Improvements on Alpaca Bean Composting

Here on the farm, I are always trying to come up with a more efficient to compost the mountain of alpaca manure, or beans.  In a traditional compost pile, the tried and proven method of building it is layers of green material (fresh manure, cut grass) and brown material (leaves, torn up newspaper, etc.)  We definitely have an abundance of leaves from the many maple trees in the front yard.  We also have piles of  needles from the yearly dropping from our 4 very mature pine trees.  Starting last October, I started placing mounds of mulched leaves and pine needles in the alpaca yard.  When the boys choose their communal dropping spots, I rake in leaves.  Each day I rake up and condense the droppings into these areas, add new mulched leaves, and rake in discarded hay they so conveniently leave around.  Every week or two, I take my manure cart into the alpaca yard and shovel up a couple of composting piles.  It is already mixed and ready to move to my staging area.  I have one area for last year’s accumulation, and one for the current year.  This way, one pile is resting for a year and ready in spring to hand out to friends who need compost for gardens.

New Equipment on the Farm

December has been a month of wonders.  In the past 2 weeks, I have purchased a Country Craftsman spinning wheel for $30 at an auction (thanks to Cheri, who spotted it at Peddlers Village in Goshen, IN!) and a motor kit for my Kitten Carder (not nearly as  inexpensive as the wheel).  There’s fiber everywhere!

Country Craftsman Wheel

My friend, Cheri, noticed this wheel with the original stool at a preview of auction items at Peddlers Village in Goshen.  She asked me if I was interested in bidding for it.  At first, I said no, that  I couldn’t afford another wheel right now.  The next day, she asked, “Are you suuuuureeee?”  So, I handed her $30 with instructions to go no higher.  She texted me that evening to say she won the bid for exactly that amount.  I oiled it up, puzzled over how to apply a double-drive band and started spinning.  It’s a single treadle (my Lendrum is double), so that will take a little getting used to.  A little online research revealed info on the maker of the wheel, James Franzek, Jr., now retired.  I don’t know how old the wheel is exactly, perhaps 30 years.  It is a replica of ones used in Colonial America.  It’s beautiful craftsmanship and nicely taken care of.  Thank you, Cheri!  God Bless You!

Kitten Carder with motor

Punkin observing the carder

Fancy Kitty Kitten Motor Kit

Peter and I decided to purchase the motor kit for my carder, after much soreness in my right shoulder from turning the hand crank.  A year ago, I badly tore my left rotator cuff and needed surgery.  I was out of spinning and carding for nearly 5 months.  I do not want to repeat that process again on my right shoulder, so I treat it with kindness.  The motor kit arrived yesterday.   Peter hooked it up last night, and I carded up some Maximillion (my black alpaca)fiber.  The motor has variable speed and forward/reverse controls.  I can say this is a God-sent improvement for me and my shoulders.  My fiber business has increased enough to allow this purchase, and that is something I’ve prayed for.

Chute for the Alpacas

Chet goes first.

This is soooo much better.

Just a few more minutes, Max.

Sweet success!

Be brave, my brother…

Trimming Vaquero’s toenails

Vaquero in chute

We are two happy humans at Magnolia Blossom Fiber Farm!  A new wooden chute was installed in late September, to assist us in alpaca personal care.  Tending to our largest fellow necessitated the change.  Vaquero has quite an aversion to being handled up close and personal, something that has been a part of his personality from birth.  Peter has been knocked to the ground twice while trying to clip toenails, and I have been thrown into the fence more than once, along with our good friend Moira.  Moira loves to help with the alpacas, but  Vaquero proved to be too much for her, me and Peter altogether.

We built the chute according to the diagrams in Caring for Llamas and Alpacas: A Health and Management Guide, by Clare Hoffman, DVM, and Ingrid Asmus,  October 1989, RLMA.  We used treated lumber and cemented the corner posts into the ground.  (Vaquero has been know to shift a  fence post that was simply placed into the ground…)  The construction took one afternoon for our son, Matt, and Peter to build.  We based the clearance dimension on Vaquero, since he is the largest of our four alpacas.

The chute worked wonderfully.  Vaquero was lead into the chute peacefully, and calmly submitted to his shot and having his toenails clipped.  The other 3 boys each came up to him for consoling while he was tethered.  Cirrus tried to cush when toenail trimming, so we had to tie a sling under  him.  The care manual suggest getting a horse saddle cinch, something I can pick up at Tractor Supply.  We finished shots and toenails in around 20 minutes, and we felt victorious afterwards.

A Knitter’s Dream Weekend

The Famous Banner

Pouring dye onto a skein

A completed skein

A student with dyeing self-control!

Slipper ready for ribbons

Serious slipper students

On a rainy September weekend, 15 or so knitting fanatics (all ladies) ran away from home to a lovely lake home on Lake Wawasee in Indiana to have a knitter’s dream weekend.  Pajamas abounding, we played show and tell with new yarns, various projects in various stages of completion, knitting notions, and techniques.  Many participated in two just-for-fun classes, dyeing yarn with food coloring and Amy March’s Slippers by Little Owl Knits.

The dyeing class was led by Amy Venoski, a avid knitter with an art background. The students had various yarns, including cotton yarn, Cascade 220, and Lorna’s Laces sock blend.  I’ve included some of the fascinating dye combinations here.

The slipper class was taught by me, Maggie.  I found this adorable slipper designed by Little Owl Knits on Ravelry and the ladies agreed they would be great to lounge around in for the weekend.  Look what a varietable selection of ribbons, bows and yarns,showed up!  The greys and browns and the one blue pair are from my own alpacas.  Enjoy the eye candy.

Serious slipper studentsSlipper ready for ribbons

Fall 2011 Classes at Ewe-Nique Knits

I am offering a selection of classes for this Fall, in both new techniques and building on techniques for knitters of all skill levels.  The variety includes sock construction, beginning cables, intarsia colorwork, fairisle and twined colorwork, and a finishing class for all knitters.  You can sign up at the Ewe, or by emailing me at mrschnaars@aol.com.

Fall 2011 Classes

Michigan Fiber Fest 2011

Me and my Lendrum

This past week, I attended the Michigan Fiber Fest in Allegan, Michigan.  It was just what I needed for rejuvination.  I took three classes:  Plying for Texture with Amy Tyler; Mechanics of Your Wheel with Amy Tyler; and Writing for Publication with Kathleen Taylor.  In between classes, shopping was necessary.  Who goes to Fiber Fest and avoids the great vendors?!  I came back with some tussah silk to blend with alpaca and wool, and an enchanting hank of merino wool titled “4th of July”.  Deep, dark colors of purple, navy, teal and black.  It’s mine!  It’s mine!  It’s all mine!

Plying for Texture gave us numerous skills for manipulating the singles plys coming off bobbins to make Pill Bugs, Extreme Knots, Continuous Spiral Yarns, Intermittent Wrapping Yarns and Snarl Yarns.  For me, some of these will be more useful than others.  The class was a good lesson in yarn twist control, but more importantly, control over what my hands are doing during spinning.  That was huge.

Instructor Amy Tyler

Mechanics of Your Wheel class, about 15 people.

Amy Tyler with her wheel

Mechanics of Your Wheel was a technical course on what all the parts of a spinning wheel are, how they perform, and how to adjust for different types of roving.  I am jubilated to know what wheel ratios are and how to determine them.  Seriously.  I read Spin-Off magazine all the time and always wondered what use  wheel ratios are in describing a handspun yarn. I just always spun what I spun, and hoped I could make a duplicate skein if I needed.  And I went to engineering college….I guess that’s the part of me that wanted to know.

The third class, Writing for Publication, gave us a reality check.  Kathleen started the class by stating the following:  “If you think you are going to get rich by publishing patterns, you might as well buy a lottery ticket.”  She is a no-nonsense instructor, with more than 40 years in the craft book/patterns industry.  Kathleen has written 5 books (more on the way) and submitted hundreds of patterns for publication.  She writes magazine articles and keeps an active blog.  We went through the dos and don’ts of submitting queries to magazines and yarn companies.  She gave us samples of a query and a book manuscript.  It was all that I expected it to be and more.   I have started writing my own patterns for sale, and hope to submit some to magazines in the future, so I really needed what she had to say.

I hope to attend Fiber Fest again next year to enjoy the quality of professional teachers they schedule.  It was a thumbs up for me!

My First “Knittervention”

This Fall, I will attend my first Knittervention with the Knit-Sibs.  For several years now, these avid knitterly friends have gathered for a fun filled weekend on Lake Wawasee in Indiana for a retreat.  For some reason, my schedule has not allowed me to go.  Peter has been given sufficient notice.  I offered to teach a short class, incorporating some technique that might be knew to some knitting in the regular group.  I have chosen Amy March’s Slippers by tiny OWL knits, Stephanie Dosen.  (Stephanie has made the pattern available for free on Ravelry.)  For those who are not Little Women fans, Amy is the youngest sister in the March family.  She was a very girly-girl, and these slippers are too, decorated with bits of left-over lace and ribbon at the toes.  Hopefully, I will have spun up enough alpaca yarn to allow some of the knitters to purchase it from me at the retreat.  Maybe, I’ll even get some dyed a few girly-girl colors.     amy_march_s_slippers_-_a_tiny_owl_knits_pattern_by_stephanie_dosen[1]  I have made these slippers twice now, but for other ladies.  This pair will be for me.  Ooooohhh. Looking forward to warm cozy feet this winter.