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| The entire coliseum floor was set up for alpaca showing. |
As far as actually the competition, it seemed like 4-H exclusively for adults and their alpacas (OK, being from the midwest I naturally assume that everyone knows what 4-H is. Think county/state fair, kids can show off livestock that they helped to raise and various other skills. Oh, you didn't grow up in the sticks? Well bully for you).
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| In the ring. |
They had a silent auction to raise funds for like, orphaned alpacas or something, and I bid on a wool/alpaca felted hat:
And won due to the fact that my dad is possibly the nicest person on earth and went and upped my bid at the last minute. I talked to the guy who makes these hats and he was pretty awesome.
And the alpacas were just cute.
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| Cute! |
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| Super cute! |
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| Hungry cute! |
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| Suri cute! |
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| Whoa! Cute only if the service is NOT for the guy in the vest. |
Really, the coolest part was hobnobbing with the local folks raising alpacas and/or working with the fiber. There were people from every farming state in the US, but a fair number of them were from Wisconsin and many of them had brought some good looking fiber with them. I tried to go easy on the yarn buying (I wanted IT ALL) and I think I got off pretty easy--Shady Haven's Fiber Designs was selling gorgeous undyed yarn:
And it was an absolute steal. I usually think of buying local and getting a bargain as mutually exclusive goals, but somehow they pulled it off. Maybe they're using child labor or something.*
So I got an invitation to a farm, signed up for a felting class, got some sweet stash, and entertained my visitors for an afternoon.. All in all, worth the $6 for parking (maybe a little more).
*The views and opinions of AC from AC Engineered Knits are for entertainment purposes only. I don't think that Shady Haven's Fiber Designs is actually using child labor.
Massively cute. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had an amazing time! Those white alpacas are unbelievably cute!
ReplyDeleteBig LOL @ your disclaimer and the stud service that dude is providing. *shudder*
ReplyDeletelol - gotta love when pics liven up copy. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd love that undyed fiber - I'd have wanted that too.
BTW, my pillow pattern is available - I have a link on my site in the patterns/textiles section. However, it's a crochet pattern. I don't know if you crochet. If you don't, but want to knit a pillow cover, I'd check out Yarnplay by Lisa Shobhana Mason. She does several different sizes of pillows that are very straightforward but pleasing. She's got a very clean, modern aesthetic, and she's even got one pillow that uses up bits of stash. :)
wow, how very cool :-) Alpacas seem smaller than you'd think.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like it was a lot of fun!I love the alpacas their faces are so cute and their yarn amazing. I am knitting myself a sweater and I'm using Suri alpaca from Peru, so nice!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun day you had! We have a couple of alpaca farms near us and it's always fun to visit them.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog this afternoon.
What an excellent way to spend a day. The alpacas are so cute.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. So much cute. Everywhere.
ReplyDeleteAnd undyed yarn is my absolute favorite. If I knew where your stash was located, I would probably try to steal that skein from you. (Honesty is the best policy, no?)