TAOS WOOL FESTIVAL -- October 3rd & 4th 2009

This was my sixth year at the Taos Wool Festival and my sales were the best ever! I added a couple new items that were fun and interesting to create.......

This vest is made with the same technique as the nuno felted scarves.
Very shear & lightweight, it's loaded with sparkle, texture & originality!


Speaking of TEXTURE.......I had great fun designing vessels with extra resists.


Hats & scarves are always fun to create.


Another VESSEL in grey, black & red.


Fashion Belt! My belts are loaded with color and texture.
(and I had fun finding great belt buckles in second hand stores!)

ALPACA HAT CLASS -- MONTA VISTA, CO Sept 25, 2009

Wanda Smith of D&W Fiber Farm in Monta Vista, CO organized a two day felting workshop. I taught hat felting the first day and nuno scarves the next, in Wanda's awesome sun porch/fiber studio. There was lots of interest and enthusiasm....and we all had a great time! Thanks Wanda!


Alpaca fiber is layed out over a 'resist'.


Eve, Barbara, Jan, Wanda and Michelle applied hot soapy water to the first side.


The second side is wrapped and thoroughly wet down.


A screen protects the fibers while the felting is done with a Tupperware lid.

The hats are fulled around hat forms and ready to wear as soon as they're dry!

NUNO SCARF CLASS -- MONTE VISTA, CO Sept 26, 2009

A thin layer of alpaca fiber is layed on bubble wrap. Then, open weave material and novelty yarns are strategically placed on the fiber.


Netting protects the design while soapy water is applied.


Everyone creates their own original design!


The scarf & bubble wrap are rolled up around a 'swimming noodle'...and then a towel.
Let the Rolling Begin!


A bit of fulling is done on a washboard


and.....a bit of fulling is done by throwing.


"Hey......this beats going to the gym!"


Eve, Wanda, Mary & Billie show off their great scarves!

FELTING FUN with FRIENDS

Diane, Mary and Cathy came by for a fun day of felting, show & tell and sharing ideas. Cathy is our cheerleader and photographer/journalist....and also cook! She spoiled us by bringing a wonderful Mexican food lunch complete with decadent dessert. Yea Cathy!


Great friends wearing their newly created scarves!

NUNO FELTING SCARF CLASS

I held a nuno scarf class with three enthusiastic and talented students! Fiber Artists in their own right, TahNibaa, her mom Sarah and Caroline are awesome weavers and therefore experienced in working with fiber. You can see by the pictures that they found felting to be great fun!


Sarah is ready to roll (felt) her creation of alpaca fibers, material and novelty yarn on a tea dyed silk scarf.


Sarah, Caroline & TahNibaa really get into the fulling process of "throwing" their scarves! This action causes the fibers to further migrate and tangle with each other--laminating fibers, material and yarns together.



Admiration for their own and each others scarves!





My three new friends wearing their scarves!
Note at the top right side of the picture the NEWLY born white cria--just 5 hours old!

LaPlata County Fair - RIBBONS!!!

GRAND CHAMPION

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION

I'm not one to enter contests, but a friend urged me to enter some of my felted items in the "Homespun" division at the LaPlata County Fair in Durango. What fun to be awarded the Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion ribbons. Guess we all like recognition!

'PACA CAMP.....second group!

Our grandkids love to visit our Alpaca Ranch!

Morning chores! Thunder and Lightening go out to pasture.

They had fun making their 'Paca Camp t-shirts!

Silly moments!

Grandpa sure has GREAT toys!

Now lets ride in the 6-wheeler!

The kittens are a big hit and get lots of love!

It's fun to model one of the hats Grandma felted!

Intermountain Weavers Conference

Our Alpaca Breeders of the 4 Corners (AB4C) booth
at the Intermountain Weavers Conference (IWC)


July was a busy month!

After fun visits from our kids and grandkids (see 'Paca Camp posts)

I joined other AB4C members (Alpaca Breeders of the Four Corners)

in a booth at the Intermountain Weavers Conference--held

in Durango August 30th - Sept 1st.

My sales ales were good and I met a lot of wonderful people!

'PACA CAMP! First Group

Our granddaughters came for a visit and had a great time!

Helping Grandpa!

The girls helped grandpa get hay for the alpacas.
Of course they loved riding in the pickup!

It's lots of fun working in the field with
the alpacas and Grandpa!

Grandma shows dyeing fiber with Kool-aid

We dyed white alpaca fiber with rainbow colors
using Kool-aid dye.










The rainbow colored fibers
are dyeing in the sun.

Felting is Fun!

The girls are felting rainbow beads!

The girls are felting "snakes" with the rainbow colored
fibers. After they dry, we'll cut them into beads and string
them on a pretty ribbon.

Here the girls are wearing their
'Paca Camp 2009 t-shirts and
the necklaces of kool-aid dyed felted beads

"THUNDER" & "LIGHTENING" Before and After Shearing Day

LOOK AT US BEFORE SHEARING.....

....AND LOOK AT US AFTER SHEARING!

Eight month old little guys, "Thunder" and "Lightening",

were born on the same day--the day after a huge

thunder and lightening storm.

Aren't we so clever at naming our critters! Thunder is

fawn colored and Lightening is the white one.

CHAMP. . .from Fiber to Fashion

'Champ' Makes a Great Western Hat!

I'll sell the hats I make at our Navajo Lake Alpacas

'Farm Store', at Festivals and on ETSY!

Champ's Yummy Fleece at the Fiber Mill

I'm 'skirting' the fleece to get it ready to be made into

batts. This fleece will make lots of hats, scarves

and other fashion items!

Time for a haircut!

The alpacas are sheared once a year and produce about

8 to 10 pounds of fiber. There are only about 10 expert

alpaca shearers who travel across the Country

each spring to shear these valuable animals.

It's All About the Fiber. . .Meet CHAMP!

Don Perignon aka "Champ"

(as in Champaign)

~It's All About the FIBER~

Champ's one of 24 alpacas that makes up our herd right now.

When I look at our beautiful alpacas I see hats & scarves!

Doesn't everyone?