Spinning my Wheel!

I recently had a great opportunity to visit with friends in NE Ohio for a little fiber retreat (more here). Although I have recently been more in the mood for felting, that quickly changed as I was introduced to carding art batts and spinning art yarns at the retreat.

My friends Donna and Robbie have The Alpaca Fiber Studio in Chagrin Falls, where they create incredible yarns, dyed fibers, and felted products, as well as teaching classes in spinning. They are great teachers and got me excited about using my carder to produce colorful and unique batts for spinning and felting.

The coolest yarn I've ever produced was this skein of coiled yarn. It was tedious to spin, but using multicolored roving made it more fun as the combinations changed each time I added a coil. I just keep looking at it and thinking of the possibilities for using this in felt or as trim on knitted works. The thing I loved best about spinning art yarns? NO RULES, no "you're supposed to do it this way." That's my style.... and if I can do it, so can YOU!

Shearing Day at Seldom Scene Farm!

Accoyo America Sinbad being shorn

Well,, Shearing Time of 2010 is almost here! It's the day that I used to dread but now somewhat look forward to. The reason I don't dread it any more is because we have GREAT shearers and they bring a team of four to help get it all done. It has made it such that our crew pretty much organizes the animals and picks up the fleece, and they do the rest!This year the event will be free and open to the public (10-4) since it's scheduled for a Saturday. Unlike most years, I haven't had the worry of bad weather- it is gorgeous today and is going to be dry and beautiful tomorrow as well! Bring out a picnic and come watch as over 80 alpacas and 8 llamas are de-fleeced.

Inside our farm shop- the great wall of yarn!

We'll have a spinning demonstration (compliments of Linda Hofacker with LSH Creations who will have spinning wheels, fiber, books, etc.). There will be specials in our shop on yarn, fiber and products, new crias to check out, etc. We also have some great new prices on alpacas- check out our new sales list and breeding information. If you are a fan on our Facebook Fan Page or join by 4:00 tomorrow, you are welcome to take an additional $300 off any breeding or purchase over $600 if you make a deposit by the end of this weekend! (AND we'll be drawing for a llama trek for 4 to be won by one of our Farm Fans!)

It's a pretty drive out to Seldom Scene at the very end of Watts Ferry Rd. (follow the signs), and you can stop at Woodford Reserve Distillery on the way or eat lunch at Addie's Creekside Cafe in Millville. We'll have signs up, and you can't miss us if you just keep coming- look for the new barn and pond. If we haven't met, be sure to come and introduce yourself!

Calendar of Fun Events!

November 27- Happy Thanksgiving!
November 29-30- Farm and Shop Open to Visitors by Appointment- We have great gift items including alpaca socks, felted soaps, luxury yarns in natural and hand-dyed colors, sweaters, blankets, and TEDDY BEARS! Check out our beautiful alpaca items from Red Maple Sportswear! Dec. 4-6- Carolina Classic Show and Belleau Wood Auction in Charlotte, North Carolina- contact us for information. We have 3 beautiful lots consigned, and will have others available at the show!

Dec. 13- Farm and Shop Open from 10-4, Christmas Open House with gift items for sale, crias on display, demonstrations, refreshments- all FREE!

Dec. 20-21- Farm and Shop Open to Visitors by Appointment

Dec. 25- Merry Christmas!

Merchandise from Seldom Scene Farm is available here in our shop (please call first), at Truly Bluegrass in Versailles, and at http://www.alpacalindy.etsy.com/

Easily Amused by Yarn!

Despite having many projects in the works, I was completely entranced by the scarf project that I saw here the other day on The Yarn Harlot's blog. After looking at most of her links and then dozens of versions on Ravelry, I had to cast on immediately and I've had the knitting in my hands nearly every waking minute since. The pattern calls for Noro Silk Garden and I combined it with some of our dark grey alpaca yarn. I had honestly never knit a scarf in the K1, P1 rib stitch, and I adore the way it looks like stockinette but with no front and back sides.
Noro is an incredible yarn which comes in different high-quality fiber blends (Silk Garden has silk, kid mohair, and lamb's wool), but the neatest part is how the yarns change colors in very long, gradual repeats. You can find more photos and the complete instructions here. I can't wait to knit some socks with the pattern that I found here using Noro sock yarn, but I need to do some more scarves first! (Pssttt... they're for Christmas!)

(This is one of my favorite color transitions).

Yarn Paradise

With little time these days for handspinning on my wheel and a good demand for premium alpaca yarn, I was thrilled to get a new shipment of yarn this week that I had spun at a US mill for our own use and resale. We are finding that knitters are eager for top quality alpaca, and we certainly have the means to produce it! I love dyeing and handpainting the lighter colors, and got started immediately on some suri:

Having raised alpacas for nearly 14 years and being a knitter myself, I know that people want yarn that is SOFT (fine) and CLEAN (density helps in this regard, as does the farm environment) with very few to no straight fibers (uniformity). Some love natural colors, others like dyed and I personally love working with multi-colored yarns. People are also demanding USA-produced yarn! I didn't used to think that that the market would bear this out, but I was proven wrong when I first offered millspun yarn directly from OUR own Kentucky alpacas and it sold quickly, despite a higher pricetag than imports in the yarn stores.

Many of our current yarns are available for shipping through my site at Etsy (just click here on it), or you can make an appointment to see what we have here at the farm.