Fiber Arts Friday - Duck Feet

I think it's best to minimize the variables when learning new skills.  Since these Duck Feet are my first pair of socks and the pattern has a long list of new to me stitches and cast on methods, I decided to use a commercial yarn.  I also figured machine washable would be a good choice for baby socks.

I went over to my new favorite local yarn shop, My Sister Knits, and found a pale yellow, machine washable, merino yarn along with the appropriate #2 sized tools.

While we were talking about the different needles, I told the lady at the shop that I was going to make my first pair of socks.  She said, "If you can read, socks are easy..." I had to laugh, because that's the same advice I gave my sister about cooking.

I came home, updated my Ravelry inventory, then opened up YouTube to learn how to do the following:

• Judy's Magic Cast On
• Turkish Cast On
• Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off
• RLI
• LLI
• S2KP

Being a recovering engineer, following instructions are not always my strong point.  So I find knitting to be a good exercise for me.  If you can read (and follow instructions), you can knit.  Right?

The instructions suggest using 2 circular needles, but that 2 double-pointed needles will also work.

I am now at the widest point of the first sock.  It feels a little tight as I reach the end of each row, but since the sock gets narrower from here, I am going to finish with the dpns.

I can't wait to see what it looks like.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday.

Who Wants to go Swimming?

Our girl Kocoa loves to splash in the water.

It's actually quite frustrating.  Whenever we clean and refill the water buckets, she splashes in them.  Which makes them very dirty.

Last week she started splashing during the refilling instead of after. 

The other girls were begging to be sprayed too. My husband called me over to try to keep them away from the buckets so he could at least get some water in them. I tried, but pretty much just laughed and took pictures.

 

 

We bought a plastic kiddie pool that we will put out after shearing this weekend. Hopefully then, Kocoa will splash in the pool and not their water buckets.

Preparing for Shearing Day

This is my third season shearing alpacas.  However, this is the first season shearing at our own place.

I am just about ready for shearing day, but have realized a couple of things would be nice to have:

• Livestock Scale - The farms we boarded with all had a livestock scales that we used for weighing the fleece on shearing day.  We do need a scale for weighing our alpacas, but we won't have one this time around. 
• Floor Mats - I shear on the ground with leg ties, so rubber mats makes it nicer for everyone.  I saw some at one of those big warehouse stores, so I plan to pick them up on Friday.

Aside from the two things we are missing, I have assembled nearly everything else:

• Sharp combs and cutters to cover the herd plus a few extra sets
• Cutting Oil
• Equipment for toe nail, teeth and top knot trimming
• Extension cords
• Brooms and a leaf blower
• Identified the order to shear and prepared a record sheet that includes ages, colors and due dates.  I generally shear lightest to darkest in color, starting with the smallest alpaca of each color.  I do put the pregnant girls last with Keyla being very last.
• 4 pre-labeled, clear plastic bags for each alpaca.  The bags are for the blanket, neck, legs & belly, and a sample for analysis
• First aid kit
• Safety glasses and knee pads
• Re-confirmed most of our volunteers
• Identified the lunch menu
• Prepared a short to-do list for Friday

Friday's to-do list includes:

• Setting up ties and supplies
• Set up cans for trash and Matter of Trust
• Pickup last minute lunch items and rubber mats
• Prepare the food as much as possible
• Review the shearing pattern and plan for Saturday
• Ensure the camera has a full charge

While we now have a place to shear out of the weather, we do not have a place to ensure the alpacas remain dry if it rains.  The forecast looks pretty good, but I am still praying for a dry week.

We are shearing on Saturday, May 22nd.

Fiber Arts Friday - Remembering

I was going through my brain the other day and found my very first Fiber Arts Friday post.

I had been reading FAF for a while and wanted to participate but never quite had it all together until last summer.  Now, ten months later, it's a regular post that I plan for each week.

I think blogging about my projects has helped me become a better knitter and spinner.  Certainly FAF and Twitter have helped me build relationships with other knitters and spinners who have provided guidance, support and challenges which have improved my skills.

I did give my sister's husband and son the matching hats for Christmas and I finally gave the initial scarf and hat to my sister for her birthday last month.

They gave us some very exciting news that day, which means I will be attempting these very soon.  :-)

I love you guys.

Enjoy the rest of Fiber Arts Friday over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

Compost Bins

We have two piles composting behind our shop.

There is a large pile of alpaca manure on the left and a smaller pile of yard waste on the right.  We have been collecting the alpaca manure for six months now and the yard waste for about a month.

I have the separate piles because the alpaca manure does not need to be composted prior to using it.  However I have found that a little aging mellows the aroma.

My husband is supportive of composting and recycling as long as the place is neat and tidy.  I have to agree with him and feel these piles are not the way we want things to be.  Which means I've been thinking about compost bins a lot lately.

After our fence repair last week, I had a waste piece of fencing that I figured might be useful in building a compost container.

The fence it 5 feet high, so I cut it in half.

I bent the ends and latched the fence into a circular container.

The holes in the fabric are 2" x 4" which seems to be holding the material together pretty well.

I should be able to remove the containers easily when the compost is ready.

I need to make a few more bins for the yard waste, then I will tackle the manure pile.

Snow in May

It's still snowing a little and is supposed to continue much of the day.

ABS Alpaca Status

I haven't posted any progress about our Berserk Male in quite some time.  Mostly because there hasn't been much to report.

Yes, we reached the point to where I could feed and muck around this alpaca by myself.  I continued to be able to do this work.  However, we had not made any progress with handling.

He would pace and jump on the fence whenever we handled the other alpacas. Then when he couldn't get to the alpaca on the lead, he would attack his corral mates.  He injured our other gelding.

If I was in the pasture without my husband, he would pace and rear up against the fence.  His eyes fixated on me until I would raise my arms and yell loudly.  At which point he would stop and turn away, but maintain an aggressive stance.

He was always better behaved when my husband was around.  Finally, when our neighbor came for a visit with his young son, the alpaca was very aggressive toward the boy.

So my husband and I now agreed that the alpaca was dangerous.  We believed it was only a matter of time before he tried to hurt me again or someone else.  This was our first time euthanizing an animal that wasn't old or sick.

The reason I share this information is to help raise awareness.  Yes, Aberrant Behavior Syndrome is rare, but please learn the signs and stop the behavior before it starts.  It's always easier to prevent than repair.

An alpaca should be interested in people but only for a short period of time and from a distance. They should be more interested in their herd mates. If they hang around you too much, or enter your space without being invited, their behavior needs to be corrected. Swiftly. What is cute at 30 pounds is dangerous at 200 pounds.

At the beginning of this process I did not know what the lesson was. Today, I would say how important it is to remember that alpacas are livestock and not pets. They must be treated as such, especially when they are so darn cute as cria.

Aside from this one male, we have found alpacas to be very easy to care for. They are easy to train, handle and shear.  They are entertaining to watch and produce wondrous fiber that makes beautiful, soft yarn.
 
Since carrying out our decision, the mood on the ranch is calm and peaceful.  I have been able to catch, handle and lead all of our alpacas without incident.

Here are some resources to learn more about Aberrant Behavior Syndrome aka Berserk Male Syndrome aka Novice Handler Syndrome:

Cathy Spalding
John Mallon
Wikipedia
Marty McGee Bennett