April 05, 2004
Huuuummm. Huuuuummm. Huuummm.
This Saturday was spent at the Alpacapalooza, a local celebration of alpacas and the alpaca-ranching lifestyle. At the fairgrounds, there were alpacas as far as the eye could see, young, old, suris, huaracas, brown, silver, white, caramel, cream, gold, terra cotta—and all of them were humming and hooting softly in their peculiar alpaca way. Which has turned out to be a problem because The Mysterious K has picked up this habit. I can’t tell you how many times this weekend, well after we had left the Alpacapalooza, she would start humming and hooting. Bet she’s doing it even now, all alone, by herself, in her office, in front of her computer.
TMK is an extremely tactile person and, as such, spent the first hour trying to touch an alpaca without (a) incurring the wrath of the alpaca or (b) incurring the wrath of the alpaca’s owners. Sometimes she tried the subtle “getting to know a strange cat” method which involved sticking her finger out and hoping the alpaca would sniff it so she could first scritch its nose and then move on to scritching its neck and then move on to scritching its sumptuous, scrumptious belly or back. Alternatively, she would forego all of the niceties and stick her hand through the bars and flat out try to “cop a feel.” However, inevitably, the alpacas were too fast for her and would usually run to the back of the pen and, you guessed it, start humming and hooting. Fortunately, we encountered a friendly and hospitable couple who invited us right into the pen with their alpacas, and we spent a good ten heavenly minutes scrunching our hands around in the alpacas’ fleece.
(And before anyone asks, no, we’re not going to run away and become alpaca farmers, although we did spend considerable time discussing what colors we would get if we did. I voted for a coppery terra cotta; she voted for a chocolate brown. And we tried to figure out if anyone would even know if I had an alpaca in my yard behind my tall fence. Okay, okay; we entertained the idea a little bit.)
We were very careful to take the digital camera with us so we could take lots and lots of pictures of alpacas for the blog—but took nary a one. Pooh. I do however, have this photo of this alpaca yarn I bought, straight from the back of “Freddie” from Alegre Alpacas.
The lady who sold it to us was truly lovely, even showed us photos of Freddie, and asked us to send her pictures of what we knit with the yarn. Personally, I think I got a great deal on this remarkably soft, beautifully-spun yarn: $12 for 350 yards ($24 for 700 total). This yarn is destined for the dye pot and to be actually Knit Into Something, not just into a swatch.
And I also bought this—which everyone can look at except TMK because it’s for her upcoming birthday. (Of course, she picked it out, she was there when I bought it, and she had to process this photo to send it to me. But humor us. Let’s just pretend that the Dear Readers and I are the only ones who can see this photo and that TMK is going to behave herself and not click on it, although we know darn well she will, humming and hooting all the while.)
Knitting Knews
Ta-da! The front of the two-handed, two-color, stranded, steeked, circular needle, Norwegian snowflake project!
And for my mischievous Cuzzin Tom, who wrote "Is 'steeked' really a word? If so, whazzit mean? Can you use it in a sentence like, 'I am so totally steeked?,' " a photo of the back and the steek (the checkered-looking section in the middle). Cuzzin, the idea is that once I've gotten up the noive, I'm going to cut this piece of knitting right up the middle of the steek and magically convert it from a round piece of knitting into a flat piece of knitting. And don't ask me why I didn't knit it flat in the first place or I will hit you, even if you are a monk (which he is).
To give credit where credit is due, the pattern is the blue and white star from this web page.
The snowflake project is awesome, Ryan! /any time I even THINK about doing something in more than one color, I break out in hives and have to go lie down until it passes. And we won't EVEN discuss cutting the knitting apart!
Shudder...
Your're brave :)
I would have been right there with TMK, trying to pet the critters, probably hooting and humming as well.
Posted by: Robbyn on April 5, 2004 11:41 AMTrust me, Robbyn, the two-color knitting did NOT come without a lot of work. In fact, the entire swatch you see was strictly for practice, simply to get my right hand and left hand doing the right thing at the right time, which they didn't until I had finished about three-quarters of the snowflake. What's scary is just how insanely loosely you have to hold the yarns to keep them from puckering, and yet, somehow, it all works out.
With a hoot and a hum and a holler in your direction...
Ryan
Posted by: Ryan on April 5, 2004 11:49 AMI got lessons on petting alpaca last year, so I had much more success this year. Approach slowly. Look for critter looking over fence. Hold out flat of hand while making soothing noises. Squat down to get on head level with alpaca, which will blow alpaca kisses at you, at which point you can usually reach through and scratch the side of the neck. Alpaca from small ranches are almost always friendlier because they get handled more.
Did you see the woman from Cloud Ranch alapacas there with her lurvely Betty Roberts wheel?
I only bought fiber, not yarn. The alpaca I most wanted to steal was a gorgeous rose-gray with long eyelashes. I have the owner's card, and may have to go visit for shearing so the fleece can be mine, as it is clearly meant to be.
Hey, post-Alpacapalooza we went to Molbak's (garden and landscape nirvana), and I got seeds for the elusive Garland Chrysanthemum mentioned in _A Dyer's Garden_. I just love plants that are both edible and dyeable.
Posted by: Melinda on April 5, 2004 01:27 PMMelinda, we thought about you pre-, during, and post-Alpacapalooza. We could have been standing right next to you and we would never have known. Weird, huh?
You and I had the same idea. I want to see if I can "reserve" Freddie's fleece for next year. Then there's also the fact that Freddie is for sale. Hmmmmm.
I saw one silver and white alpaca there that was just gorgeous. Maybe it was the same rose gray you saw?
And, yes, we actually spent a considerable amount of time at Cloud Ranch talking to the lady--who was not the one who presented at guild, BTW--about her wheel. TMK was quite enthralled!
We go to Molbak's a couple of times a year, although for TMK's birthday we're going to Flower World, our fave nursery. Well, maybe not our fave, but it's the only remaining one that has anywhere near reasonable prices. Have you been to FW? It's so big you need a frickin' map!!
Posted by: Ryan on April 5, 2004 01:36 PMI'm scared of FW. Molbak's was nearly too much for me. I lost my mind and bought seeds for 3 different kinds of dark red/black hollyhocks, not to mention a variety of herbs and flowers. I don't even have a yard--I just help my friend Nancy.
If I had seen you, I would have introduced myself, I promise.
The rose gray really was rose colored. I found her baby pictures. If you go to http://www.alpacasofmistyridge.com/ and click on crias, she's the first one, Amber Rose. The photos don't do the color justice.
Posted by: Melinda on April 5, 2004 03:23 PMAmber Rose IS pretty, Melinda; you're right! But even more importantly, the next set of photos down ("Katalina") shows a picture of what an alpaca looks like when everything has been shaved except its head. I just CAN'T get over this; it's TOO funny!
Posted by: Ryan on April 5, 2004 03:26 PMOh, bizarre. It must be genetic. When your other cuzzin Laura came out in Feb. with her kids (9 and 11), I took them to the Singletree Alpaca Ranch in Chino Valley, AZ. This was pretty good, but I became the Supreme and All-Powerful Unka Tom, at least for a day, when it was discovered that one of the alpacas had given birth just one hour before we arrived.
Now, alpacas are the kind of creatures that are standing and walking basically as soon as mama licks them clean. It was beyond adorable. Mama was nervous but OK with us petting the newborn, an amazing moment for all.
And, as opposed to the restrictions at Alpacapalooza, we could just wander into the main herd. My nephew Paulie was the one who got the royal treatment. I think he must have been, size-wise, the least threatening. So, I swear, all the alpacas gathered around him to give him little alpaca kisses. I thought he would faint from joy. But most of them were friendly, or at least tolerant. We spent all afternoon loving them up and left the ranch all the way steeked.
Posted by: Cuzzin Tom on April 5, 2004 04:20 PMCuzzin Tom, I had my fingers crossed on Saturday that we would see a Very New Alpaca at the fair--something that would register a 15 on the 1-10 cuteness scale--but the youngest on display were a few months old. Of course, this means they were still a 14 on the cuteness scale so I had nothing to complain about.
I do envy you, Cuzzin Laura, Cuzzins-once-or-twice-removed Paulie and Mary (?) your complete and utter alpaca wallow.
Posted by: Ryan on April 5, 2004 04:32 PMRyan, I am so proud of you! Do you recall a not-too-distant knitsnit, in which you proclaimed you would "Never" master two color knitting and should just give it up? I can't let you forget that...next time you think you'll never get something, go pull out your awesome snowflake swatch and have another go! :)
I adore both alpacas and llamas...they are just so darn cute. I would be pleased to have either someday, space permitting. Course, I could host a veritable Noah's Ark if I gave in to all my critter wants. :) L
Posted by: Lisa in Oregon on April 5, 2004 04:42 PMFreddie must be yours. He has to be.
Hum?
ryan, please fill me in on the cloud ranch betty roberts wheel you saw, pretty pretty please! you pnwers have all the fiber luck ;-)
Posted by: vanessa on April 6, 2004 03:12 AMRachael-Bad enabler! Bad!
Vanessa, I really can't tell you much about the spinning wheel. It was small, compact and had two smaller wheels, the way a lot of hers do, which apparently works the same as one 30" wheel. It was the style that had dried wildflowers set in to a clear hardened liquid polymer (is that right, TMK?) on either side of each wheel. It was a beautiful honey-colored wood, maybe a stained maple. It had a double-treadle on which you can use both feet on or just one. I'm not a wheel expert or even a spinner so I don't know what else to tell you but the lady at the Cloud Ranch booth had an entire binder full of pictures of Betty Roberts wheels. Ya' woulda' died!
Lisa, I do remember my Knit Snit and you're totally right to shake your finger at me BUT I do stand by one thing--I still don't think I'll be able to do two-colored knitting in socks. Doing stranded knitting in that small of a circle is just a royal pain in the patootie! How 'bout you? What're you working on these days?
Posted by: Ryan on April 6, 2004 08:30 AMWellll, now that you ask..... I am at about 52% on my Shapley Tank, Finally finished the scarf for my friend I had been procrastinating over for ahem...months (mock tweed pattern Robbyn was talking about awhile ago....), pillow cover (first cable project from D. Bliss' Knitting workshop)at 33%-ish - being avoided because I have to rip two rows....Em's Persian Poppy sweater at about 30% because I am sick of it and need a break...5% on a bias baby blanket for kids scout leader. Oh yeah, and probably 10% on my 1st Starmore fairisle, Rosemarkie. I have been thinking 'bout it tho and I think it's time to dig it out again and start on it. Now, if I had more knitting TIME..... :) L
Posted by: Lisa in Oregon on April 6, 2004 09:17 AM