Woolly Wabbits

Today I attended the Fiber Frolic in Windsor Maine. I was fortunate to be able to stay last night with a friend in the area (all the more money for the event!) I had in mind to check out the angora rabbits and the spinning wheels, so I was able to pass by much of the luscious fiber, yarn, etc to stay focused on my quest.

The picture above is a baby pic of my new buck and his brother. No, I don't know which is which! He's a beautiful silvery black, and I've dubbed him "Guy Noir." I also acquired a gorgeous chocolate female I've named "Coco" - they were both born at the end of March/beginning of April and are French/German cross. I'm hoping to breed them when they're old enough. Updated pics ASAP!

I also spent some time trying out spinning wheels and ended up with a double-treadle HitchHiker from The Merlin Tree in VT . My spinning needs considerable practice, and this portable wheel will give me an opportunity to hang out most anywhere and work on my technique.

Three's Company

I went with Barbie Tilton last Sunday to deliver four young alpacas to Jeff Bishop's Equinox Farm. They all rode quietly in the back of Barbie's van over the back roads to Hopkinton. I was planning to purchase one of two fiber boys Jeff has, Angelus and Millionaire. Angelus is listed as light fawn, and Millionaire is a beautiful white boy with an incredible coat. No surprise, I couldn't chose, and so now they are both mine. Mr T was one of the boys we took over to Hopkinton, and he and the two older guys were mingling well by the time we left.

Barbie has several pregnant girls, and had a new baby that had just been born on Friday. The little one was having trouble getting the knack of suckling, and Barbie was pretty tired from bottle feedings through the nights since. However when we got back to Someday Farm, Dean told us the baby had figured it out while we were gone, and we watched her nurse and then frolic outside with the other Mama Alpacas.

Today I staked out where my fence posts will be, and assessed what needs to be done in my ground level barn area where the three boys will be sheltered. I need to drag some junk out of there, rake out the dirt floor, and construct their pen. I need some electricity and ceiling lights, and a water source for when it gets too cold for the outdoor hose. Looks like I'll be making some phone calls this week!

The Beginning

A big week for me. I bought my first alpaca and lost my older dog, a faithful companion for almost 15 years. Smudge and I had been through a lot together, and he was always at my side, or sleeping just inside the door so he couldn't miss my return. I keep watching out that I don't trip over him - it will be hard to get used to him being gone.

The alpaca enterprise has been ruminating (pun intended) for a couple of years, and was fired up again when I ran into Barbie Tilton of Someday Farm (Canterbury NH) at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival. With her tutelage, I'll be bringing home my first little guys as soon as I get the fence installed!