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Our Man Jack

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What a face! A very long delayed introduction to the eldest of the brothers we added to our farm on the very last day of last year. It seems like yesterday and a million years ago - time in 2020 does not work in the normal way. Cracker Jacks Prize was born on May 26, 2016 not to far from our farm and grew up just off the mountain. He is one of our smaller alpacas, weighing in around 135 pounds. His back legs are a little stiff so he has a bit of a bow-legged walk - so we also call him Cowboy Jack. Jack cushed after a long day on the pasture We shear our alpacas in late April to early May, so he has grown a decent amount of new fleece. He is a white alpaca - although you wouldn't know it unless you part his fleece - like all alpacas he loves to roll in the dirt. Good thing it washes out! He has very dense fleece and last year he produced about three pounds of firsts and a pound of seconds. We use the first fiber in yarn and the seconds in felted items.   Fleece after six months grow
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We Have a Teenager!

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Micah, our rose grey alpaca, turns thirteen today. Like most teenagers he is fond of sleeping, eating,  and his wardrobe!             Happy Birthday Micah!
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Some happy news, some sad news, and a birthday

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A lot has been happening on our farm lately. So much so that we've had a hard time keeping this blog updated! In August we added two new baby goats to our farm as a "mobile mowing unit." Bruce and Banner have settled into their new role quite well! We also added a rogue rooster, who wandered onto our property and has made his home with the goats. We decided to name him Tony. And in December we will be adding three new alpacas to our herd! Jack, Bailey, and Ayden are three, two, and six months old respectively and will be wonderful additions to our farm family! In sadder news, we had to say goodbye to Mister Bilbo, our angora rabbit at the beginning of this month. He had been fighting an infection and it finally got the better of him. We all miss him dearly but he will live on in his lovely fiber he gave to us through the years. Last but not least, today is Speed Bump's 7th birthday! All the alpacas got some alfalfa and cranberry treats
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Ashe County Arts Council Studio Tour 2019

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Arthur the Squirrel is at the Ashe County Arts Council Studio Show this weekend.  We're getting ready for our Studio Tour this weekend, August 3rd-4th. The farm will be open on Saturday from 10am-6pm and on Sunday from 12pm-5pm. It will be a part of the Ashe County Arts Council's Studio Tour which is spread out over the county in 15 locations. For directions to our studio as well as the others on the tour, please visit Ashecountyarts.org . Speed Bump, Rio, and Micah are excited to meet everyone this weekend! Our alpacas will be at the studio so you can meet them as well as our angora rabbit, Mister Bilbo. We will be doing fiber prep, spinning, and weaving demonstrations all day. Our full lines of products will also be available for purchase, including felted items like ornaments and soaps, handspun and hand dyed yarns, and woven scarves, shawls and purses. Mister Bilbo practicing his cute poses for the Studio Tour.  Our fiber tumbler is just one p
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Headed to South Carolina

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One week from today we will be in Columbia, SC at The Columbia Expo put on by Quilter's Gallery . The Quilters of South Carolina will also be having a quilt show with over 200 quilts on display. We will be debuting our hand painted colors in 463 yard skeins of sock weight yarn. We will also have luxury small pet beds stuffed with alpaca fiber, hand spun yarn, and of course dryer balls! For a dollar off admission either print or show the following on your phone at the door.                            
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One Week Until Shearing!

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 With only a week left until our shearing day, we took our boys out for a walk to get them comfortable in walking down to our garage where they will be sheared. (They stopped along the way for some good grass of course!) With the weather warming up, the alpacas will appreciate their summer haircuts! Smudge posing for his full fleece glamour shot! Speed Bump and Jasper having a good time hanging out. Micah was too busy eating to bother looking up for the camera! Rio caught mid-chew on some tasty grass!
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Spring Treats!

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The weather is finally warming up and that means our first crop of dandelions has appeared on our farm! Three of our four alpacas absolutely love them, so we try to bring up a handful every time we go to the barn. Smudge is always first in line for dandelions! Speed Bump is much more polite when getting his treats. A very happy Micah.
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