saw in a recent email that there is a new promotion for 2009 (10 for 10) - can you talk a bit about this?
Warm Woolies knits for children 6 months to 16 years old.  However, the vast majority of the pieces we receive are size 4 or smaller.  Our 2009 contest is meant to encourage knitters to focus on children 10 years and older.  We’re offering $100 of knitting supplies for knitters who contribute 10 sweaters or pairs of socks for children 10 or older this year.  The details will be posted to our website in the next few days.  

What has been your favorite part of being involved with Warm Woolies?
I feel my heart grow when I think of the thousands of children in the world who have been touched by Warm Woolies. 

Can you talk about any surprises you’ve come up against ?On a Saturday morning in February,

A truck full of donated yarn

2007, I had just stepped out of the shower, dripping wet and wearing only a towel.  My daughter handed me my cell phone.  A woman from the San Francisco Bay area was calling wanting to know if Warm Woolies was accepting donations of yarn.  I thought she was talking about a box or two of yarn.  Nope, she was looking to donate the entire inventory of her store which she had just closed.   That was quite a surprise!

I would like to thank Kimberly from Warm Woolies for her help- and for allowing me to use the images above from the Warm Woolies website.  I had been looking to do more charity knitting as one of my goals for 2009, and have started working on the 10 for 10 challenge.  I’m halfway through my second pair of socks and the yarn for my first WW sweater is on the way.  If you are able and interested consider taking up the challenge - or even knitting what you can to send in.  You can also send a monetary donation to help support this wonderful cause.  To learn more about Warm Woolies you can visit their website at www.warmwoolies.org and you can also join the Warm Woolies group on Ravelry.

‘Tis the season when many are thinking of ways to help others and to give of themselves.  Below are some fiber related charities and non-profit groups in Colorado that would love your support.  For some you can help by knitting, crocheting, or weaving items.  Most also are in need of general monetary donations.  You can also support one by purchasing their beautiful alpaca fiber.  So, if you find yourself with some extra time or funds this holiday season keep these groups in mind. 

Warm Hearts—Warm Babies

P.O. Box 1266  Brighton, CO

Website: http://www.warmheartswarmbabies.org/  

Email: info@warmheartswarmbabies.org 

Warm the World

P.O. Box 1089   Canon City, CO 81215

Website: www.warmtheworld.org  

 Email: founder@warmtheworld.org

Kaps For Kendall

7051 Palisade Drive  Littleton, CO 80130     303-378-0945

Website: www.kapsforkendall.com  

Email:  kapsforkendall@comcast.net

Warm Woolies

5572  E. Mansfield Avenue    Denver, CO 80237   

Website: www.warmwoolies.org  

Email:  warmwoolies@comcast.net

Warm Woolies is a non profit group whose volunteers knit warm, wool clothing for children around the world who would otherwise suffer from cold.  We distribute over ten thousand garments a year through international aid groups and international adoption organizations.

Paca Peace Ranch for Youth

P.O. Box 463    Westcliffe, CO 81252    Custer County     Phone: 719-783-2877

Website: www.pacapeace.org   Email: info@pacapeace.org

At Paca Peace Ranch for Youth, kids learn a healthy and peaceful lifestyle and build trust as they bond with a personal alpaca.  They have prime blankets for sale from their gelding alpacas in white huacaya and brown/white suri for $2.50 an oz; 10 0z. For  $24.00. Free USA shipping over $50.00.

 If you are on Ravelry you can join the Colorado Knits! group to find even more info on Colorado charity knitting and crocheting.   If you know of any Colorado based group that I’ve missed please contact me so that I can add it to our list.

Happy Holidays!

It was nearly a year ago that I first saw the luscious colors of a Red Stone Yarns roving.  The soft cashmere/silk blends were hanging at the Handweavers Guild of Boulder Annual Show and Sale.  I was able to catch up with - the redhead- recently, and not only did I get to visit with her beautiful fibers in person, but I got to know a thing or two about Red Stone Yarns as well.

As it turns out, that guild show was somewhat of a Red Stone Yarns debut.  While -the redhead- had been making batts for herself for quite some time, the friends who kept asking her to make them batts as well  inspired her to create Red Stone Yarns.  So in December of 2007, her batts and rovings were put out there for the public.  The response was good - and has just continued to grow from there.

Because she started off with what she wanted to spin - all of her products contain luxury fibers:  cashmere, silk, merino, and more.  She recently added some superwash and now sells rovings that are great for sock spinning (though quite honestly it is so soft it would work just as well draped around your neck).   She credits her exploration in color to Deb Mentz and classes she’s taken with her.  -the redhead- claims that natural colors are what she’s normally attracted to, but one would never guess that by the lovely colorways available in her batts and rovings.  I got a sneak peek at her new dying studio (in fact the first time we spoke on the phone she was on her way back from Home Depot with a utiliy sink.)  She now has a whole room that she can devote just to dying, no more tarps to put down or take up to protect the floor.  Did I mention she was smiling when she showed me this:)

One other feature in the room was the Supercarder - what she calls the best present she ever got for herself.  That supercarder was certainly kept busy all summer as Red Stone Yarns was a vendor at SOAR 2008.  As this was the first show that Red Stone Yarns had done, it was quite an undertaking.  She was pleased with the outcome - particularly how well her products were received by the national spinning community.  She knew she would have a good time when she spent the first two and a half hours bent over her ticket book ringing up sales.  Luckily she had taken her mom with her - as she ended up needing the assistance.  Her mom used to own a yarn shop, and as a child - the redhead- spent much of her time there.  So while she fully blames her mom for fiber addiction at a young age (-the redhead- claims that she had to learn to knit in self defense:), it  was fun to have her at the show.

In addition to roving and batts - award winning yarn is also available from Red Stone Yarns.  The spring and bounce in the beaded yarn is unreal - and the technique is top secret:)  As for anything else though, -the redhead- is all about sharing what she knows with others.  If you are on Ravelry, you probably know -the redhead- through the Fiber Prep group, where she readily shares her experience and knowledge in this area. You can also visit her website to see videos on hand combing, making a batt on the supercarder, and exteding a batt into roving for spinning.   While she is becoming more and more known as one to go to with questions in spinning (she was selected to award the Handspinner’s Award at this year’s Estes Park Wool Market), she still isn’t sure what that is all about.  Mostly because her mentor (Maggie Casey of Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins and Start Spinning) is just right down the road.  -the redhead- is the first to admit how lucky she is to be surrounded by some of the best in the fiber world.  She is also very excited that Shuttles will be carrying her products after the first of the year.

To learn more about Red Stone Yarns visit the website at www.redstoneyarns.com.  There is a new Fiber Club -so if you like what you see you can have some shipped right to your door each month.  If you like to meet your fiber in person - go to the Handweavers Guild of Boulder Annual Show and Sale.  It will be December 4th-9th, 2008 at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont and there will be plenty of spinning fun available from Red Stone Yarns (and other guild members as well.)

More than once now I’ve seen the Pickin’ Spinnin’ and Grinnin’ class offered by Kathy Martin of  Wynham Farms available at a time that I was, unfortunately, not.  While I’ve been unable to make it to that class (yet:) -  I was able to visit the farm recently and learn a bit more about the folks and fiber behind gotmygoat.com. 

Kathy, and her daughter Kelley, moved to their current farm in 1994.  They were both living and working in Boulder at the time - and wanted to escape all of the noises for a quieter existence.  They found 5 acres - and while they had originally wanted a larger piece of land, with Colorado land prices being what they were (and still are!), they settled into their new place with high hopes and lots of plans.  At that time they weren’t living on the cul-de-sac that has since come up around them - but were quite frankly out in the middle of nowhere.  Kelley loved horses and thus they started with a rescued Arabian mare - which led to the addition of a quarter horse as a buddy for the mare.  As Kathy and her daughter worked to put up fencing and a loafing shed (along with other landscaping around the house) they ran into both sucesses as well as challenges.  There is always learning going on, and the stories could fill a book.  Indeed, Kathy has hinted that there might be one in the works:)

In 1996 - there became a desire for a new barn.  In figuring how they might afford this new addition, Kathy began looking for livestock to add to their farm.   With their small size making them manageable, and the large amounts of mohair fiber that they produce each year making them more attractive than other types, Angora goats found their way to Wynham Farms.  In 1998 the new barn was built.  It was designed by Kelley to surround the original loafing shed, and it was partially financed by the tax breaks provided by the new Angora goats.  Since then - those original 3 goats (one of which is still part of the farm today) have grown to a larger herd that currently numbers at 22.   There are the “oldies but goodies” that still come running for their grain - and also this year’s kids, the little “walking haystacks”.  All of the goats are all white angora with all white angora backgrounds.  The all white angora goats tend to have finer fleeces as they have not been crossed with the coarser meat or dairy goats to introduce color.  The focus of Wynham Farms is fiber rather than breeding stock - thus many of the goats born there stay there.  This year though - several goats left to a good new home as part of a starter flock.  Since Kathy and Kelley do all of the care and shearing themselves - they must keep their numbers manageable.

The shearing is quite another story.  They had gone to Estes and watched the demonstrations there and read all that they could - but found that the shearing of the angora goat was a bit trickier than anticipated.  In the first years it would take the two of them 3 hours to get done with one goat - what with all of the wrestling involved:)  That sent Kathy back to her researching and she found the answer in a shearing table that she ordered from New Zealand. It was made particularly for goats (rather than sheep) and has helped them cut down their shearing time to about 45 minutes for each goat.  Having wrestled a goat or two - I could fully appreciate the beauty of this table. 

Once we had met all the goats, we headed for the garage - where I got a true “trunk” show.  Having just come back from the Taos Wool Festival - tubs of fiber, yarn, and other goodies were packed into the back of the truck.  Kathy has everything from the finest kid and yearling mohair in a rainbow of colors - to beautiful handwoven rugs made from the dyed mohair of older goats and alpaca neck, leg, and belly fiber.  She dyes much of the fiber herself.  Her blends also include one of mohair and wool, another mohair, wool, and alpaca.   DVA fiber mill is where Kathy has some of her mohair cleaned - their dehairer is fantastic at getting out the VM from those little moving haystacks.  The alpaca in her mixes comes largely from her neighbors at Kokopelli’s Song Alpacas.  She also uses cormo from the Elsa Wool Company.   In short, Kathy likes to use local sources in her products as much as possible.

You can catch up with Wynham Farms at many fiber festivals - including the ABR Fall Festival on November 8th and 9th, 2008.  Kathy is a judge this year for the spinning portion of the show - and has been busy preparing for that.  They also have booths at Estes, Taos, and the Denver Fiber Fiesta, as well as an open house at the farm in the spring. At their booths you can find hand dyed locks and roving for spinning, yarns, and even finished products.  You can email kathy@gotmygoat.com  or call 303-857-4095 to find out about upcoming events,  fiber and other products she has available for purchase, and also for information on personal or group classes in spinning and using the triple picker.  Kathy and Kelley have worked hard to show that two women can achieve their dreams if they are willing to keep working through the challenges.  You can learn more about their farm, the goats, and the fiber, roving, and yarns available at  www.gotmygoat.com.  I’m going to keep my eye out for that Pickin’ Spinnin’ and Grinnin’ class so that I can get this fun yarn from a beautiful ball of mohair fluff.