Upcoming Events...Take Your Mind off the Rain!

I know into each life a little rain must fall...BUT really!?  Enough already!!!  And sooo much too!  It is true what they say though...good duck weather!  The ducks do love it, and I guess that is why there were 6 babies hatched this week!
So as for the animals:  Handsome the Rooster you read about with the Boo-Boo toe is better and out of quarantine and slowing integrating back with everyone, right now he thinks he is the baby turkey protector and that is fine.  The big turkey's are getting bigger and showing off their stuff...a little bit of parading is happening now, I tell them how lovely they are!  HA!  If you are looking for a turkey for Thanksgiving get your orders in!  We have two groups but limited quantities.

I have done some baking and made some preserves, but the tomatoes are slow to ripen so no sauces yet!

The Fall is approaching quicker than we'd like.  The weather seems to have changed without much notice.  Where did the summer go?  Actually was there a summer?  If you can't fight'm ...join'm!  SO with that in mind here are some upcoming events!

August 30, 2014 Maynooth Farmer's Market, it is the 25th Anniversary!  "Maynooth Madness" comes to life with EVERYONE visiting the market and their 40 plus vendors!  Why not celebrate some of your long weekend in Maynooth,  there will be so much to do and see.  Make sure you check out their Facebook page.
October 7, 2014 Spin - In  another 25th Anniversary!  This event will be in Campbellford at St. John's United Church from 10 am until 3 pm.  There will be a sweets table and BBQ.  What can you expect from a Spin In?  First, the finest quality of yarns and fibre for you to purchase!  There will be hand made items for sale as well.  Local artisans will have knitted, weaved, crocheted, spun, dyed,  sewn, you name it....beautiful unique one of a kind items for you or for you to give as gifts.  Admission is $ 5.00.  Any questions please call Joan McCulloch at 705-653-1509
October 11-13, 2014 - The Norwood Fair.  The Fair is open 9 am to 5:30 pm daily.  This fair is one of the BEST local Fairs going!  An ABSOLUTE must to end the fair season and to get you in the mood for celebrating Thanksgiving!  While you are there, "Thank a Farmer!"  Check out their webpage at www.norwoodfair.com   You have to go!
November 1, 2014 - The Inspired Creations Annual Christmas Sale from 9 am to 3 pm at the Lions Club on 959 Meadowview Road, at Orange Corners Road.  There will be over 30 artisans and vendors with a wide range of products!  See what they have to offer admission is free!

The store is open 10-5 pm Thursday thru Sunday.  Come and get your yarn!  You  might as well start your knitting, the cooler weather is here,dang it all!!!  Meats and eggs also available.  705-778-2070

So ...You Think You Know Alpaca Yarn!?

Today I would like to talk about Alpaca Yarn.  It is a beautiful light weigh fibre with wonderful attributes, but there are some misconceptions, so to address this I am posting an article from "Knit Picks" that gives a nice brief history on the animals and on the fibre/yarn.
In the article it talks about blending the yarn for larger scaled knitted items.  The store offers you all that is needed to start knitting, from knitting needles to Alpaca, Merino, Mohair yarns.

The Elmlea Farm Store reopens on May 1st, 2014!  If you would like to get started on any project sooner or need fresh eggs please feel free to call me to arrange a time to drop by, the number is
705-778-2070.
Enjoy your weekend!

by Knit Picks Tutorials on December 11, 2009 

Alpaca

Hailing from South America, the alpaca belongs to the camelid family that also includes camels, llamas, guanacos and vicunas. They are a docile breed whose fleece spins into luxurious yarns. More than three quarters of the world’s alpaca population resides in Peru.¹ In centuries past, the alpaca was an incredibly valuable animal, even more so than precious gems! Clothing created with alpaca was restricted for use by royalty. The alpaca has been domesticated and is treated as one of Peru’s national treasures. England has the double decker bus, the U.S. has Mt. Rushmore, and Peru has their alpacas. What a diverse definition of treasure!

Alpaca fleece is a “protein fiber”. This doesn’t mean knitting with it will make you stronger, it merely indicates that the fiber comes from an animal- namely, the alpaca. Alpaca fiber is strong, warm, and comfortable. Each fiber is hollow which makes it incredibly lightweight. Even the most delicate alpaca garments are warm for this reason. Perhaps alpaca’s greatest feature is that it can be worn next to the skin comfortably. The explanation for this is the behavior of the scales on the exterior of the fiber itself. They all lie flat in the same direction, making for a smooth surface. Less expensive than cashmere and with the strength of mohair, alpaca is highly desirable and functional. As with most natural fibers, alpaca needs to be handled with care when it comes to water exposure. Be sure to read and heed the washing instructions on your yarn or sweater.

While there are 2 breeds of alpaca, Huacaya and Suri, the former makes up a whopping 95% of the population.² Differences between the two are numerous and as you may have guessed from the percentages, the Suri is harder to come by. Suri qualities include fleece that grows downward like human hair in wavy or curly locks with a silky texture. Huacaya fleece is coarser and grows straight outwards, at a right angle to the skin of the alpaca.

YES SURI, BABY, YOU’RE SUPERFINE!

When alpaca fiber is processed, it is evaluated and sorted into one of several categories based on its micron count (in layman’s terms: the softness quotient). Micron count is a technical measurement determined by studying a sample of alpaca fleece and calculating the average diameter of the shaft of each fiber. Baby alpaca might have a micron count in the high teens whereas superfine alpaca would fall in the mid-twenties. The lower the number, the finer the fiber. *Please note that baby alpaca is a classification group, meaning it doesn’t always come from young alpacas. It merely refers to any fibers from an alpaca’s fleece that fall within said micron count. While fibers become coarser as an alpaca ages, it is possible for older alpacas to continue to produce fibers that fall in the baby alpaca micron count range.

Yarn Classification	Average Micron Count	Average Fiber Length
Baby (finest)	21-23	>=64mm. (2½ in.)
Superfine	25-26.5	>=65mm. (2½ in.)
Suri	26-27	>=68mm. (2¾ in.)

Yarns sold by Knit Picks fall within these measurements.

If all of this jargon confuses you, then you might relate better to the methods used by Peruvian women who hand sort all of the fibers and determine their classification based on how they actually feel.³ The finest and softest feeling fibers are tagged as baby alpaca, and so on for fine and superfine yarns. Fiber from various parts of the animal can have different feels.

SMOOTH OPERATOR

Knitted garments made of alpaca have some interesting properties. You should know that alpaca yarn is pretty stubborn when it comes to elasticity. It’s not that it won’t give, it actually has a tendency to be too generous. If you knit dense stitches and patterns or hang heavy embellishments on it, it will become distorted with no hopes of regaining its youthful figure. This is due to the aforementioned smoothness of the fibers. Since the scales lie flat in the same direction, the plies or strands of an alpaca yarn slide past each other instead of clinging and gravity can take its toll on the fabric. Gravity, as we know, can sometimes cause an undesirable elongating effect. So make those 100% alpaca projects light and airy, or use a blend for greater resilience and elasticity.

Speaking of which, all blends happen for a reason. There are ways to make alpaca yarn work for every project and that is by blending it with complimentary fibers. Blended yarns are not created arbitrarily. Wool, for instance, is a highly crimped fiber and therefore offers some elasticity. Since alpaca fibers contain only shallow waves, mixing in some wool makes an otherwise unyielding yarn a little more forgiving.

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¹“A Shaggy Business” The Economist. Vol. 377, Issue 8455, p. 38. 12/3/2005.

²Quiggle, Charlotte. “Alpaca: An Ancient Luxury” Interweave Knits. Fall 2000.

³Lavan, Cindy. “Evaluating Alpaca Fleece” AlpacaNation – Alpaca Industry’s Central Marketplace. June 2002. http://www.alpacanation.com/articles/AlpacaFuture_Oct02.asp