December 02, 2005
Slap On Your Drool Cups, Knitters!
At the last Guild meeting, our speaker was Marjorie Puckett of Honey Lane Farms. Marjorie’s presentation was curiously revealing, especially when she disclosed how, if you (a) don’t plan to breed your alpacas but simply keep them for pets or for their fiber, (b) don’t plan to show them, (c) don’t care if they have flawless conformation because, well, see “B”, and (d) are willing to have an all-male herd, you can buy alpacas at astonishingly reasonable prices, not the $265,000 paid for this handsome fella. (Proof! Look at the cost of the young male at the bottom of this page. He can be yours for a whopping $264,400 less than the other guy.) She also talked about the steep hidden costs and the complexities associated with getting llamas sheared and getting the fiber processed. For me, her straight talk about the ins and outs of alpaca husbandry was very refreshing, although I suspect alpaca breeders, shearers, and the fiber processors don’t much appreciate her brand of raw, renegade honesty.
But all of that paled in comparison to the piles, nay, mountains of alpaca yarn she brought with her. Have a look. Every centimeter, inch, yard, foot, however you want to measure it—pure alpaca, my friends.
Marjorie sells exclusively DK-weight yarn, and this stuff is lervly—soft and saturated with color. Let the record show, however, that I Did Not Buy One Single Skein...and, yes, it hurt to walk away, something akin to ripping your tongue off an icy pole (or, in TMK’s case, a Fudgesicle).
Speaking of fiber and such, after a long time absence, a new Kooky Kraft!! Here, thanks to Boing Boing, a coupla web sites featuring the an artist who makes things out of vacuum cleaner lint.
A special hello goes out to my niece who called me for no reason, the best kind of reason, yesterday! Niece, the snow didn’t stay around very long so I wasn’t able to take photos for you. Sad face.
Big Sister, your Typing Toasties are finally in the mail!
(P.S. Dear Readers, my comments have been acting wonky. If you're having problems, please let me know.)
OMG. I was kicking myself for not making a bigger effort to dip my toe in the Guild waters, though I spent most of this past month moving to Seattle. However, looking at the mountains of alpaca, it's probably better I didn't come. Because I adore Honey Lane Farms product, and I wouldn't be eating at all this month if I had been there.
Posted by: perclexed on December 2, 2005 11:18 AMYou are to be commended for "pulling up your big girl panties" and walking away. I don't know if I could have been that strong Ryan...
I'm extremely humbled by your strength, really. Send some of that my way, will ya?
Posted by: Lisa in Oregon on December 2, 2005 11:20 AMUnbelievable. I fly all the way to Peru, assuming that such luscious yarn will be available EVERYWHERE and it turns out it is available almost NOWHERE and when it is it is all the same brand (Lima, Cusco, shop or local market - all the same dk stuff of uninspired colors and $1 more than I can pay here) and it turns out that I shouldn't have gone to PERU, no, no, silly, tisk tisk, I should have gone to SEATLE. Note to self. Taken.
Posted by: Jenn on December 2, 2005 11:38 AMAlthough the yarn is luscious, I'm not feelin' the love when I look at the alpacas themselves. Especially ones that are, oh, 2.5X the cost of my HOUSE, plus some. I could have walked away from that pile, cursing all the while. I am a sad knitter who is allergic to all yarn-producing animals.
>sigh<
Oh my. It's a good thing I'm not a guild member. That alpaca makes me drool.
Posted by: Lorette on December 2, 2005 12:05 PMWhat an outrageous assortment of colors! I am so jealous. Honey Lane alpaca is yummy stuff. Picked up a few skeins last time I was in Friday Harbor, but the selection at Island Wools couldn't hold a candle to that decadent display in your blog. Wowsers! You have more will power than anyone I know, that's all I can say...
Posted by: Denise in Kent, WA on December 2, 2005 12:38 PMOh my, I'm hyvertentalating! Gorgeous stuff!
Posted by: margene on December 2, 2005 02:10 PMWhat's a Guild? (I'm slow today.)
Posted by: Libby on December 2, 2005 02:11 PMYou Walked Away From All Of That? My dear, you are a much, much stronger woman than I. My hat is off to you.
Posted by: Rachel H on December 2, 2005 02:49 PMokay, first i just had to have a pot-bellied pig (at over 200 pounds and still gaining, i think we might have been slightly misinformed about that little purchase)- then i whined for (and got) a couple of pygmy goats- now i need an alpaca- (why yes, we do live on lots of property waaay off in the country!) do you think they might accept some of that monopoly money from the commune bank acount?
beautiful fibers too- but my heart belongs to the alpacas today-
stay happy-
Posted by: barb in texas on December 2, 2005 02:57 PMLibby, the "Guild" refers to the Seattle Knitters Guild. We currently have a membership of over 300, all knitters, of course, and we meet once a month at a church in Wedgewood for presentations, knitting, and general all around chatting. Here's the web site for more info: http://www.scn.org/skg/
Barb, maybe you should be the one to give "Punky" (the $600 alpaca) a home!
Posted by: Ryan on December 2, 2005 03:10 PMOk, I can stop pouting now because I wasn't able to post comments on Wednesday. In fact, I was denied several times! Do you know what happens when I can't stalk properly? It's not pretty.....
Psst....there's a contest on a blog....you know a designer...the prize includes yarn....just sayin. :)
Have a great day!
Posted by: Stalker Angie on December 2, 2005 03:21 PMWow! Pictures of colorful alpaca wool is so soothing on my aging eyes. Thank you! Those of us of the mimeograph era have to stick together.
Posted by: Susie on December 2, 2005 04:40 PMOkay, you are definitely stronger than I. I had to have a few hanks... but just a few! ;-)
Posted by: Rose on December 2, 2005 06:29 PMYou ~walked away~ from all of that?
Clearly, madam, you are not human. Either that or far tougher than I am.
Posted by: Rabbitch on December 2, 2005 10:17 PMHow you walked away from all that alpaca is beyond me? It makes me cry to know I missed that meeting!
Posted by: Rebecca on December 3, 2005 12:09 AMJust the sight took my breath away. You brave woman, you!
Posted by: Joy on December 3, 2005 04:34 AMWhat were the effects of this "walking away"?
Sweating? Chills? Nausea? Eating a half box of oreos?
oh my, i think i had a little heart attack looking at all those piles of amazing colors, and ALPACA you say. Consumerism hit me again(though i should just get going on the 10 pounds of amazingly soft grey alpaca roving i can't remember buying but found in my stash when rummaging for holiday present ideas. I think it might be time to do some lace in homespun)
The guest room walls are lovely, one of my favorite colors.
Quite the post. From the sublime drool worth alpaca to the puke-worthy dust ball "art".
You freak! Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind? Why on earth wouldn't you take some of that gorgeous stuff home?
Call it a Christmas present to yourself, call it Dulan supplies, call it a necessity of life. But just don't leave it sitting there.
Posted by: LaurieM on December 4, 2005 09:30 AMI love a deal so much, I am actually considering buying that alpaca - who can resist saving $264,400?????
Posted by: Patti on December 5, 2005 09:44 AMEspecially since she said they make good husbands. I haven't heard that before, but, hey, couldn't be worse than the one I used to have.
Posted by: Patti on December 5, 2005 10:03 AMI want to know what Marjorie said were the ins and outs of alpaca husbandry. To me it seems kind of like the llama craze, and the potbelly pig craze, and the ostrich craze. There are some alpaca farms near here and they are beautiful. I cannot figure out how they make money though, other than breeding (stud fees) and selling the outstanding animals. When the alpaca group advertises on tv, they mention "the alpaca lifestyle" and no mention is made of profit or any financial reason to have them. The yarn is beautiful and expensive but it's my impression it has to be spun somewhere else (Peru?)
Hmmm, not only would I have left with more than I can carry, I have serious doubts as to whether I would have been able to keep from jumping in the middle of those piles and rolling around.
I'm not right in the head, I admit it.
We were just talking about alpacas the other day. You know they make great watch-pets, they are very affectionate and have a sense of humor. Here at work we all decided we each needed one and found a website that was having a contest for one!
Posted by: Laurie on December 5, 2005 05:02 PM