by Jim Hobart on Monday June 22, 2009
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Does the sight of all these alpacas make you smile or make you want to run?There's a lot of mouths to feed each day but each alpaca has its own personality and can bring joy to your life. The 'Skirting' rack in the front of this picture is what we use to sort and grade our fiber from each alpaca.We shear once a year (in April) so our alpacas are comfortable for the warm summer months.Morning feeding time is a great time to reflect on your day, set goals and plan your day.So...when the moms and crias come to greet you in the morning make it a time to enjoy your first smile of the day!
by Jim Hobart on Tuesday May 26, 2009
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Amid the morning bustle of getting ready for work, feeding 50 animals and making sure the baby alpacas are bottle fed we sometimes miss out on the "Magic of the moment" that so often occurs in the pasture. Today we let our new mom and cria out to be with the rest of the herd. Mom was proudly showing off her new little boy and all the other moms were sniffing him and socializing.It's important to incorporate the crias into the herd so they learn from the other alpacas.Daphne is a new mom so she was likely getting tips from the other moms while the new cria was getting pushed around by Trigger - our 5 week old cria we've been bottle feeding. Anyhow, I just took a pause for a few minutes...stopped and watched the Alpacas and headed back to the house with a big smile on my face. What a great way to start the day!
by Jim Hobart on Monday May 25, 2009
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We had a busy day yesterday.We decided to slip out and see a movie for a Mom &Dad 'Date Afternoon' and of course just as we were getting to leave we did one last check of the Moms and there was our newest addition in the pasture.Luckily he's very healthy and it already nursing on his mom (Daphne).Her mom (Sunny) was a very good mom with a great disposition so we were hoping she'd pass this trait on to Daphne and it looks like this was the case. Daphne has been very attentive to her baby and he's nursing well. He gained 8oz on day one and got a good dose of mom's Cholosterum to help his immune system duing the next few critical weeks.It's always much better to let the mom/cria work things out than to jump in with a bottle of purchased cholosterum.We always watch carefully for the meconium plug to come out and see his basic vitals working well. Our daughter Lauren is great with the alpacas and volunteered duty for cria watch while we headed out later yesterday to keep our date. As for a name, we're still undecided. We like to watch each cria's personality a bit before giving it a name. As for this little guy.. he's very spunky, sweet and very attached to mom. Plus...he's pure black out of Snowmass Conquistador. Any ideas?
by Jim Hobart on Sunday May 24, 2009
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We've been so busy with our e-commerce site Alpaca Direct and our growing herd of Alpacas that we had not been updating our Ranch site as frequently as planned. Well...that's going to change and we hope you like the new look and feel of our new website. We'll be adding useful information and keeping your posted on the happenings of our ranch Feel free to let us know what you'd like us to talk about or provide
by James Hobart on Sunday June 27, 2010
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NEW SUMMER CLASSES AT ALPACA DIRECT
All classes will be taught on Thursday evenings from 7-9PM.
Our store is located at 144 Continente Ave, Suite 170, Brentwood, Ca 94513, PH-925-237-2575
Knit 101
Skill level: Novice
Fee: $20, supplies additional
Date: July 15, 2010
This one-session class is for new and beginning knitters. New knitters will learn to knit, purl, cast on and bind off. Beginning knitters will learn how knit and purl stitches work together to create interesting patterns. Your instructor will provide instructions and pattern to create a Scarf for your first project. No experience required. This class is just the basics.
Registered students will receive 10% off class materials.
Knit 102
Skill level: Beginner
Fee: $20, supplies additional
Date: July 22, 2010
This one-session class is for knitters who know the basics (cast on, knit, purl, cast off) and who are ready for their first project. In this class, you learn increases, decreases, fixing twisted and dropped stitches, reading a pattern and start a project of your choice. This is the recommended next class after Knit 101. Bring light colored yarn and appropriate needles. If you want to use the yarn and needles you purchased for Knit 101, Alpaca Direct staff can help you find an appropriate pattern and yarn.
Registered students will receive 10% off class materials.
Crochet 101
Skill Level: Novice
Fee: $20, supplies additional
Date: July 29 2010
Crochet is fast and fun. During this one-session class students will learn all the basic stitches of crochet (single, half-double, double and treble crochet), joining new yarn, increasing and decreasing.
Registered students will receive 10% off class materials.
Crochet 102
Skill Level: Beginner
Fee: $20, supplies additional
Date: August 5, 2010
This class is for those who know the crochet basics (chain, single, half-double, double and treble crochet). In this class, you learn increases, decreases and how to read a pattern. You will start a project of your choice. Alpaca Direct staff can help you find an appropriate pattern and yarn for your project.
Registered students will receive 10% off class materials.
Neck Warmer Hat
Skill Level: Intermediate
Fee: $20, supplies additional
Date: August 12, 2010
This is a fun and easy class that will use your knit and purl skills, then finish off with an I-cord.
Sample made with Suri Merino Paint yarn. Circular needle size US 5. We will be using the pattern from Knitted Gifts by Ann Budd.
Registered students will receive 10% off class materials.
Disclaimer: Enroll early as class size is limited. Although we anticipate full registration for all classes, we reserve the right to cancel a class due to poor enrollment. In this circumstance your fee will be refunded in full. If you are not able to make your class, we will need 24 hours notice for a full refund. Fewer than 24 hours notice or No Show = no refund. Fees listed are for the complete class, including all sessions and unless noted do not include materials or patterns. Missed classes may be made up at a later session. Please bring basic accessories to all classes: scissors, stitch markers, yarn needles, etc
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