Now that we’ve finished our spring shearing, we’re faced with piles of fleeces waiting for the next step. This is just a portion of the fiber that will be sorted, skirted and sent off to various destinations: fleece shows, yarn mill, felting fiber, etc. The first thing we’ll do is … Read More
I know most folks are gearing up for the “big game” today, but with no interest in football and no TV, that’s not happening here. Instead, my afternoon is full of fiber (not unusual for me!). Today I’m dyeing fiber for felting. Here at Snowshoe Farm, we use only our … Read More
Snowshoe Farm will once again participate in the Buy Local Market at the Vermont Farm Show. This year marks the 84th annual farm show. Along with the usual fare of machinery and equipment displays, association meetings and agricultural products contests is the Wednesday evening Buy Local Market. This is an … Read More
Fall is here and that means a very busy time on the farm! During the next month, most weekends bring either a fiber festival or an alpaca show. Weekdays are filled with getting ready for the next weekend’s event. That means dyeing yarn, skirting fleeces, chasing down all the odds … Read More
Last year I was invited to dye some of our alpaca yarn for felted pillows. I worked with Alison at woollymama fiber arts and her client who was looking for several pillows to match the colors in her rug. With surprisingly little difficulty, I came up with two colors, a red … Read More
Lace shawls and shawlettes are very popular knitting projects and there’s no better use for a luxuriously fine, drapey alpaca yarn. I just finished the Annis shawlette in 100% hand dyed alpaca from Snowshoe Farm. Annis is a fairly easy pattern. Just be sure to set up for the nupps … Read More
Christmas in July!! Yesterday we received seven batches of yarn from the mill. This is the last of our 2013 clip. The yarn includes fingering, dk and worsted weight; some are 100% alpaca and some are alpaca blended with wool or wool and tencel. The colors range from white to … Read More
We’re busy gearing up for a number of craft and fiber events coming up this summer and fall. The first event is the Waterville Valley, NH Artisan Fair on Saturday, July 19. Snowshoe Farm will be there selling alpaca yarn and fiber. If you’ve never been to Waterville Valley, it’s … Read More
Done! Shearing is THE big spring chore at Snowshoe Farm and it feels so good to have finished. We shear early – usually the end of April – and, being spring in the NEK, the weather rarely cooperates. Generally, the alpacas have to endure a period of chilly temps before … Read More
Let’s talk about fiber for a change! Taking the beautiful fiber that we harvest from our herd and turning it into yarn and, ultimately, a finished product, is extremely satisfying. But it’s not always easy to find the time to see the whole process through to the end. That’s one … Read More