Category: Uncategorised

Craft & Create

28th January 2023

We had a fabulous time when we joined an enthusiastic band of crafters for Craft & Create at Essex Young Farmers Club Centre. Everyone was celebrating the joys of working with alpaca fibre. It was one of the first in person events that Eastern Alpaca Group had hosted since lockdown and we were delighted to be invited to come along and share our love of weaving, spinning and crochet.

We took our rigid heddle, table top four shaft and eight shaft floor looms with us, along with crochet hooks, a spinning wheel, spare yarn and a whole range of handmade products to display and sell.

A small cafe area had been set up, and in between slices of cake and cups of tea, we were teaching participants to crochet squares, set up looms and weave basic patterns. We were very impressed with the overall enthusiasm of all who attended. Lots of questions were asked, and despite my lack of experience, I really enjoyed becoming a teacher for a day!

The day was a huge success with the atmosphere in the room alive with chat, laughter and love of all things alpaca. Lots of new crafters left the Centre with ideas for their own alpaca fibre and are we are very pleased that plans are already afoot to hold another Craft & Create next year!

Tags craft, create, crochet, essex young farmers, handmade, teaching, weaving

British Alpaca Society National Show success!

We are extremely excited that we came home with first and second place rosettes from this years’ British Alpaca Society National Show.

The show took place at Telford International Centre over the weekend of 26th/27th March. Around 600 alpacas were gathered together from across Britain so it was an alpaca lovers heaven!

Our boys are not able to enter the halter section of the National Show (they are missing some vital bits in their anatomy!). We can, and do, enter their fleeces at other shows during the year.

The National Show does have a Fibre Zone competition, though, where a range of yarns and crafts that use alpaca fibre are judged. We entered both huacaya and suri yarns, our felted soaps and also two of our handmade accessories. I made a crochet beret from our chocolate eclair yarn and Neel entered a beautiful handwoven shawl in a rainbow of natural alpaca colours.

It was fantastic to see so many entries. The variety and standard was incredible so we were jumping for joy when we saw a first place rosette on Neel’s shawl, a second on my beret, a second for our felted soaps and first and second places for our suri 2ply yarn.

Having a trade stand at the British Alpaca Society National Show for the very first time was the cherry on the top and we have already booked in for next year!

crochet beret displayed on display head with winning second place rosette

winning felted soaps displayed next to second place rosette

Show time!

For the past couple of weeks we have been busy getting ready for the British Alpaca Society National Show. This year we have a trade stand and will be selling our felted soaps and a range of handmade accessories.

The annual halter show is the largest gathering of alpacas and their owners in the country. It is a great opportunity to see all of the beautiful alpacas that are bred in the UK and catch up with friends and colleagues. It is especially exciting this year as we haven’t seen everyone for so long!

You can visit too as the show is open to the public. It is held at Telford International Centre on 25th, 26th and 27th March 2022.

Winter Weaving

In the weakening autumn sun, I have set the loom up for the first time in ages. The soft aran weight Shetland has, as always, worked beautifully in the warp. I am about to load the shuttle with some lovely oatmeal coloured alpaca from our two boys Ben and Dumbledore.
It is a beautiful day! 🙂

Shetland ram lambs

Aillig

We have new Shetland ram lambs on the meadow! Last year we borrowed a handsome Shetland ram from Tilney Shetlands and the result was our beautiful ewe lamb Nimbus. This year we are being even more adventurous and have purchased not one, but two ram lambs for our flock.

Spa Lodge Aillig is a grey katmoget shetland with a lovely long fleece and impressive horns already. He has spent some time with our katmoget ewes, Naomi, Nerine and Nessia, and we are hoping for lovely fine fleeces from his offspring. He seemed very keen!

Powdermill Dougal has a particularly fine fleece and is slightly smaller than Aillig. He has beautiful colouring and is listed as a fawn moget faced smirslet. He arrived with our new fawn katmoget girls, Gabriella and Orla and they all spent some time together before Christmas. We are keeping our fingers crossed for lambs.

Lambs should be due at the end of March and we will keep you posted.

Tags ram lambs, shetland sheep, suffolk sheep