Knitting, Alpacas and Baseball

Knitting

My sister, Andee, has been knitting for years. She was always good at it. She attempted to teach me 10 years ago when I was on bedrest with my oldest son. I tried my best, but I was terrible. I mean, really terrible. I never had the right amount of stitches and usually ended up with a "scarf" that looked more like swiss cheese. I have always been good with my hands and was a quilter. I just couldn't understand what was wrong with me! Why was knitting so hard for me?

(Liz is spinning, Tara is working on her blanket..also realize it was 100 degrees here last night! Good thing the air conditioner was on!)

Fast forward to two years ago. I was determined to learn how to knit. I knew I could do it if I put my mind to it. I started watching YouTube videos and slowly I began to understand how to do it. A friend of mine sat down with me for two hours and showed me the basics. I went home and spent 10 hours practicing. Not sure my family ate that day. But I learned how to knit!!!!

(Quinn)

All three sisters enjoy yarn and knitting/crocheting. We're old souls...that's what people tell us. Well, we decided to suck some of our friends in to our "old soul" world and we started a knitting group. It is a very casual get-together that we attempt to have once a month. We meet at one of our houses, order take-out food, open some wine and beer and just hang out around a table or living room and knit away. We have a group of 7 girls now. All under the age of 33. 3 of them had never knit before and we have taught them how. Some are crocheters and you should see how well they're doing! We all help each other out when we make a mistake and try to figure out how to tackle new projects.

(Tara's blanket! I'm so proud of her!!!)

We met last night at my house. A huge storm came through and we ALMOST got hit by lightning! It was crazy! It hit the tree right outside the living room. Thankfully, no major damage was done. Quinn just started her first lace project last night. Tara is almost done with her huge beautiful blanket, Andee was working on a teddy bear, Liz was spinning and I was working on my cardigan while I tried to get comfortable. I'm getting huge and having trouble breathing, moving, sitting, sleeping...you know. Our other girls were missed. See you next time!

Alpacas

The babies are doing wonderful! Our vet was here this morning and everyone looked good. Baby Bing had a little hard time learning to nurse, but he's doing well now. Baby Wea loves to run around. She's very funny. Here are some pictures from the field this morning.

(Bubinga and Melody)

(Kigo, Ox and Sanda saying hello)

(Wea, Bubinga and Melody)

(Kigo)

Baseball

Completely unrelated to anything to do with the farm, but I just wanted to give a shout out to our oldest son. His little league team has made it to the finals! Dalton has been playing so well the last few games and I'm very proud of him. Good luck on Monday, buddy!


Have a great weekend!

-Leanne

Baby Bubinga is Here!

Arrow Acres proudly announces the arrival of our new little boy!

Arrow Acres Bubinga Crosby

was born June 8th at 10:00 am

17 lbs.
Dam: Melody
Sire: Abenaki Wski

He came into this world on a hot, steamy day at the shore!
Melody was very restless this morning and was showing all the classic signs
that today was the day. My mom, dad, Liz and Andee were all there to witness this birth.
We do have a video. I'll post that tomorrow for those that are interested.

Trying to get up.


Mom and baby are doing well. He had a little trouble nursing, but with some help he is getting the hang of it. Melody has been wonderful and actually let us help her. I wasn't there for the birth, but I heard that she got a big bag of carrots today! She LOVES her carrots.

He was able to weasel his way in around the hay bin right away. Just like a boy...getting in trouble! My mom had to help him out. Look at their hair! It matches.

This is my mom sharing the good news on the phone with her best friend, Kate.
Bing was checking it all out!
He reminds me of a baby deer. We think he is a medium fawn color.

Meeting my youngest son, Garrett.

We are very happy to have our two little crias here. This entire process has been so exciting.
We will keep you up to date on our newest addition as well as the rest of the herd.

-Leanne

Wednesday Yarn Along

Happy Wednesday!
It's going to be close to 100 degrees here today. Oh boy. Feeling the need to have this baby. In other baby news, we think Melody is very close to delivery. Signs are there. Fingers crossed!!!
My mom just told me that Mel is acting very restless. I told her to run in the house and brush her teeth. That's what worked last time. Hey, it's worth a shot, right?

On to Knitting....
Off Liz's Spindle and Crochet Hook this week:

"Wrap Me In Ruffles"
Personal pattern
Crocheted with her handspun alpaca yarn (featured in our spinning post a few weeks ago)
The main part of the cowl is spinners weight yarn and the edge ruffle is bulky.
It's beautiful on!

On Leanne's Needles:

My neighboors had a baby boy on Monday so I started a fun little knit toy for him.
The dad is a vet and they also have a huge snake that lives with them, so I thought a fun colored squishy snake would be a perfect gift for the new little man.

Still working on my Bluebells Cardigan
(Ravelry pattern is the Peasy Cardigan)
And that bump is my baby boy who NEVER stops moving.

Off Andee's Needles this week:
She finished the gorgeous sea shell scarf.
It's done in baby alpaca
Personal pattern
It is the softest, lightest, prettiest scarf!!!!

Headband
Knitted with alpaca yarn

Have a wonderful day and Happy Knitting!

I will be sure to post any new baby alpaca news if we have some.

Oh...and just because I don't think you can EVER see too many baby alpaca pictures,
here's one for you to enjoy.

-Leanne

Weekend

It was a beautiful weekend here at the Jersey Shore. A bit chilly on Saturday but overall a perfect weekend for everything that needed to be done. It was a busy weekend for us as a family. My boys had field day at school on Friday (so much fun!), a family boy scout camping trip, lots of playoff baseball (which also provides me with ample knitting time!!! I promise I do look up from my knitting and watch the game!), gardening, prepping the pumpkin patch, playing with friends and of course....

baby alpaca watching!

Our little girl, Sacajawea, is doing great. She's been running around the fields, nursing like a champ, following everything her mommy does and entertaining us with her cute antics and curiosity. She is soooooo cute. We're still not sure what color she is. She is lighter than her mom, but not sure if the rose grey is all through her blanket. We see it on her legs, tails and ears so we are hopeful that it is everywhere else too! Either way, she is perfect and we love her.

How cute is she? I was taking pictures of her today and even when she's not running up to check out the camera, she is still so curious.

She sticks close to mom, but loves to run around and prance.

A sweet moment between mom and baby.

I walked over to the field on Saturday morning just to see her before we headed out for a day of baseball games and there in the field, was my mom. Sitting right in the middle of the field enjoying her animals. It made me laugh so hard. And guess what? I quickly joined her. It's a wonderful way to spend a morning. So, if you drive by, you may get the opportunity to spot our adorable new baby and two looney ladies sitting in the field.

Some of the other ladies are saying hello. They got a new pasture to run and play in yesterday. It's next to our fiber boys. It made for an interesting few minutes yesterday! Our big boy Kal still thought he was a stud. It didn't last long though. Poor guy. Awan totally didn't care about the ladies. He just spit at them.

The gardens are looking good. Hope we have lots of luck this year!

Prepping the pumpkin patch.

Running the strings for planting.
Smart man my dad is to employ two little boys to do the running!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Happy farming and knitting.

On a side note, our neighboors are going to the hospital tonight to have their third baby!
I'm so jealous!!! We have about 6 weeks left until we meet our little boy. I wish them lots of happiness and luck for a healthy, easy delivery. I can't wait to hear if it's a boy or girl.

Friday's Picture (well more than one today)

My boys witnessing a new animal life for the very first time.

Our new little girl.

Proud Momma Star. I think she's smiling.

Two proud moms and a baby.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

Welcome to the World!

Arrow Acres is proud to present our first cria born to the farm!

Arrow Acres Sacajawea
was born today around 8:20 am
She weighed 20.6 pounds
Mother: Cayuga Star
Herdsire: Abenaki's Astrovine

She came into this world on a beautiful sunny day. Everything went very quickly. My mom had called me this morning around 8:15 to tell me that something was happening. Star was humming a lot and rubbing the fence. Star then went to lay down in the middle of the field. My mom called all of us to let us know that she thought it might be today. Within ten minutes, Liz called me..."we have a baby! we have a baby!" It happened so quickly that we all missed the birth.

Liz was the first one in the field and this is what she saw. Star is the mom on the right. The baby is on the ground right under her nose.
Melody (on the left) is our other mom-to-be.

First moments after birth. She's a little clone of Star!

My mom carrying Sacajawea to the barn. Star followed closely behind.
Through the whole thing, Star was wonderful. She let Liz and my mom do everything they needed to do. Star looked so proud of her baby.

Trying to nurse...oops...missed!

Saying hi. She acts like she's always been here.
She is only 2 hours old in this picture!

Giving Lizzie a kiss.

Up and running around!

We are not sure what color she is yet.
She looks like a dark fawn, but we see hints of Rose Grey in there too.
She takes after her mom with her facial markings.

Admiring and enjoying this new little life on the farm.

We will continue to post pictures to the blog to keep everyone updated.
We ask for privacy for the next few days and weeks while our little girl gets used
to the farm. Now we have to keep our eyes on Melody!

On a personal note, this baby means a lot to us. My grandmother was very excited about all of this and she passed away just before the herd came to the farm.
She asked that we name a baby girl Sacajawea.
My grandmother was a girl scout leader for many, many years and the local Girl Scout camp is named Camp Sacajawea. So the cria's name is in her honor.

Well MomMom, we got our girl. I hope you can see her.

-Leanne

Wednesday Yarn Along

Happy Almost Summer! Finally!

For all of you checking on our pregnant mommas, they are STILL pregnant. Not sure what they are waiting for! I know if I could have delivered my baby this weekend, I would have! So for the time being, they are staying cool in the barns, laying by the fans and drinking lots of water. Should be any day now....it BETTER be any day now!

In knitting news, we are very excited to announce that two of our knitted creations have been accepted into the National Fiber Product Showcase!
If you would like to, visit the website and you can cast your vote.
It would be very exciting to have one of our items win.

Leanne's Entry: (baby alpaca knitted baby sweater and hat)
http://www.llamas-alpacas.com/showcase/ShowcaseDetail.asp?ShowcaseID=206&SCLCat=fashion

Andee's Entry: (baby alpaca hat using our girl, Star's, yarn!)

http://www.llamas-alpacas.com/showcase/ShowcaseDetail.asp?ShowcaseID=227&SCLCat=fashion

Link to contest:
http://www.llamas-alpacas.com/showcase/ShowcaseListings.asp?SCLCat=fashion

Exciting stuff around here!

On to the Yarn Along....

On Andee's Needles:

Baby Hat knitted with her very first attempt at hand-spun yarn. I'm impressed! She used a drop spindle and made this beautiful black alpaca yarn. The tan you see at the edging is made of our Awan's handspun yarn.
Original Pattern by Andee

On Leanne's Needles:

Baby Blanket is DONE!

Wow...that took a long time.
I was starting to doubt that I would have it done in time for baby's homecoming.
But I did it with plenty of time to spare :)

Ravelry Link:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/leannecoppola/cashmere-deluxe-cardigan-blanket-and-hat

Bluebells Cardigan

I started this cardigan for myself a few weeks ago. Had to put it down to finish the blanket so I'm happy to have it back in my hands. Loving the way it's coming along.

Ravelry Link:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/leannecoppola/peasy

Finished with the lace pattern and now onto the body work. I sat at the beach this morning with a friend and got a lot done. Not a bad way to spend the morning! I have some great buttons from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival that are going to adorn this sweater.
I'm sure I'll be done with this in no time. I love knitting a sweater.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. I hope it's warm and sunny where you are too.

Happy Knitting!
Leanne