If you are anything like me, you are always searching for plants or materials to use for natural dyes. It really is much easier to use commercial dyes and I really derive a great deal of satisfaction from their use. If used consistently and according to instructions, commercial dyes produce solid, predictable results and [...]
As a beginning hand-spinner, most of us learned to spin from roving. As a general rule, roving is easier to control and much easier to draft. As a new spinner, there are tons of things to remember all at once and the learning curve can be overwhelming. That's precisely why roving is easier for most [...]
Great care is taken to ensure the best hand-spinning experience possible with our roving and cloud. Our best fleeces are hand selected for uniformity and softness then professionally skirted to remove second cuts, shorter fibers and naturally occurring pasture impurities. Each fleece is commercially processed right here at A and A Alpacas to remove small pieces [...]
Believe me when I say I'm grateful for rain. This is northern Texas where the heat index during July and August can cause cracks in the earth deep enough to bury tractors. But this year we have already received our entire average annual rainfall and it's only May. We are lucky to live in a [...]
I’ve lost both my parents, grandparents, family members and a number of dear friends over the years but January 6 of this year ranked right up there with one of the worst days of my entire life. Our beloved 17-year old Siamese cat had to take her last trip to the vet’s office due to renal [...]
THIAMINE DEPLETION AND POLIOENCEPHALOMALACIA: WHAT EVERY ALPACA OWNER NEEDS TO KNOW Jill McElderry-Maxwell, September, 2011 OVERVIEW The vitamin thiamine plays a critical role in alpaca health. Thiamine depletion can happen rapidly from a large number of causes and will lead to death unless promptly remedied by the immediate administration of injectable thiamine. Thiamine is inexpensive, [...]
Jill McElderry-Maxwell, Bag End Suri Alpacas of Maine, LLC, April, 2010 EIMERIA MACUSANIENSIS: INTRODUCTION Coccidia are microscopic parasites that disrupt intestinal function. Although they are diagnosed on fecal examination, they are not worms. Instead, they are single celled organisms known as protists. Protists are obligate intracellular parasites – they must complete part of their life [...]
As with any new skill, once you learn the basics of knitting or crochet it’s really important to practice those newly acquired skills in order to gain speed and confidence and to learn more advanced stitches that will broaden the scope of products you make. It isn’t impossible at all for beginners to move quickly [...]
Are you able to accurately identify guard hair in a raw fleece? Why is identification important? Guard hair is a tremendous negative for hand-spun yarn. Learn to identify it so it can be removed. If you are a fiber grower or producer, being able to identify guard hair is important to the future of your [...]
This is My Peruvian Abundance's last appearance in the show ring. He was nine years old when he competed at the National Elite Alpaca Show in 2010. He was awarded a blue ribbon in his individual class by AOA Certified Judge, Amanda Vandenbosh plus won the Color Championship in the White Huacaya Male Class - no [...]
