Welcome to 1,000 Things Alpaca!

[WildeLoveStudios]

So... What's your Alpaca story?

[Former_Member]

No story yet.

Just LOVE Alpacas!!

[Former_Member]

My brother raises alpaca. He also has a shearing business. I make baby sweaters and hats and such using his alpaca fiber.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the invite!
Our alpaca story started 9 years ago when we purchased our first two pregnant females....over the years we have had as many as 130 on our farm, we know every face and name ! We operate a full-line processing mill, making roving, batting, yarn, and just recently bought a FeltLoom, very exciting prospects :)

[WildeLoveStudios]

alpacakids - WOW your sweaters are so adorable!

And edysmills, that's incredible. Progressing the fiber industry is so vital to the Alpaca business. It's wonderful that you've got all that going on!!

Forgot to mention what my story is. Silly me. :)

Well Criated is actually the product line for Alpacas at the Well (that's our ranch name). We currently have 50 Alpacas on the property.

We've had Alpacas since 2003, but just got into the fiber aspect of it a few years ago.

We're focusing on felting right now. Though I'm also learning to weave, and my daughter knits and crochets. She's also the one who does most of the photography and graphical work for our cards. :)

[Claydancer]

Thank you for the invitation!

I'm not only a potter, but a spinner/knitter as well. My spinning sister and I do custom work for several alpaca farms. (Can you tell what my favorite fiber is? lol)

I actually started spinning alpaca seriously when one of my sisters couldn't work with wool any more.

Much of my work on Etsy is specific to spinners and knitters/crocheters, but I also supply 3 fiber shops in my area with all sorts of goodies, from yarns to tools and accessories. (My avatar - for now - is of some of my handmade, porcelain capped knitting needles.) Other types/styles of work is carried by 'local' galleries and shops.

I look forward to being here - to being part of this very friendly and welcoming team. I do have to warn you that I'm normally very quiet in the forums. I'll do my best to keep up with all of you, though.

Oh, and I also have a very strange sense of humor - my apologies in advance.

OK, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[WildeLoveStudios]

Claydancer - the porcelain topped needles are so so pretty!

And no worries about being quiet in forums. There aren't any requirements for the team. Just that everyone is supportive and friendly towards each other. :)

Thanks for joining!

By the way, if any of you know alpaca people on Etsy who aren't in the team, feel free to let them know about it! Or send me a message and I'll send them an invite.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for inviting us to this team! My dad and step-mom have an alpaca farm so I help them out and work at the farm twice a week. Our "Laughing Alpacas" greeting card: http://www.etsy.com/listing/68603312/laughing-alpacas-postal-art-greeting
we took the picture of two of our alpacas. Nicolas, the dark brown one with some white, is very friendly and curious!

[WildeLoveStudios]

Haha!! How cute is that!

[Former_Member]

Hi! I'm Alice and I needle felt dogs. I love to use alpaca for my felting! I still find it hard to believe there is an animal on this earth with hair as beautiful as the alpaca :) A felter's dream!

[Former_Member]

Hello and thank you for inviting me to this group :-) I just love alpaca. I have some items in my store made with alpaca and silk, and now I´m making arm warmers and more with alpaca and silk blend. It is very expensive yarn here in Iceland, but I like to use it anyways :-)

I fell in love with alpaca years ago, when I bought some to try it. It is just a wonderful wool and you can wear it all seasons.

I am going to look at the members stores :-)

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the invite!!

[Former_Member]

We bought a house in October (5 months ago), and it came complete with 23 alpacas!

Even though owning alpacas has been a dream for 10 years, I never thought I'd be jumping in with such a large herd!

Our first shearing will be in June. I can't wait to start making my own yarns to add to my shop...

[SurigirlFibers]

My alpaca story began in 2005 when my late husband agreed to let me buy our first 3 pregnant female suri alpacas. Last year I sold my herd of 35 alpacas as it was simply too much work for me. I began weaving after losing my husband, sort of as therapy. That led to knitting, spinning, dyeing and most recently nuno felting. Of course, alpaca is my fav wool. Fiber art has brought me back to my creative roots and now I am a full time fiber artist. Visit my website at www.surigirl.com

[WildeLoveStudios]

Makingstuffwithlove (Alice) - your dogs are LOVELY!! I have a Bouvier and a Golden Retriever. Huge dog fan. :)

Maggadora - Alpaca and silk is one of my favorite combinations! They complement each other so so well. Your chocolate neck warmer is WONDERFUL!

Leebweeb - you're so welcome. Thanks for joining!

AlpacaYarnShop - WOW!! What a GREAT deal! Haha, that's amazing. Congrats on your Alpaca dream coming true. :) And you're going to LOVE shearing time. They all look so cute and fluffy and then... they look HILARIOUS! And some of them get really embarrassed HAHA! Also, I noticed... you're in Montesano. I live in Olympia. :) What is your ranch name?

Surigirl - how wonderful that your art has helped you so much. You're very talented, and wow what diversity! I am only really in to felting right now. But I'm currently learning to weave as well. :) I was just browsing your shop - some of those color combinations are just exquisite!

[DavenportGroves]

Up until 7 years ago or so, I had never heard of an alpaca. My aunt and uncle who live in NYC decided to rethink living in the city their whole lives and had been thinking about raising alpacas back home in PA. My aunt has given me some of her wonderful fleece, which I hoard. The animals are adorable, they're their children. The fleece is wonderful. I don't part any fleece she has given me:) Rumor has it, she has never parted with any of it (except to me) and has bags full that fill rooms in the upstairs of my grandfathers old house on their property!

[WildeLoveStudios]

davenportgroves - HOW FUN! I used to hoard the fiber like crazy. After about 5 years of hoarding though, I realized how much fun actually DOING something with the fiber is! I'll never go back. :)

[DavenportGroves]

It's my favorite fiber to work with. The fleece I was given by her has been spun but I'm waiting to find the perfect wrap I want to knit for myself with it. I will purchase other peoples fibers and find myself not clinging onto the projects as bad...just a brief moment of anxiety when I list. Which is why I only have one listed alpaca item:)

[Former_Member]

Hi, I'm Annalisa from Genoa Italy. I joined the team 'cause I love alpacas (they are so cute!) and I love knitting alpaca yarn.

[WildeLoveStudios]

Very cool. We have lots of alpaca yarn around here!

Welcome! :)

[Former_Member]

Thank you for the invite! I don't own any alpacas. I don't intend to own any alpacas. But they are so fluffy! I'm a knitter and spinner and enjoy carding alpaca and other soft wools, silks, whatever. I really love the sleek fluffiness and color variety of alpaca fiber. A friend of mine referred to an alpaca as being "fed on marshmallows and angels." =)

[WildeLoveStudios]

Haha! Marshmallows and angels... I like that. That's a good one!

Welcome. :)

[Mireloom]

many thanks for the invite! I'm a weaver and I love so much alpaca! Many of my stuff are made by alpaca, but it's so difficult to find a good quality one!

[WonderWoollens]

Hi and thanks for inviting me to join the team! I live in Guernsey (Channel Isles, UK ) I don't own any alpacas as we don't have enough land, but I have visited an alpaca farm in England and I just adore everything about them - their faces, their characters, their curiosity and above all their fibre. I spin and knit alpaca and have just started spinning some baby grey fleece which is gorgeous to work with.

[Former_Member]

Wow, I was invited here ! Thank you so much ! I live in Switzerland and I love to create alpaca and pure new wool accessories (cowl, scarf, hat, and funny socks:) that are eco-friendly ! Because I Love the wool !
Recently, I found organic wool and organic pure mohair. Maybe will I find also organic alpaca ?
I'm happy to be here !