Alma Park Alpacas LLC & The Yarn Shop at Alma Park™

Podcast Episode 3 - Alpaca Visit and Figure 8s

2016-11-23T09:16:00.001-05:00

Episode 3 of Rose "Spins a Yarn" is live. This episode does a quick visit with the alpacas outside (the barn was too dark to get anything worthwhile to show), as well as how to tie your handspun (or any yarn) with figure 8 ties.

Podcast Episode 2 - WPI Meaning and PayItForward

2016-11-13T21:02:00.000-05:00

Episode 2 is up. We discuss how to measure the thickness of your handspan yarn using WPI (Wraps Per Inch) as well as the amazing, generous giveaways from the yarn and fiber community with #payitforward

As promised my WPI range. . . . I will also put this in a PDF in the upcoming week and add it to my main website along with the translations of the new US labeling system and common needle/crochet hooks and gauge for each weight of yarn:

Bulky (less than 8)
Aran 8-10
Worsted 10-12
DK 12-18
Sport 18-24
Fingering/Sock 24-30
Lace 30-40

Here is the pattern link to the hat I will be spinning for in the next coming weeks:

Ziggy Pattern

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @almapark or Facebook for a chance to enter our #AlmaParkpaysitforward giveaway.

Our first podcast!!!

2016-11-06T22:33:00.000-05:00

Our first podcast.

Rose "Spins a Yarn"

EPISODE 1 - Fiber Prep

3rd Floor Guest Bathroom - Complete Renovation - Featuring my knit and woven pieces.

2016-05-10T18:01:00.001-04:00

I am seriously slacking on updating this blog !! I do post to our Facebook page and Instagram on a regular, almost daily basis because I can do it from my phone, but for the blog, I need to sit at the computer, which for an active farmer/yarn store owner/fiber artist/mom/wife . . . is harder than it sounds. Funny to think that when I was a consultant, I spent a good 8-10 hours a day at the computer and now it's lucky if I do that a week, my iPhone and iPad do almost everything I need.

In any event, we renovated this bathroom last year and I took my sweet time decorating it and took EVEN longer to get pictures. I have included some knitted and woven items in the bathroom and am currently working on a handspun / handwoven wall hanging!

I hope this project gives you some inspiration on what a little bit of color, and a little bit of yarn can do to spice up a space and make it warm and inviting.

And now. . . .

THE RENOVATION

The house on our farm was originally built in 1740. There is a rich history of the generations of people who lived here and we love to learn all we can about the property and surrounding area. We are the first owners of the property for all of (written) history that are not related to the original settlers.

This is our 3rd floor guest bath. It is off of our office and adjacent to the guest room.

This is actually a rather large room, but the space was not utilized properly. The floor, which is linoleum had cuts and burn marks and is probably from the 60s. Unfortunately it was glued down over original hard-wood floors that we could not salvage because of the damage of the glue, nails and uneven sanding in the past.

The sink is TINY. . . and shallow. It is impossible to wash your hands without splashing yourself. The ceramic soap and tooth brush holders were cracked.

There was a ton of towel racks in the bathroom. All cheap and all needed to go.

The medicine cabinet was rusted and grungy and the two florescent lights were glaring in your face as you looked in the mirror. The walls were a gross yellow and there obviously was a smoker in the house prior to us.

The shower was also tiny and the walls were painted !! The shower floor was just so gross, I never stepped foot in it.

The toilet was not in terrible shape, but years (possible decades) of not being used left a permanent stain in the bowl. It is rather close to the shower, but to move it would have been a huge undertaking in plumbing, so we decided to leave it and make it work. The only storage in the room was plywood shelving that was not even sanded smooth next to the toilet. The bare bulb had scary wiring and was just bizarre.

We had already done all replacement windows, so the window is new. The hot water radiator was in good shape, but needed to be refreshed with a coat of paint.

We decided to do a complete gut of the room with the exception of the radiator. We decided not to move any plumbing except for the shower head and regulator. The shower head was in the ceiling.

BEFORE

Tiny little sink. Small grungy medicine cabinet and 2 lights.

Tiny little shower, with PAINTED walls.

Check out the shower floor! GROSS!

Bare bulb hanging down with scary wiring.
Plywood shelving - AND CHECK OUT the floor!

DURING

I didn't take too many pictures of the work while it was underway, because it was during a heat wave and quite frankly it was HOT as heck on the third floor.

New shower install

AFTER

I hope you like looking at the pics and get some color inspiration and for all the fiber artists out there inspiration that your handi-work can also be used in the bathroom!!

New EVERYTHING. Laminate floor, vanity, paint etc! The ceilings are very low in this house,
so hanging the curtain rods a little higher than the window and pooling to the floor gives the illusion of height

Blue and yellow make a bright and inviting space

A birdcage found at a yard sale set the "bird" theme for the whole room. The footstool
was a $10 find at a craft store that I painted with milk paint to make it look aged.

Bird cage found at a "going out of business" craft store. I then purchased
little birds and nests to make it look "real"

A sunflower pic from a pro-photographer is bright and
cheery and made the yellow accents all tie together

A bookshelf purchased at an Amish store, woven table topper, made by me and featured on this blog, a copper antique
oblong receptacle, blue vase fill marbles and battery powered lights. The bird cage to the left
is 1/2 of a set of bookends. The pic to the right is of our antique barn taken by me. There is also a birdcage on the bottom found at a flea market.

I knitted this tissue box holder from the left over yarn of the woven table topper.

Another view, notice the other bird cage bookend on the back of the toilet

Silk Sunflowers in an antique bottle found at a yard sale.

A bee in the middle of the sunflowers. An homage to our own honeybees.

Another view

The vanity close up.

We opted for period style fixtures all in oil rubbed bronze.

Sconces in bronze again

The new shower. roomy and new.

Found at a yard sale, these bottles look perfect just sitting on the vanity.

Open House Announcement and Spinzilla 2015 Savings

2015-09-21T10:39:00.000-04:00

Open House and SPINZILLA 2015 savings

Fuzzy Butts grazing

Come join us for National Alpaca Farm Days here at Alma Park Alpacas LLC

Who - You're invited!
When -

Saturday September 26 10am - 4 pm
Sunday September 27 10 am - 2 pm

Where - Alma Park Alpacas - Directions
Cost - FREE
What:

Meet an alpaca or several :)
Feel the fleece
See spinning demos
Hang out and knit or spin with us
Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
See the progress on the new store / studio
Shop for yarn, fiber, roving, gifts, clothes

Why: Why not?

Can't join us?

Well take advantage of FREE SHIPPING (US only) through Sept 30 on all orders $25 and over (including clearance items). No coupon code needed. Just go to www.yourLYSonline.com and browse. New items listed daily!

ALSO - since Spinzilla 2015 is right around the corner (starts Oct 5th) we have a CLEARANCE section of fiber to get you ready or to feed your stash.

Here's some items in stock RIGHT NOW!

Pixie-Stix™ Hand Dyed Sock Weight

Handspun

Dryer Balls

Tons of batts, roving, top and other fiber

Hand Spun Hand Knit Fingerless Gloves
With Antique Buttons

More Yarn

Alpaca Scarves

Series (Installment 3 - Icelandic Wool): Spinning my way through the Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook

2015-07-10T16:29:00.000-04:00

This is the third post in the Series. Follow the links below to view the 1st and 2nd posts in this series.

Installment 1 - Huacaya Alpaca
Installment 2 - Corriedale Wool

Icelandic Wool

"This breed originated in Iceland and is hardy and adapted to harsh, changeable climate and marginal pasture and browse conditions. Ewes are prolific, good milkers and possess exceptional longevity. The Icelandic has historically been a meat breed, but is also a noted source of wool for lopi yarn. Fleece colors can be white, tan, brown, gray or black. The breed is both polled and horned with both sexes capable of horn growth." 1

Fiber Characteristics - Icelandic fleece are dual-coated. There is a long outer coat called the tog and a downy soft undercoat called the thel. The can be separated or spun together. Icelandic fleece is a very versatile fiber and the tog/thel combo can be spun into a single ply lopi type yarn (although a true lopi is actually slightly twisted roving) , 2-ply tog/thel combo or can be separated. The tog is long and strong and can be spun for warp or a variety of uses. The soft thel undercoat can be spun by itself or blended with fine fibers such as alpaca to make a next to skin soft yarn. Micron of the tog (27-30) with an average staple of 4-18 inches, micron of the thel (19-22) with an average staple of 2 - 4 inches. 1

Grades - There are not typical grades like that of alpaca, but from my experience, lamb and hoggett fleece are softer than adult as one might expect. Also on a lamb/hoggett fleece, the tog and the thel are closer in micron and the resulting yarn is softer. As a sheep ages, it seems that the tog gets coarser, much like alpaca fiber.

Blending - The thel is wonderful blended with other soft fibers like alpaca for next to skin wear! Blending the tog and the thel together and spinning it is very common and makes a wonderful strong yarn for outerwear, but on young fleeces, the tog and thel can be blended together and still be next to skin soft.

Prep Work - most often, I like to card this fiber into batts or rolags to spin, but Icelandic can be spun from the lock as well. It is best if you feed the fiber cut side into the carder. If I am going to separate the tog and thel, I like to do so before washing, but it can also be accomplished after. I separate by hand, but you can also use a single pitch comb if you prefer. Do not use double pitch combs as all of that beautiful thel fiber will end up as waste. Careful washing is VERY important for this wool more so than other wools as Icelandic fiber is some of the best fiber on earth to felt with. I have even found that the fiber in my draft hand will felt from the moisture in my hand, so I take only a small amount to hold at any one time. Any agitation in the wash and you will find yourself having a solid mass rather than fiber to spin. It usually requires only one wash in hot water to remove the lanolin and 2 hot rinses as they are not a really lanolin heavy. My experience is a loss of 15% or less to lanolin. (I will be doing a video of tog/thel separation in the near future and will update this with a link)

Spinning Ease - When well prepared, Icelandic spins like a dream. I have seen many folks afraid of this fiber on discussion groups, but for me it is one of the most fun fibers to spin. It is so versatile! I would not recommend it for a true beginner, but after some experience conquering other wools and wool prep, I say jump in and enjoy. True traditional Icelandic Lopi (from native Iceland) is defined as a "slightly twisted" and is very light and airy and is more "roving" like. True Lopi should not be confused with a "single", but many people use the two interchangeably. I have never spun true Lopi, but I do have a single pictured below.

"The machine-carded roving is produced in disc-shaped rolls. This is the original unspun lopi first used for knitting c.1920's. More recently, lightly spun lopi yarn in different thicknesses has become available." 2

Dye Uptake : you can see from the pic below that Icelandic takes dye wonderfully. Healthy fiber (from healthy animals), like the ones I have had the pleasure of working with has a natural sheen and beauty and produces wonderful jewel-toned colors.

Setting : Wet setting is accomplished like any other wool yarn. Submerse in hot water, no agitation and hang to dry. With "Lopi" style yarn, I do a tiny bit of fulling by a submersion in hot water followed by a submersion in cold water, no agitation and then some good thwacks (4 - 5) and hang to dry. I also let my "Lopi" yarn sit on the bobbins for at least 48 hours to "relax" before skeining. It makes a world of difference!

Knitting : Icelandic is wonderful to knit with and can be used for next to skin garments for all but the most sensitive of people. It is durable and can be used for almost any project. The lamb/hoggett fleeces are very soft if not overspun, and can be enjoyed next to skin by almost anyone, even if not separated.

Some of my work with Icelandic wool. I spin a lot of Icelandic, so I chose this selection to show the versatility of Icelandic.

Batts blending both tog and thel. Dyed a raspberry colorway.
A lovely soft natural copper color to the right. Fiber from my friend Tracy.

Tog and thel blended together into a 2 ply yarn. Fiber from my friend Connie.

Tog and thel blended together into a 2 ply yarn with guineau
feathers incorporated. Fiber from my friend Connie.

Thel only. So shiny and soft - 2 ply. Fiber from my friend Connie.

Tog only. Strong and tightly spun 3 ply because of it's intended
use. Fiber from my friend Connie.

Tog and thel blended together into a 2 ply yarn. Fiber from my friend Connie.

Tog and thel blended together and then plied with a cut up
silk scarf. Fiber from my friend Connie.

"Lopi"style yarn still on the bobbins - fiber
from my friend Deb - Sheep "Agnus Dei"

Finished well "relaxed" Lopi Style yarn.
Fiber from my friend Deb - sheep "Astrid"

1 - https://www.sheepusa.org/ResearchEducation_Literature_BreedDirectory
2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lopi

Tour de Fleece Days 4 - 6 - July 7th - 9th

2015-07-09T23:00:00.000-04:00

Not much spinning was done on day 4 :( I did manage to get my Jacob blend in for a photo shoot however and now it is hanging to dry before skeining and breaking them into smaller skeins. This will be for sale in the shop this weekend.

Day 4 - July 7th

Day 5 - July 8th - 11:04 AM
Finished the first of four skeins of the "Lopi" style yarn from Icelandic wool, from a sheep named "Agnus Dei".

July 8th - 7:55 pm

Finished 2 more of these skeins - no pic :)

July 9th 6:23 am
Finished the last skein. I will let them sit for at least 48 hours to relax. I like to do that with singles. Here are all 4 together just hanging out.

2:15pm
Started an Icelandic/silk (80/20) blend. This will be a 2-ply when finished.

Tomorrow, I am expecting a package from one of my handspinners and I need to do something with color. Stay tuned !!

Tour de Fleece Days 2 & 3 - July 5th - 6th

2015-07-06T19:11:00.001-04:00

Day 2 - Sunday July 5th

After yesterday with 4th of July fireworks and fun .... I wanted to sleep in, but my dogs had another idea. I was jolted from a peaceful sleep at 6:15ish to my Mastiff, Gus barking, which is a rarity, so always cause for me to take a look. I just wanted to sleep to 7am <whine>. I normally get up at 5-5:30 each morning to get things done before my daughter (4 years old) wakes up. So what was Gus and my pain-in-the-butt-bark-at-her-own-shadown Boston Mastiff, Dizzy, barking at? My husband fixing the power washer outside. Sunday morning peace shattered. . . well at least coffee was ready and I half-asleep got a cup and settled in with George (my Hansen mS).

2:04 PM
I finished the second bobbin (1st bobbin was done pre-tour) of my Jacob, bamboo, nylon, Angelina blend. I will ply it tomorrow.

Day 3 - Monday July 6th
12:04 PM
Plying complete!!

Wow, that did seem to take forever! Of course other chores were also on the agenda this morning, so it really only took a total of about 2.5 hours. I will skein it tonight or tomorrow as more store and farm chores, among other things need my attention.

I plan to break it into 3 equal skeins after it soaks since it is 12 oz total for easier sell. Currently before soaking and the possible poof that Jacob is know for, it is about 24-26 WPI which is a fingering weight.

7:08 PM
I am done for the day and am just finishing up this post (after dinner) and before heading into the living room for some family time.

What's on the agenda tomorrow?
1 - Skein up my Jacob blend and put in the soak.
2 - Soak my All Colors™ TnT
3 - Start spinning this Icelandic Wool. This will be spun as a single in the "Lopi" style that Icelandic is so famous for. It is a combination of the thel and tog spun together. It is washed and then carded all together on the drum carder. I took it off the drum carder in fat rolags. This will be spun on my Ashford Joy wheel because I find it easier to do a single on that wheel more so than any other of my wheels. It will be a thick yarn - worsted to aran weight of about 12 WPI. I will be publishing a post on Icelandic wool in the next week and all the different ways and techniques (with pics) that can be done to this very versatile wool.

4 - Make some fun funky super fat coiled art yarn from this pile. It will be a corespun yarn, coiled on itself and then wrapped with silk hankies. I will be videotaping part of the spin for you all to watch as well. The silk hankies looked a little washed out in the pic, but they are the same colorway as the top on the left. I will be doing this on my Hansen mS.

I will switch between the 2 yarns so that I don't get bored :)

Tour de Fleece Day 1 - July 4th

2015-07-04T23:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday America !!

I am going to chronicle my TdF journey here and do one post a day.

7:23 AM- (with coffee in hand)

I will be doing the 2nd bobbin (6.2 oz) of this Jacob wool, bamboo, faux cashmere, Angelina combo. The first bobbin was completed prior to the tour. I will be spinning on my Hansen mS. I am shooting for a fingering weight (24 WPI) yarn, but Jabob normally poofs up, so it may be more towards sport once washed. We will see. My singles on the first bobbin approx 38 WPI right now. This is going to be several skeins once completed, for the shop.

Here is the Ravelry link to all the info on this yarn (still in progress).

6.2 oz in rolags waiting to be spun and 6.2 oz on the bobbin prior to the tour

11:32 AM - (with interruptions from husband, child, and animals)

My progress this morning. . . . 2 oz spun. I will continue more this evening after today's festivities and chores are completed.

10:54 PM

Did about 3 oz total and will finish this on Day 2 of TdF and maybe even ply.

And in other news . . . .

I also skeined this up today and it will be in the shop sometime in the next few days. It was spun prior to the TdF, but hey looking at colorful yarn is fun .....right?!?

This is my signature All Colors™ TnT Self-Striping. Some bobbles, coils and beehives as well :) Mix of wools, wool locks, alpaca, silk, sparkle.

All Colors™ TnT Self-Striping

Tour de Fleece 2015 (Team Spin a Pound, Get a Pound™)

2015-06-13T14:40:00.001-04:00

I am so excited that Tour de Fleece (July 4 - July 26) is around the corner!! This year I am co-captain with some friends of the Spin a Pound, Get a Pound™ group.

I am in the process of planning out what I will be spinning and will be posting pictures :) A few weeks left to prep, then it's off to the races !!

Here's out official team graphic:

Memorial Day 2015 Sale Starts NOW !

2015-05-22T16:20:00.001-04:00

The first of several shop updates for my Memorial Day weekend sale!! Save 10% using coupon code MEMORIAL2015 for 10% off on EVERYTHING in the store that is in stock!! Over 100 hand painted braids ready to ship! Ends Monday at midnight Eastern time.

Link to Hand Painted Top

Link to Main Page

Spin a Pound, Get a Pound™ Inaugural Spin-Off March 2015

2015-05-20T21:33:00.000-04:00

I know I am really late in posting this - but the entire month of April went by with me pretty much skirting fleece all day and finding little time for internet stuff that required any thought.

My group, Spin a Pound, Get a Pound™ had a spin-off competition in March and the winners were chosen by group voting --- here is how I did :)

To see ALL of the yarns entered, go to the official page for the contest.

All of these yarns will be available for purchase except the "art yarn" skein.

The spinning batt is available (and in it's second batch of production), so you can click here or the link below the pic to go directly to that listing on my website.

The rest of the skeins will be available in a major Hand Spun Update on Monday May 25 (Memorial Day 2015) !! I will post details then and most likely a coupon for ANY of the handspun in stock - so check back ....hint hint!! There are lots of listings already on the hand spun page on my website, but there are some cool new ones coming including these. Hope to see you there !

Entered into the "2 or 3 ply balanced" category - 6th place - this was a TOUGH category with 23 entries

Entered into the "Art Yarn" Category - 1st place - 18 entries

Entered in "Wild and Crazy Art Batt" category - 2nd place - 11 entries
I call this "A Little Birdie Told Me"

Entered into the "Natural Colored Yarn" category - this is made from roving available in my shop - 2nd place - 15 entries

Entered into the "Navajo Ply" category - 3rd place - 14 entries

Entered into the "Raw Fleece to Yarn" category - 18 entries --- I came in 15th :( My worst showing ever in a competition

Freedom Ride 2015 - Burlington County

2015-05-19T13:38:00.001-04:00

We are lucky to live on a main road and we get a first row seat at this freedom ride each year. This is our third year! Our neighbor Jim proudly rides each year. Here is a few minutes of the ride going past our farm. This ride celebrates veterans and the freedoms we enjoy because of them. The ride ends and the Joint Base McQuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which is just around the corner from us. It's like a big parade. Thank you to all the veterans out there !! For more info see www.armedforcesfreedomride.org

Enjoy !

New colorways - Spinning batt and Yarn - Caribbean Coral

2015-05-15T15:42:00.001-04:00

A couple of fun colorways just in time for summer!! Daydream away with these colorful island fibers. Even if you can't go to the caribbean, you can have some in your life. You can go right to the product page by clicking "buy now" buttons or head on over to the The Yarn Shop at Alma Park

Caribbean Coral Textured Batt - 2 oz

Caribbean Coral Fingering Yarn in Donegal base

No-bake peanut butter cheesecake pie

2015-05-12T21:05:00.001-04:00

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake Pie

Having a farm, a family and a business on the homestead allows me to do one of my favorite things everyday! Cook !! I sometimes like to post food on my FB page and sometimes on Instagram with the hashtag #foodie. I love food and I love to cook and bake !

Recently, I was asked to share my recipe for my peanut butter no-bake cheesecake. This is a delicious, decadent dessert that is great for warmer weather so that you do not have to heat up the kitchen with your oven. It is also great in cold weather months as well.

This recipe is not low-fat, it is not gluten or sugar or dairy free....it is just yummy, easy and satisfying.

I always have the ingredients on hand and can throw this together in no-time when I know company is coming over.

FYI - you will need a mixer (hand or stand) or a food processor to make the pie filling. You cannot do this by hand unless you have arms of steel.

Prep Time - 10 minutes

Bake Time - None

Crust -

I use a prepared graham cracker crust (9 oz), but you can make your own. Yes, I know, it is easy to make a crust and since I have a food processor and stand mixer, it would be a piece of cake (pun intended), and I normally do things from scratch, but this recipe is all about quick, fun and decadent!

Pie Filling -

8 oz cream cheese - room temperature

1 cup smooth peanut butter - room temperature

1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip Whipped Topping- thawed

Whip together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. I just turn on my stand mixer to medium and let it rip for 2 minutes, wipe the bowl down and let it go for another 2 minutes. You cannot over whip this, but you can under whip. The more you mix, the lighter and fluffier the pie will be.
After wiping down the bowl again, slowly incorporate the confectioners sugar on a slow speed. I say slowly, because if you don't you will have a snow cloud all over your countertop. Once fully incorporated, mix again on medium for a minute or so.
Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in the whipped topping by hand with a spatula.

Chocolate topping -

1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate (like Ghiardelli - do not use semi-sweet)

2 tsp solid vegetable shortening (I use Crisco)

You can use a double boiler to melt the chocolate or a microwave. Again, for me, because this recipe is all about quick and easy, I use the microwave at 15 second intervals, remove and stir until perfectly melted.
Once melted, drizzle the chocolate over the pie filling in a sort of design, do not do a solid surface as the filling is soft and when you go to take a forkful, the pie will smoosh.
Put pie in refrigerator for at least an hour.

Voila - easy, peasy and so good.

Enjoy!

You can experiment with other "butters". Almond, cashew, Nutella. I haven't tried them, but I am sure they will be equally yummy !

Now off I go to spin :)

If you make this, let me know how yours turns out.

So what do you watch while spinning/knitting? - PARENTHOOD

2015-04-08T13:04:00.000-04:00

Many of my friends like to listen to music or binge-watch shows on Netflix etc. while spinning and/or knitting. I do enjoy listening to music in the background as well, but I think most people can find something they enjoy on the radio or Spotify etc, so suggestions are typically not needed, and music is so subjective, that I don't think it makes for interesting blog fodder.

I thought I would start writing about Shows/Movies that I think are worth watching. While some shows are entertaining to pass the time, I will only be discussing shows that have quality acting, writing and directing. So while something like "Hart of Dixie" may be amusing, I will not recommend or discuss it, other than to say the acting is horrendous and the story lines would make Lucille Ball embarrassed!

But I digress. . . .

As of my writing this, I just finished binge-watching "Parenthood", so I am going to start with it.

Don't worry, NO SPOILERS here folks :)

Seasons 1 - 5 are on Netflix, 1 - 4 on Amazon Prime. For season 6, I had DVRed it as someone told me to watch it, but of course, I wanted to start from the beginning, because "that's how I roll".

This show dealt with some weighty issues such as: adoption, illness(es), marriage issues, infidelity, money issues, drugs/alcohol, veterans and just day to day life. It did it all with a central love of family whose patriarch "Zeek" (Craig T Nelson) devoted his life to building. The 4 siblings where believable and characters were richly defined. The trials and tribulations of each member and how family gathered around for good and bad was touching and sometimes inspirational. I was particularly amazed as so many leading character story-lines could be so richly developed and carried throughout the 6 seasons and not a single cast member of the "original 6" was lost. The show represented life with so much humor and pathos while never insulting our intelligence or skirting around issues. Great actors all around and while "Sarah's"character (Lauren Graham) annoyed me often, Ray Romano was brilliant in a non-comedic role. All the actors, are very talented, and all, including the children, were believable and unwavering in their characters. They were true to form throughout the entire series.

The final episode wrapped up the 6 seasons beautifully, but be warned, I have not cried that much since the final episode of M.A.S.H. and am now feeling a little melancholy that the Braverman Clan are not a part of my daily life as they were for the last 6 weeks.

You definitely need to put this show on your list of "Shows to Spin With"! I HIGHLY recommend this show to everyone and give it

Weaving Cloth and the wet finishing (fulling)

2015-03-11T16:51:00.002-04:00

It is rare when a "fiber artist" actually takes time out from making things for sale to make something for him/herself or the house. Well, I took time out last week to make a table runner for my bookcase in the 3rd floor guest bath. The reveal of the total bathroom remodel will be post on this blog in the coming weeks, as soon as the last remaining finishing touches are completed. :)

This cloth was made from Debbie Bliss Fez yarn which is 85% merino and 15% camel. It is a felt-able yarn which is what I wanted for this project.

I chose a Navy Blue and Pale Yellow colors. I used an Ashford 24" rigid heddle loom with a 7.5 dent reed. The yarn is a worsted weight. The runner came out to approx 38 inches long and 11 inches wide after fulling. It shrank about 3/4 of an inch in width and 3+ inches in length. I hand twisted the fringe because I wanted it to hang off the sides rather than using a hem stitch etc.

To full the cloth, I used hot sudsy water and soaked for about 5 minutes to get it totally wet. Then I simply scrubbed the cloth to itself longwise. Alternatively, I could have used a washboard, but I really wanted my hands to control the process. I repeated this procedure 3 times until I got the tightness in the cloth I desired. I wanted the colors to remain somewhat vibrant and not completely meshed with each other, but I also wanted the cloth to have some stiffness as it is a table runner, not a scarf. Once I was done with the scrubbing, I alternated hot, cold, hot, cold baths, then squeezed (not rang) out the water and used a chamois to get even more water out and then laid it flat on my knitting blocking matts. No pins or blocking needed.

Here is the start (on the loom), before wet finishing (fulling), on the blocking mat, and finally on the bookcase.

I am quite please with the results. . . what do you think?

Left to Right 1. On the loom, 2. Before fulling 3. On the blocking matt
Bottom Finished piece in place

Alpaca Micron Grade Ranges and Best Uses

2014-10-16T12:01:00.000-04:00

I am often asked as a skirter/sorter/grader on what is the best use for a particular micron count. Here are the ranges I sort/grade into and their best use.

The human eye can only see about a 2 micron difference, so of course this is a guide and the more you sort, the better you become at sorting. The key is to have batches of fiber of no more than 3 micron difference or more than 1/2 inch difference in staple length for the best yarn.

This is my chart that I developed over the years and is pretty typical of commercial grading. Please DO NOT copy the chart. You may link to the post or refer to it for personal use.

I made a cheat sheet years ago by starting with OFDA tested fiber in different microns and have that sheet with the representative fiber sitting next to me as a guide when I grade.

Fiber that has a lot of guard hair that is markedly different than the primaries in micron is batched differently and not mixed with the pure grades.

Grade	Name	AFD (Microns)	Use
1	Ultra Fine (Royal Baby)	less than 20	Next to skin items, gentle use
2	Super Fine (Baby)	20-22.9	Gentle use items – shawls and baby items
3	Fine	23-25.9	Most versatile grade - pretty much anything wearable
4	Medium	26-28.9	Socks, throws, outerwear and felt
5	Intermediate	29-32	Quilt Batting, duvets, outerwear and felt
6	Robust	greater than 32	Batting, insulation and rugs

Open House at the Farm Saturday October 18th, 2014 11am-4pm

2014-10-14T12:00:00.001-04:00

Announcing our first open house of the holiday season!

Saturday October 18th, 2014 11am - 4pm

Sebastian really hopes you will join us!

New inventory is rolling in daily from the mill, our co-ops and of course being made by hand on the farm. So it's time to jumpstart your holiday shopping as there are only 72 shopping days left until Christmas.

For those of you that cannot make it to Rhinebeck this weekend, why not spend the day with us? Bring your knitting/spinning/crocheting and hang out and craft in our "Spinners Circle".

Browse the new inventory:

Farm roving fresh from the mill
Hand painted and kettle dyed fiber
Spinning/Felting Batts
Art Batts
Farm yarn fresh from the mill
Hand Spun Yarn fresh off the wheel
Gloves, hats, scarves, socks
Dryer balls
Felted soap

And MUCH more!

Meet an Alpaca ! (See pics at www.AlmaPark.com)

See the space and layout for the new store and fiber studio

See a spinning demo

Learn more about raising alpacas by asking alpaca related questions, fencing, barn layout etc

And MORE!

Click here for DIRECTIONS

Mention this blog post to get 10% off your purchase*
Can't make it on Saturday? Well pop on over to our online store www.yourLYSonline.com and take 10% off *using coupon code OPEN10 - new inventory is being posted to the website all week - so check back often!

*Excludes: Virtual Adoptions, Dyes, Blending Boards, Clubs and Animal Purchases

FIBER FAQs ---- Fiber Prep - What does it all mean ? top, roving, rolags, clouds

2014-08-07T13:47:00.000-04:00

Chapter 1 - Fiber Prep

As a long time spinner and fiber producer (alpaca), wool and other fibers buyer and working with many mills and working with and selling commercial yarns over the past 12 years, I get many questions on terms commonly used in the fiber world. I can see why they are confusing and many used interchangeably (incorrectly). So to help "demystify" spinning and yarn, I am going to try to pull all these terms together into one blog post.

I also started and own the largest and original spin for trade group on Facebook "Spin a Pound, Get a Pound™". Based on question we receive daily in the group and privately, I think this will help a lot of the newer members, especially the growers in communicating with their spinners. I co-mod this group with a great bunch of wonderful ladies who make me smile each day and who make running the group fun and manageable. If you are a grower of fiber or a spinner, come join us!

This will be ongoing as there are tons of topics to discuss.

So onto today's topic ----- Fiber Preparations

Top - top whether commercially prepared or hand prepared aligns the fibers in one direction. This prep allows for a more dense yarn/fabric and is good for hard wearing items like socks. Combing fiber also removes any residual shorts, neps, noils and VM. For hand preparation, combs or comb/hackle preparation and then dizzing the fiber off of the combs or spinning is all referred to as top. Commercial top is what is most often used for hand-painted braids that all spinners go crazy over. Commercial top holds together well and stands up to wetting, dyeing etc. For hand prepped top, it is best to dye the fiber prior to combing. Top does produce more waste than any other prep method, but it is a superior, consistent preparation. Spinning from top is the only way to produce a true worsted yarn.

Braided commercially prepared top - undyed (left), dyed in my Rainbow colorway (right)
Roving - often confused and used interchangeably with the term "top". Roving is fiber that is pin drafted (commercial) off the carder or dizzed off (hand prep) a drum carder. Most small farmers have roving made rather than top because there are only a few mills in the US that comb fiber into top. Also, the weight requirements for a batch are out of reach of many smaller fiber producers, and because of the waste while making top, the cost per ounce for top prep increases dramatically over roving. Most of the smaller mills in the US are simply not equipped to produce top as it is a separate machine, so if you are buying mill prepped fiber for a small farm, more often than not it is roving. When a small fiber producer is selling top, they make sure to label it as such.

Roving (Romney wool) in a ball)

The same roving (Romney) spread to
show the definition. Fibers are not all
aligned like top
Batts - a batt is simply fiber pulled off the carder in one piece whether commercially prepped or hand prepped by a hand spinner. Batts are a popular and sought after fiber prep because tons of color, texture and different fiber can be used. Batts can be smooth or textured. They can be layered or well blended. The can be plain or crazy. Batts by far is the most fun for me to prepare. Because each spinner spins a batt differently (rips strips, rolls, dizzed etc) exact batts given to different spinners can produce wildly differing results.

Sand and Sea™ Batt Jelly Rolled

Witch's Apprentice ™ Batt rolled (left)
and jelly rolled (right)

Maleficent™ Spinning Batt laying flat
Rolags (punis) - rolags are produced in one of 3 methods. Hand cards, blending board or pulled in pieces off a drum carder (rather than the entire batt). This prep is the traditional way to spin a true woolen yarn using the long draw method.

Fiber on a Blending Board - (rolag prep)

Rolags ready to spin

Clouds - clouds are picked but not carded or combed fiber. Handfuls are held by the spinner and drawn from the hand. Totally a fun way to spin and very common with fibers like loose cashmere or angora bunny. Depending on the fiber and amount of openness to the lock, this can produce a lumpy bumpy are yarn or a smooth yarn.
From the lock - spinning from the lock is a method similar to cloud spinning. Locks of fiber are flicked to open them and done one lock at a time. This is often done with very fine fiber like sharlee merino when over prepping can cause neps and noils, but is also used for those spinners who do not have combs, hand cards or a drum carder. This is also popular with spinners who like to spin in the grease.
From the fold - whether spinning from a lock or top, the fiber is folded over a finger and is drawn from the middle. This allows more air to be trapped than spinning from a lock or top in line. Trapping air allows for a more lofty yarn. Spinning from the fold can also be done with top or roving.
Flicking a lock - using a flicker brush, dog brush or even a hand card, flicking open the lock prepares it either to spin directly or to get ready for carding. This is most often done for tight or dirty tip fleece. Swing or box pickers can also open locks to prepare them for carding, but for very fine fibers, pickers can be too aggressive and cause neps and noils and flicking is preferred. Once the lock is flicked it can then be spun "from the lock" or "from the fold" or go on to further preparations.

Next Time - Worsted vs Woolen (woollen) and what does semi-worsted mean ?

Series (Installment 2 - Corriedale Wool): Spinning my way through the Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook

2014-02-21T11:45:00.004-05:00

Corriedale Wool

Fiber Characteristics - Corriedale wool is readily available in commercial top and normally is seen in the preparation in either white or brown. Commercial top is typically in the micron range of 26-27 which is a spinning count of 56-58s. For those of you unfamiliar with what spinning count actually means . . . "It is a system that originated in the 19th century (along with mechanized spinning equipment). It is the number of hanks of yarn, each 560 yards in length, that it is possible to spin from one pound of clean wool. The finer the wool fiber, the more hanks (greater length, thinner yarn) that can be obtained from one pound." (1) So the lower the micron, the finer the fiber and more hanks per pound (higher spinning count).

"The Corriedale is the oldest of all the crossbred wool breeds, a Merino-Lincoln cross developed in Australia and New Zealand and first brought to the United States in 1914. Corriedales are a dual-purpose sheep with good meat and wool.

Their dense fleece is medium-fine and high yielding, with good length and softness, somewhat between medium wool and long wool. It is favored by hand spinners. Corriedale lambs produce good quality carcasses and have a high pelt value.

Breed categories: medium wool, dual-purpose" (2)

Grades - Like Alpaca, Corriedale fleece can have a range of micron. This can vary from sheep to sheep, farm to farm. It is based on genetics, environment and age, much like alpacas. Published ranges of micron are 22 - 34 microns (1), and 25 - 31 (3). In the commercial top market, there seems to be a consistent 26-27 microns.

This medium wool with the range of micron 26-27 is still next to skin soft but is also durable and can be used for almost any project. Corriedale (like most wools) does not have to be blended to make it "workable" for a particular project. 100% Corriedale is good all by itself, retains it shape and is easy to care for. Having said that, if you are going to make socks, I would still blend with a bit of nylon for durability.

Blending - Corriedale blends well with other fibers like silk, nylon and alpaca. . . if using alpaca or another wool - make sure the micron is of a similar grade to the Corriedale to make the yarn as consistent as possible

Organic Brown NZ Corriedale blended with Tussah and Soffsilk™
Prepped from commercially prepared top - For Sale Here

Prep Work - When working from raw wool, washing methods are important. While "spinning in the grease" can be accomplished with Corriedale, but it does have a good amount of lanolin (I could not find % stats) and like any wool, not washing completely and then storing can make for a "sticky" fleece that will be difficult to comb, card or spin. So if you are not going to work with it right away, wash out the lanolin completely before storing. Carding a sticky fleece will produce neps and noils.

Spinning Ease - when properly prepared, Corriedale is a pleasure to spin and is suitable for the beginner or experienced spinner. Depending on prep, Corriedale can be spun woolen or worsted. Since Corriedale is a very dense, crimpy wool, flicking locks and spinning from the lock is another method that can be employed if no blending is desired.

Dye Uptake : Corriedale takes dye well and can be dyed before carding/combing using a kettle method or after combing/carding spinning using a hand-paint or kettle method. It will felt so care should be taken as with any wool.

100% Corriedale self-striping in shades of grey - prepped from raw - carded and combed

Setting : Wet setting is accomplished like any other wool yarn. Submerse in hot water, no agitation and hang to dry.

Knitting : Corriedale is wonderful to knit with and can be used for next to skin garments for all but the most sensitive of people. It is durable and can be used for almost any project.

1 - http://gfwsheep.com/blood.count.html

2 - http://www.sheep101.info/breedsC.html
3 - http://www.sheepusa.org/corriedale

Series (Installment 1 - Huacaya Alpaca): Spinning my way through the Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook

2014-01-16T15:58:00.003-05:00

Introduction to the Series:

If you are a fiber fanatic (like me), then owning the "Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook" by Carol Ekarius and Deborah Robson is not a "nice to have", but rather an essential guide to the wonderful world of fiber animals!! It is one of my favorite books in my crafting library. It not only shows a picture of the fiber animal, but also raw and washed samples of their fiber, yarn spun from said fiber and a knit swatch. There are many breeds of sheep listed that are not common and it is by no means an exhaustive list. The book while mainly sheep (because there are so many varieties), also contain other fiber animals like camelids, bison, goats, bunnies and more!

Many breeds were unknown to me as I read through the book and I am now on a quest to try to source as many "elusive" breeds as possible. I have been actively searching out different breeds of sheep (of which there are 100s) in order to work with them, learn what they are best suited for, and just get to know them a bit better. Let's call it my "bucket list". If you own or raise conservation, heritage, rare or simply elusive sheep breeds mentioned in this book and would like to have your breed (and farm) featured, please contact me. Conservation and heritage breeds are of particular interest to me as they are very rare.

Obviously as an alpaca breeder, I have spun my fair share of alpaca, so I thought it only logical to start with that.

I will try to speak to the following points on each installment (fiber type):

Fiber characteristics
Grades
Blending
Prep work
Spinning ease
Dye uptake
Setting
Knitting

Huacaya Alpaca:

Alpaca fiber comes in 2 main types; huacaya (which I raise) and suri. They have different characteristics, spin differently and behave differently once spun. This installment will focus on huacaya fiber, which behaves more like wool. I will do another installment on suri which should definitely have it's own feature as it truly is a different and unique fiber.

I have a program called Adopt-a-Paca which I have featured on this blog before. This is another project from that program and features Dante (again) who is one of my most popular alpacas to adopt!

Dante after shearing

This particular project was ordered by a gentlemen who wanted a purple scarf for his wife for Christmas in 100% alpaca. I do not have a lock or sample of Dante's fiber, because I sent it all to the mill to be processed into roving. Since he is a such a popular adoption candidate, I knew it would save me time. I have included a very similar lock of another animal that matches Dante's in crimp style, brightness and coloring. Dante is a beige boy and overdyes well.

So my assessment of THIS particular huacaya alpaca fiber and some generalizations about alpaca:

Fiber Characteristics - alpaca fiber has little to no memory, so when working with a fitted garment, one should look to blend with wool (in similar micron to the alpaca) or silk. Alpaca/silk blends are decadent and one of my favorites. Many argue that increased crimp in alpaca will lead to increase memory but I do not believe that to be true and do not see that when working with crimpy vs non-crimpy alpaca. Dante has a bold to almost flat crimp (similar to the picture of my other animal, Buttercup), with a very soft, silky hand.

Fleece picture similar to Dante in
crimp, length, color and brightness (Buttercup)

Grades - I separate my alpaca into 6 grades. More info on this can be seen on my webpage. Dante is a grade 2 which is considered baby 20-23 microns. His guard hair and secondaries are very close so I did not separate them. Guard hair (primary fibers) can be a much higher grade than the secondaries depending on genetics and age of the animal. Care should be taken to remove them when there is a large difference or the resulting yarn can be prickly as the primaries will "stick out" of the yarn. This is easy to see as the primaries tend to be straight as opposed to the crimpier secondaries. Primary fibers (guard hair) contain the blood supply, so ALL alpacas have them, however we are breeding to get those primaries and secondaries as close in micron as possible to make the resulting yarn more uniform. A 3 micron difference or less is ideal and with that separation is not necessary.
Blending - Alpaca can be used alone for items where gauge or "growth" is unimportant. For fitted garments like sweaters etc adding wool or silk is essential. For socks wool adding nylon will make them soft and strong and fitted. For my socks I like to use grade 3 - 4 alpaca fiber and 60% alpaca, 25% superwash merino and 15% nylon. In this project, Dante was used all by himself for a 100% alpaca scarf, which is fine as scarves do not need to "fit" .

Carder on my drum carder and then pulled off
rolags. Rolags are my favorite way to spin.

Prep Work - Alpaca contains no lanolin like sheep's wool does. So it does not need to be scoured in hot water to come clean. Alpacas do like dirt baths and the finer micron fleeces (grades 1 - 2) do attract vegetable matter like velcro. . . so depending on how much VM is in the fleece, flicking locks or "monkey picking" the VM out is essential prior to washing. Once washed, it is much harder to remove. Dante's fleece was picked almost free of VM, flicked were needed and sent to the mill to be carded into roving. When skirting alpaca, it is important to pay attention to a large section of unusually heavy VM where the neck meets the back. Hay accumulates on many alpacas who eat hay out of hay feeders. I call this area a "bird's nest" and usually remove the whole thing without trying to salvage the fiber as it can contaminate the entire fleece. Those with more time or who would like to salvage this fiber can pull out and comb this section to remove as much VM as possible, this is an important step to avoid VM contamination in the other parts of the fleece. After the fiber is clean, it can be dyed or if not dyeing, it can be dried and carding/combing can begin. Alpaca can be spun dirty, just be aware of the dust and sand contained in it and how that can cause havoc to your fiber processing equipment. Dante's fleece was mill processed into roving, which I then kettle dyed and let dry. I carded the fiber and pulled rolags off the drum carder, because I really enjoy spinning from rolags. Since this was mill prepped roving, I simply put it through my drum carder only once as I just wanted the color to be uniform. I could have spun directly from the dyed roving instead.
Spinning Ease - Huacaya alpaca is not as easy to spin as wool for newer spinners. Because the scales on the shaft of an individual fiber lay flatter than they do for wool, alpaca doesn't "stick" together as easily while spinning. As an experienced spinner, alpaca is easy and pleasurable to spin. It can be spun from locks, clouds, rolags, batts, roving or tops. Long draw and spinning from the fold are also possible on alpaca depending on prep. Alpaca can be spun woolen or worsted again depending on prep. Dante being grade 2 and with little crimp would be harder to spin for most beginners then say a crimpy grade 3. Dante's resulting yarn, because his fiber was carded not combed would be considered Woolen.
Dye Uptake - Alpaca is a hollow fiber and takes dye really well and dyes "true" on white fleece. Different animals can vary in color depth and guard hair (primaries) do not dye as well or as true as the secondaries. Dante's roving was kettle dyed and although there was some color variation in the dye pot, it was due to the dye pot and not the fiber. Kettle dyeing is tricky on a grade 2 fleece, because disturbing the fiber too much to make the color uniform can lead to felting. The water should run clear to exhaust any excess dye.
Setting - setting twist on the finished yarn (Dante's is a ply) is similar to setting any other yarn. Wet and hang to dry. Thwacking or using weights can be done if you think your skein is unevenly twisted or overspun, but it is not necessary. I did not thwack or weight Dante's yarn and typically do not on 100% alpaca because of the lack of memory. Because it was dyed, I did do a warm water wash and 2 rinses. I normally add hair conditioner to a rinse to keep the fiber soft and static free.

One ply on the bobbi

finished yarn

Knitting - knitting alpaca is just like knitting any other natural fiber. 100% alpaca does need blocking. If you want 100% alpaca to keep it's shape a little better due to lack of memory you can go down a needle size. The finished scarf is one of my own design that as soon as I create a computer chart for it, I will be publishing here and on Ravelry. I spun Dante at about a worsted weight and used size 9 needles to create the scarf. It is an interlocking diamond design.

finished scarf - interlocking diamonds

Well, I hope you enjoyed the first installment of the series and found the information useful and accurate. Next time - Corriedale wool.

Until then - Happy Spinning !!!!

The Old Barn on the Farm

2014-01-15T18:54:00.000-05:00

another shot of our picturesque barn circa 1900 barn - taken Summer 2013

Self-Striping Hand Spun Art Yarn

2013-12-09T13:38:00.000-05:00

I have a signature yarn color-way called "All Colors Self-Striping™" that self-stripes. Here is an example of that yarn knitted up by Michele from Easy123 on Etsy.

If you want yarn like this - visit my shop or email me.

This cowl was made from 120 yards of my handspun on size US#13. You can bump up to a US#15 or US#17 to make the yarn go farther, a little more drape and a little lacier look.

Didn't Michele do an awesome job? And you can see what I mean by self-striping very clearly in the first picture.

Alpaca Cowl - Part 5 (The Cowl)

2013-02-27T13:43:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics of the finished cowl. I think it came out great!! Heather (my client) loved it! I am modifying the pattern for publication and it will be up soon.

If you would like a cowl - feel free to contact me - I would love to make one for you.