Alpaca's R Us!

Exciting news! This past weekend saw the marking of my parents' 40th Anniversary! So to commemorate the occasion my Dad decided to buy an Alpaca for my Mom's anniversary present. We are so very excited! Fibre at our fingertips, literally! Al the Alpaca (no said my parents were very creative with the naming of beasts) is quite happy in his new and, I have it on good authority, that he's eagre to share his warm and wooly coat with the knitter in our family (okay this is mostly me although others have also given it a go).

Although the picture above is not our Al, it is a great one to show the warm and wooly content of their fibre. I am so excited about this new member of our family. However, I shall have to wait patiently until next spring when he will be ready to sheer and then a little while longer while the fibre is cleaned and spun and ready to knit up into some wonderful creation. It is touted as being one of the warmest, softest and silkiest fibres known to knitters. Added bonus: they are just so darn CUTE!

Anyone out there who has any experience with Alpaca fibre, drop me a line. I am eager to learn all I can about the care of Alpacas, processing of their fibre and knitting with the fine yarn produced. I'm looking forward to learning all there is to know about this member of the camelid family and maybe writing it up into an intriguing article some day.

Happy knitting!

Stitch 'n' Bitch! (An Inspiration inspired gathering)

What the Heck is A Stitch 'N Bitch?

Basically, it's a bunch of people getting together to do some sort of craft (knit, crochet, cross stitch, etc), and gab while doing it. It's as simple as that, nothing pretentious at all, and at the same time it's continuing an age-old tradition.

Did you know that in the old days, 100 years ago or so, on the weekends, the women would take turns coming to each others houses and doing the mending while dishing out the latest gossip? In some places, people brought their own stuff, and in others, you showed up to do the mending for the house. It must have been awesome to have a band of ladies descend upon your basket of socks that needed darning, and go at it with gusto.

Today, you bring your own stuff.

And you're generally not doing much mending, but rather creating - and boy is there a lot of fun stuff to create with! The benefits of doing this in a group setting are great - not only do you get away from distractions at home, such as phone, computer, etc, but you have a bunch of people whose brains you can pick! And it's not just for women anymore.

Even if you've never knitted in your life, do show up if you have the slightest interest to! Someone always brings extra yarn and extra needles, and is happy to show you how to get started. Stitch 'n' Bitches are not just for knitters either. The group welcomes crafters of all types and sizes. As long as it is portable and doable while visiting, then bring it along and have some fun.

So discover your sense of adventure, your inner creative muse, grab a bag and fill it with yarn and needles or whatever your heart desires and join us! Send me an email to find out the details of the next gathering and CREATE!

Posing...

Sometimes I amaze myself. The photo was taken by ME. The photo was edited by ME. The photo subject matter I give credit to whatever powers that had placed me in the right place at the right time and allowed this creature of beauty to pose so graciously long enough for my digital camera to capture her.

I do not profess to be some great photographic genius, or even a modest camera technician. But I enjoy the lucky one's when they happen. We were visiting some friends in Regina and waiting for them to arrive home. Upon walking around the yard to see what had changed and what had remained the same since our move, I rounded a corner and saw this beautiful creature perched upon the fence. What could I do, but snap away?

Enjoy!