Koko Bean & King ~ stars of the Show on Friday evening!
Alpaca blankets by Pendleton, hand-made hats and scarves, and alpaca yarn.
Alpaca socks, gloves, scarves, yarn, and teddy bears!
Jackie & Abbie, members of Alpaca Breeders Connection
Natural colors: our dye lots have Names & Faces! |
Ann Dockendorf, wearing a hat and coat made from alpaca fleece, feeds plums to Sable at Aragon Alpacas.
(photo by Abbie Smith)
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All About Alpacas
- Joel Gorthy, Special Publications
The Register-Guard
Home & Garden Monthly
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show is not just about solar panels, tankless wather heaters and low-VOC paint. It has a soft and fuzzy side, too.
One highlight of the January 22-24 show will be the Alpacas Breeders Connection exhibit (#1020), where visitors will see live alpacas up-close and find clothing, accessories and hand-spun yarn made from the silky wool of these gentle, curious livestock animals.
The Alpaca Breeders Connection, a group of farmers in Lane County, will promote the green nature of their sustainable, local, handmade wool products — sweaters, hats, gloves, and more — which they say are warm, lightweight and perfect for outdoor chores. Pendleton Blankets made with alpaca wool also will be available for purchase.
Gardeners may be interested in alpacas for other, entirely different reasons. The animals' manure, called "alpaca gold" by the ranchers, has unique value as a soil amendment, says Ann Dockendorf of Aragon Alpacas. "Their manure is not 'hot,' so it can be put directly on a garden or any plantings," she says.
Other items of interest to gardeners will include hanging baskets lined with alpaca fiber, and seeds embedded in strips of the fiber for easy planting.
Crafters will find alpaca fleece and roving for spinning, and hand-spun yarn for knitting and crocheting their way through the rest of the cold season.
The exhibit also will feature children's activities and spinning demonstrations throughout the show.
Another opportunity to learn about alpacas is scheduled for Saturday, January 30, when Alpaca Breeders Connection members will open their farms to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information and a map to the farms, visit www.AlpacaBreedersConnection.com.
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