It's amazing what a small amount of advertising can do, even on a local level. The Reverend and I saw a small ad on the table mats and on a sign out front of the Power Station Restaurant for Graceful Glen Alpacas. This of course piqued my interest as I am both a new knitter and a lover of Alpacas. A quick address search revealed that this place was three minutes away. Yay!
Where we went was the actual farm and of course, Siri gave us a 'suggestion' that was about a block away. There are some signs and as you come up on it, a sign out front. Also, of course, the Alpacas. You see them as the road rises to the top of a hill and quickly realize this must be the Alpaca farm you're looking for (there's a Star Wars joke in there somewhere).
We could not quite find the shop itself as this is a working farm, however a gentleman came out and showed us. It's space converted from part of their garage, no frills, plywood walls and all however it's full of knitted alpaca wear (gloves, hats, scarves, even soap wrapped in alpaca felt) as well as Alpaca "fiber" skeins and, for you ambitious crafters, un-spun but cleaned fiber that you can spin yourself.
The fiber itself is beautifully spun, and I love that they put the names of the 'contributing' alpaca on each skien. There are mostly solid colors in hues from sand to dark brown and black, with some that are marbled. Weight from medium all the way to lace weight. No dyes, these are all natural colors.
I scored two lovely skeins and two pears of socks. Yay! The fiber was spun in a nearby factory as were the socks knitted (and in one case, dyed, there are no purple Alpaca). You are welcome to go up to the pastures to visit them, they are indeed quiet, gentle and curious creatures. The Reverend won't let me have one. Something about zoning laws.
The prices were what I'd expect for this quality fiber, and no more than I would pay for elsewhere. I love that it's from the source, supporting a local farm, and I know the Alpaca whose fiber I'm knitting.
I'm looking forward to my next visit (when this batch of fiber is all knitted). read more