WIP – Lollypop Scarf

Despite all the “issues” I have working with wool the fiber lover in me still can’t help but play with it.

As I’ve been skeinning and dyeing all the Lollypop Yarn I’ve been using the mini skeins to work on some projects that I will also be putting up for sale to raise $$ for [...]

FAF: Lollypop Yarn for a Cause

Hello Fiber Arts Friday Fans!

Last spring I had helped our local humane society re-home an alpaca.  While I was there they were kind enough to give me several bags of wool sheared from their sheep the weekend before.  I made the promise then that I would process the wool and sell the yarn and [...]

WIP: Secret Santa

I’m participating in several Secret Santa exchanges this year.  Of course I’m going to give something hand made and from our alpacas!

Project #1 has already been completed and I’ll share that on Friday but #2  I just put on the hook.  The yarn is a lot thicker than I expected so what I thought was going [...]

New look. Same Great Site

Confused?  Don’t be.  We just had a face lift.

Our new site helps draw focus to our farm, loads faster, and has less “stuff” to clutter your view.

AlpacaBytes.com and DutchHollowAcres.com now has the same homepage.  If you navigated to AlpacaBytes.com and were expecting to find our posts you’ll now have to click on “Blog” [...]

Herd Management Practices to Promote a US Alpaca Meat Industry

When alpacas were first brought to the US they were marketed as a huggable no kill investment.  Unfortunately with the down economy prices are plummeting and costs are rising, the “unwanted alpaca” is becoming a big problem that no one wants to talk about.

As a responsible breeder my goal is to breed for our emerging fiber [...]

Tip: EZ way to stuff a hay net

Sometimes I like to “fork out” hay from my round bale instead of letting the animals free graze on it.  Unfortunately if I just fork off some hay and toss it on the ground surely a lot of it will go to waste which is where a hay net comes in handy.   If you’ve [...]

FAF: Why is Alpaca Fiber So Warm?

Hello Fiber Arts Friday Fans!  It’s been a while since I’ve done a science behind alpaca fiber so here we go.  Today’s question, why is alpaca warmer than wool?

What is Alpaca Fiber?

Well all know that fiber from a sheep is called wool and the stuff that we wash and comb on our [...]

FAF – How to thread beads to spin into yarn

Welcome back Fiber Arts Friday followers.

As many of you blog hoppers know this month is Tour de Fleece and with that comes challenge days where spinners try something new or a method they have been struggling with.  I was inspired by a post written by Wind Rose Fiber Studio and decided to learn how [...]

Fiber Wordless Wednesday

Poolside Share your fiber animal photos! Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets — Easy-Linky widget will appear right here! This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site. For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.

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Understanding Cost to Sell Alpaca Fiber at a Profit

Whether you’re thinking starting an alpaca farm or are a seasoned rancher the question is always the same.  What do you do with all that fleece?!  I’m surprised to find that many folks shear it, bag it, and store it without doing anything at all.  (FYI Fiber does have a shelf life).

Since many folks [...]