New Products On Line

We have uploaded LOTS of new items to our online store. These are items that were previously only available to our farm visitors!!

Click here to check it out !

Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival

2 of my friends (Laura and Karen) and I spent yesterday at the Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. It is a fiber/yarn person's paradise!!!

Click here to see info on the annual event .

Tons of vendors had wool, alpaca, llama, cashmere and all types of blends for anyone's knitting passion. There was also tons of spinning fibers and raw fleece available for purchase. Spinning wheels, new items, demos and classes where all fun to see as well as informative.

My purchases included 1000 yds of light chocolate colored mohair for $39, a wonderful thick and thin 500 yd skein of wool for $22 in beautiful shades of fall that is now being knitted into a shrug. An awesome silk/merino blend of dyable luxury, a Lucet and other assorted goodies.

I will be sure to put up pics in the next couple of days of all my finds at Rhinebeck.

We will DEFINITELY be a vendor there next year - so be sure to mark your calendars and make the trip for this annual wonder of fiber !!!

National Alpaca Open Farm Days

NAFD was a huge success with lots of visitors!! Thanks to all the folks that came out!!

I have now recovered from the weekend and have restocked much of my yarn. Skirting fiber begins in earnest on Monday so that I can get more processed . I will be also doing a video to post on our website to show folks how easy it is to wash and card alpaca fleece for hand spinning or other crafts!!

If you are an alpaca breeder and are daunted by the task of fiber processing - please drop me a line, I will be happy to guide you in the right direction!

If you are not an alpaca person but love yarn, please visit my store . New items are added daily and I have a bunch of stuff to put up that I just got in !!!

Camelidynamics Basic Clinic August 2009 in VT

As a Camelidynamics Practitioner, I get the unique experience of helping Marty teach at clinics. This past weekend I was at a Basic 2 day clinic in VT at Marlee Alpacas. One of the students (who happens to be a friend of mine) was there at her first clinic and she posted a wonderful summation of the work that Marty has developed on FB. The post that follows is from her (Denise Richards). I believe she has captured the essence of what animals feel when we act what they perceive to be "unsafe". It is really good for people to see how animals don't misbehave, they just react to us in fear and once we see how to not make them afraid - they trust and we are able to do what we need to!!!

*****

I had an amazing experience at the Marty McGee Bennett clinic. The best part had to be just to be there, around people who love and respect these beautiful, peaceful animals as much as I do. The setting was stunningly beautiful. I am so thankful to the generous kind hosts who opened their home and worked so hard, so that others could have this experience.

I have a long history with training animals and Marty's work is not new to me. I got her book along with my first llama, and have been working with my own llamas for 4 years. Even so, this weekend was full of reminders for me. Mostly, I was reminded to change the speed of life, slow down, and to pay attention to the things that really matter. Next time I am working with my llamas though, whether it is to give shots, trim toes, go through the obstacle course, or simply enjoy a hike together, I hope I'll keep following thoughts in mind.

Reminders from camelids we love...

Breathe: Remember to breathe... when I feel you breathing, it helps me be less afraid.

Respect: Respecting me, means being respectful from MY perspective, not necessarily yours.

Care: Little things do matter so much. A simple adjustment of my halter, if one takes the time to listen, can mean so much to me, help me feel comfortable, to breathe and to eat and drink as I should.

Understand: Please try to understand me. Am I doing something out of fear? Can you back off a little and return to what I know is safe? I'm simply trying to understand what you want from me, and trying to keep myself safe.

Friends: Don't restrain me just to do routine things to me. If you use less restraint and keep my friends close, it will help us get through this much better.

Think: We all have bad days. If something is not working, think about how to change it for next time.

Trust: If you want me to trust you, be trustworthy. Don't frighten me or hurt me, then expect my trust.

Peace: I am a peaceful creature. Quiet yourself and we can enjoy that peaceful connection together.I had an amazing experience at the Marty McGee Bennett clinic.

The best part had to be just to be there, around people who love and respect these beautiful, peaceful animals as much as I do. The setting was stunningly beautiful. I am so thankful to the generous kind hosts who opened their home and worked so hard, so that others could have this experience.

****

So much to do!

I have been busily crafting away on my soaps and knitted/crocheted products to get ready for the holiday season!! There never seems to be enough time between online updates, listing products at my store and etsy and eBay, not to mention Twitter, and Facebook and not to mention taking care of the animals (feed, poop clean up, herd health) training with Camelidynamics. Whew - I am tired just typing it all!!!

On top of all this - I am now helping even more people train their animals, helping Marty with basic clinics, and showing !

I recently returned from another advanced clinic in Oregon with Marty and have just a few items to go in order to be a full fledged Practitioner. This should be all done by mid-September. I will now be able to host small groups to help them train llamas/alpacas with respect and kindness! I am very excited!

I will be planning a group session at my farm after Open Farm days - so if you are interested - please let me know!!

Thats all for now - I have much crafting to do !