Our New Yarns Have Arrived!

Spring has hit the store walls and the colour is just bursting! 

Elmlea Farm Store

We have a beautiful array of colours, both dyed and natural.  There are 2 ply and 3 ply.  Mohair, Wool blends as well as Alpaca, Mohair and Alpaca, Mohair and Wool blends.  
Of course we have our pure Alpaca yarn as well as wool and numerous other specialty blends!  

New Colours

Drop by and see what we have to offer! We are open Thursday thru Sunday, 10am-5 pm or you can call for an appointment.  We take Visa&M/C or cash.  

Alpaca Corner, Hand Spun or Dyed

Mohair Blends

Just one more thing.....

A short week over.....although in farming there are really no short weeks...or weekends....actually that is a lie...weekends mean MORE work!


Today I just have two notes...one...I am very excited that our new yarns will be arriving on Monday!  These yarns are processed from our own Alpacas and Goats.  As you know I do process some of the fibre right here on the farm but we also send some out.  I will have nature colour Alpaca yarn and a nice blend of Alpaca and Mohair in lovely colours!  I can't wait!  You will have to drop in next week to see!


And secondly "Baby Mick" needs to find a home.  Mick is  black registered Olde English Babydoll Southdown lamb.  Babydolls are smaller than most sheep growing to a height if 17-24 inches.  They are stocky and hardy but their miniature size makes them easier to handle!  They are great nature mowers, weeders and heck they will even fertilize and they go!
Now besides that Babydolls are sweet in nature and are great companion animals and you can use the wool!  So any of you knitters or spinners out their their wool is great to use alone or to blend!  We are asking $ 600.00 for Mick.  Please feel free to drop by and see him and his parents Inky and Liz. 


Don't forget the store is open Thursday thru Sunday 10-5 pm.  We take Visa and M/C and of course cash.


Drop by and see us this weekend or next week! 

a bit of variety from the first batch!

Happy Friday Everyone, it's a busy one here at the farm!  Seems like there is always something that needs doing.  Cleaning fence line, mending fences, tending to new babies.....speaking of new babies...the latest babes are chicks!  The house is full of "peeps"!

The next thing I wanted to mention is Celebrate Havelock!  This annual event is taking place on May 10, 2014, Saturday from 9 am-4 pm at the Arena on 39 George Street East.   Elmlea Farm will be there....so because of that the store per say is not open Saturday, but it is "open" at the arena.
Please drop by and see us!

And finally....in keeping with our fibre learning and discussions, I have a blending board for sale, $ 120.00.  What is a blending board?  I have attached a generic picture...to show those of you who don't know.

Blending Board

A blending board is used to create a rolag of fibre, which is generally then used to spin yarn.  Rolag is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning small roll.  What you do, is you take roving and you lay it on the board, you can mix colours and different fibres together by layering to create your own special yarn.  You then "comb" the roving to blend the fibres together. Once done you roll(roll and stretch)the fibre off onto small dowels.  Now of course that is a simplified description but it is pretty much it.  You just need to be careful in your "combing" and consistent is your rolling.  The yarns you create are limited only by your imagination!  We have a great selection of fibre to choose from to make your own rolags!

Enjoy your weekend!  See you in Havelock on Saturday!!!

What is Pygora and Cashgora Yarn?

Today is a continuation in the discovery of yarns. Here at Elmlea Farms we have a variety of fibre animals and in the goat department we have, Cashmere, Nigerian, Angora and a few crosses...Pygora(that's a Pygmy and an Angora cross)and the Cashgora is a(Cashmere/Angora cross) and currently Nigora(Nigerian/Angora cross)

The Pygora is a relatively new breed developed by Katherine Jorgensen of Oregon. Aiming for an animal that would yield a fine spinning fiber, she crossed a registered Pygmy goat with a registered silky-fleeced Angora goat. This mating produced F-1 generation hybrids, which when bred together resulted in the true Pygora. The Pygora Breeders Association (PBA) organized in 1987, and according to the association, the breed’s popularity has steadily increased since that time.  The name Cashgora was coined in the late 1970's in Victoria, Australia and later came to be recognized by the International World Textile Organization in 1988.  The Nigora is a medium sized, dual-purpose milk fibre goat.  It originated in the USA in the early 1990's.  Early Nigoras contained a mixture of Nigerian Dwarf and a coloured Angora goats.  Jill(Nigerian) bred to Omar(Angora) has given us two babies a male and female pure black.  We are excited to see what their fibre will be!  Neither Pygora, Cashgora or Nigora are used to produce yarn on a commerical scale.  We however do produce these fibres, excluding Nigora at this time.

The wool of the Cashgora combines the advantages of both Mohair and Angora, while maintaining softness, brightness and shine.

 "The fiber of Pygora goats reflects the best qualities of both the Angora and the Pygmy. From the Angora goat comes long, silky-smooth, lustrous ringlets. The Pygmy goat contributes its’ very fine down, in some cases fine enough to be classified as cashmere. This combination of qualities results in fiber with an excellent range of characteristics that maintain fineness as the animal ages.

Pygora fiber may be spun and then knitted, woven or crocheted. Because of the fineness of the fiber, it spins into a lovely yarn that is soft enough to be worn next to the skin. Items such as baby garments or luxurious shawls are well suited to Pygora yarn. Pygora also felts beautifully and locks of Pygora may be used to create wigs, beards or novelty toys. Pygora pelts make wonderfully posh rugs or chair accessories. Thus, Pygora fiber is fast becoming crafts persons’ and fiber artists’ preferred choice for any number of diverse projects". ...taken from pcagoats.org..Goat Fibre Desc. 

Come to the store and see our selection of fine yarns...Lucy may even help!

The Store is now open Thursday thru Sunday 10-5 pm.  Please feel free to drop in or call first.  We have new items and of course there are farm fresh eggs!