Meet the Gang

Well, countdown to Christmas, what happened to summer ?
I thought that I would introduce you to "The Gang - Class of 2012"
Today it is the turn of Gloriana, a mid fawn female from one of our favourite dams, Caramel paired with one of our Australian/New Zealand/USA pedigree males, the Super Star - he has sired so many female alpacas.

Gloriana looking a bit muddy

She is well grown and about to be weaned from her mum. Lovely rich fawn fleece, a good all over colour, although today's photograph shows her a bit muddy from yesterday's rain.

I am busy preparing for Christmas Fayres with alpaca products made from our alpaca fleece, the first one is at Breamore village on 10th November. I will have hats, gloves and scarves available for lovely Christmas presents or just as a treat.

More Gang pictures to follow, come back soon !

First Rufus Baby

Our first Rufus baby, a little girl. Rufus has Ruffo as his grand sire. One of our seasoned alpaca mums gave birth today, taking advantage of the last of the good weather, giving us a lovely white female alpaca. New baby was on her feet, within two hours she was running about having perfected the use of her long legs and in search of the milk bar. 

Just two hours old, Rufus first cria

Update

Hi, it's been a while since I wrote, we now have two female cria and more due soon.
The alpacas have all been shorn they are much happier with their big fur coats off, now just having to skirt the fleeces to be sent off to the spinners.
Tango, our Supreme Champion Male has just started working and has covered Camillia and Shadow, he took to his job the first time he was introduced to a female and there is no looking back now. Our next trainee is Shaman, he came 2nd in his class at the recent South of England Show at Ardingly, for quite a time he was in first place, and judge Val Fullerlove took a long time to choose explaining that all the top three were excellent alpacas and all were of the quality to gain a first place, a confirmation of our breeding programme.
Alpacas sired by Rufus, with the Highlander and Ruffo pedigree are due any day very excited to see his progeny.

First Cria of the Year

Busy day yesterday, finished the herd vaccinations before the rain started, that was good. Then whilst we were toe nail clipping our first cria of the year was born, a simply stunning light fawn girl. She is the combination of two Australian parents, included in her pedigree, the highly respected Australian Stud Male, Highlander and Jolimont Commisario, so we are looking forward to seeing her grow up.

Ballantine and her new daughter

With the weather as it was so wet mum and baby spent the night all dry in the barn. She is sporting a nice weatherproof coat, has been out for most of today but back in the barn now as we are again getting torrential rain and a cold wind is blowing. No time this weekend for papercrafting but I have been felt making for eventually creating some flower brooches.

Updating the Website

We have got some much needed rain, but too wet for paddock cleaning today. Have updated the website with new girls for sale, it has been difficult to decide who to choose as we have some lovely girls here our breeding programme is showing such promise. There are mainly whites with some fawns to choose from, select your own starter herd, with Australian Elite Genetics and mated with prizewinning stud males, yet more Elite Australian Genetics their resultant cria will be the start of your own breeding programme aiming for the finest fleeces.
We are eagerly awaiting our first cria of the season, should be any day now, just not today thank you. Plenty to be done but need dry weather, halter training in particular. Off to check on the pregnant mums.

Futurity 2012 Results

Hi The Futurity 2012 results are posted, our boys did us proud. We sent two fleeces and got a first place, a second place and reserve Champion. Well done to Cherwell Leys Tangaroa, keeping up the good work and Cherwell Leys Charnwood Phoenix, Tango will be working as "in house" stud male this season. So excitedly looking forward to next year's cria already, this year's are not on the ground yet, great news is Woody has cria due later this year. We are especially pleased as our boys are up against the best in the white classes and have both done exceptionally well for a small breeder.

Crochet Shawl goes to World Alpaca Conference

Still waiting to find out about the Futurity results, but I do have one bit of news to tell on that front.
Received a rosette in the post today, first place, that is a good start, for my crochet shawl in Tinker's fleece which is a rich shade of brown, hand spun by myself using my Roberta Spinner. My shawl has been sent on to be exhibited at the World Alpaca Conference taking place in Oxford during April, how exciting is that. No shawl to photo at present, that will have to wait until it is returned. I may not make it to the conference but I shall be there in spirit (or at least in crochet shawl !!)

Futurity Show Results Due Soon

It was the Futurity Show at the weekend and as we did not enter any alpacas in the halter show, we are waiting to find out how we got on in the Fleece Show and the Craft Show. We had two fleeces entered and five craft items.
Lovely weather today brilliant sunshine and blue sky, the alpacas are soaking it up. The expectant mums are resting and there are some looking very plump now, I am sure that I could see Caramel's tummy twitching, she is due early April so not long now !!

Christine Mega Tip No 1

Have been busy getting fleeces skirted ready to send off to the show, you need to take time to look over all the fleece, very carefully. Took the parcel to the post office and now have my fingers crossed, firstly that the parcel arrives ok and then for good news with the results.

This is a "Christine Mega Tip" from one of her recent TV appearances. If you don't have the Sentiment Stamp that you want, or one the correct size, print off your own using your computer with a font and colour of your choice and then die cut with Spellbinders. This is so useful, used the idea for a Mother's Day Card Tag as in the photo. This is a work in progress, so far, but I just love the flexibility of not being "stuck" with the stamps that you have to hand, I was so pleased with how my tag came out. Sorry photo not very clear. Thanks to Christine for sharing this tip.

Mother's Day Card with printed tag

Art & Crafting

Just found out in time for the record button that Sue was on C&C today. Even got my email read out and the "Thank You" card was shown. Again more inspiration and tips. After die cutting one of the Lattice dies found a lovely shape was left in the card for an apeture. There is always a use for what could be seen as the "scrap" pieces, I especially like the tiny butterflies "scrap" pieces off the butterfly circles die.

More spinning again this afternoon, I have to finish the fawn skein ready for the craft show.

Will be updating the web site shortly with new alpacas for sale, sort of "pick your own" selection, young females sired by Australian pedigree studs hope that you can drop by soon.

Pink Spinning

Spent the afternoon spinning, finishing off the natural dyed yarn in pinks and lilacs. Then plying up some natural dark fawn. No chance for any papercrafting today, but I do want to make some tags, now I have the embossing folders and the raspberry plate I can get started.

You can get an idea of the colours from the photograph. Lovely evening sunshine and bird song.

Papercrafting

I don't know where I have found the time, but I have got some Spellbinders dies and just had to have a play. Love the fun

Need to practise my faux glue pearls, could do better.
Thank you Spellbinders.

Snowdrops & fieldfares

Got all the paddock cleaning finished before the rain started. The snowdrops are still about and the fieldfares are here. It is 10.7 degrees at present.

Pancakes Birthday

Hi, it is Pancakes birthday today. She was born on Shrove Tuesday, her dam was pregnant for Australian summer when we bought her. A lovely female alpaca she has provided us with two cria and number three is due later this year. We have repeated a successful pairing of Pancake and Regency, our Comissario male, that produced an excellent female, Honeysuckle, with plenty of fine fleece.
It is a perfect sunny day today, started with a good frost, which meant that as the ground warmed up it became too difficult to finish the paddock cleaning, just means more for tomorrow, but that's another day !!
Have been busy dyeing and spinning some yarn using cochineal lots of pinks, mauves and damson colours. Will try to get a picture when all is completed, and making some fancy tags.

Happy St Valentines

Hi, the sun is out today, but the paddocks are still not dry enough for working on. The alpacas were all pleased to see us this morning we fed their supplementary feed and topped up the hay, thankfully the water troughs are all clear of frozen water now. The barn is looking much better for the clearing out, hay delivery tomorrow to top us up, spring is just around the corner now !! Hope that you have a lovely St Valentines Day. I am off for a coffee now.

Show Entries

Just completed our entries to The Futurity Show, it was a difficult decision but decided against taking any alpacas to the halter classes, instead giving the fleece show a go this year. Then the difficult decisions on which fleece to choose, with so many good alpacas to pick from after much discussion and handling we narrowed it down to two whites. We had plenty of free time over the week end as the ground was covered with snow so no paddock cleaning possible, hoping to catch up today, but although the snow has now gone, the ground is too wet for working on. Roll on tomorrow, but for today it is cleaning out the barn and taking a trip to the tip.

Snow or No Snow ?

All the hatches are battened down, just in case !! We have finished the re-roofing of the field shelters and all the alpacas have their hay rations. It is very cold but so far no snow or rain. I have some spinning to keep me busy this afternoon.

To the New Year, and beyond

Hi, belated Happy New Year to you all. Lovely sunny day today, took some alpaca pictures for the blog. It is a joy to be out with them all when the weather is so amazing. Busy with knitting to orders, just finished some alpaca mittens took a photo which when I saw the picture it looks just like an alpaca face (if you screw your eyes up a bit !).

Alpaca face, what do you think ?

 

 

 

Islay for comparison

Our next picture is of our star alpaca of 2011, CWL Tangaroa, Supreme Champion at the Heart of England Fleece Show and then Reserve Champion at the Scottish Fleece Show. We have spent the holidays deciding who will be his first mating partner. We are also hoping that his dam is holding her pregnancy to CWL Woody which will bring similar genetics to the pairing, fingers crossed for an enjoyable summer of alpaca cria (babies).

Tango, our Supreme Champion