The Hollyhock Blog

It’s been so dry here, that we’ve kept the female alpacas out of their pasture while we water and the grass grows a little.   So a couple days ago, we decided to let the girls back in the pasture to eat the grass, so we could mow off the weeds – which they don’t eat. 

Yesterday morning,  I noticed LG#1 had some serious diarrhea.   I gave him some probiotics.  I also gave LG#2 some probiotics, too, just because!   I watched closely, and most of the morning some of the alpacas were in the pasture, but not LG#1 – even though his mom was out there.  Late morning, I went to check on him.  He was just napping in the barn with a few others, but that is not his normal.   And he felt really hot.  So I got the thermometer.   I couldn’t get numbers on the LCD panel – I tried before I went to the barn as I remembered the battery was pretty old.   After a run to town for a new battery and then a new thermometer, I realized the problem with the thermometer was operator error!  It would read out L.  After the new one did the same, my brain kicked in and I held the tip of the thermometer and the heat from my fingers caused it to start displaying numbers once it reached 90 degrees or so.  DUH!!  Did I feel like a fool! 

But I went on out to find LG#1.  He was up and about by now.   He was not pleased with the procedure, and jumped before the thermometer had reached it final reading.  It was 102.8 and had neared its stopping point.  Normal for crias is 101 – 102.  So a little high, but not serious.   Then I saw that LG#2 also had diarrhea, too.  Both were in my sights for the afternoon. 

By evening feeding, LG#1 has a temp of 102.1 and LG#2 was at 102.4.  So not too bad.  After talking with Darryl, our diagnosis was either too much grass – which their little tummies was not prepared for yet, or those 2 had eaten some weeds that did not agree with them.   They are no longer allowed into the pasture.   And I’m scanning the poo pile for baby beans!   Bet you can’t wait for that news!

It is on weekends, when Darryl does chores, that I am able to carve out long intervals of time for my fiber projects.    Today, I decided to dye!

A day's work

In about 5 hours I dyed the above skeins – all dyed with Kool-Aid (and a bit of food coloring).  All 100% alpaca yarn.

To become a shawl

I dyed these 3 to go together for another shawl.  I sold my blue/purple one (Thanks to my Etsy shop!)  And I thought I would try warm colors as all the other shawls have been cool colors. 

For sale or scarves?

These 3 are each about 6 oz.   That is what I need to make a scarf.  I’m down to only 2 of my bulky hand knit scarves so I thought having the yarn ready to go might help get the needles a-clicking!  But, in the mean-time, they’ll go on the sales rack at the farmer’s market.

I got a few pictures of the Little Guys last evening.  The sun was low and when it makes the crias look like they are glowing from their fiber reflecting the sun. 

Little Guy#1

Embrace & her LG

LG#1 is still so easy going.  He walks up to strangers.   Now, to teach him proper manners so he doesn’t get too ‘people friendly’. 

LG#2

In the shade

LG#2 is growing quickly.  He’s getting better with people, but still prefers to run away.

Buddies

Off to play

These 2 are already sneaking off to play when Moms aren’t watching!  So cute! 

The veggie garden seems to be taking up my fiber time!  I froze some brocolli and peas last week.  Beans and peas probably need picking again!

While at the church festival on July 4, we got the call from Kathe (who was doing chores that evening for us).   She was the first to meet our second, and last, cria of the year.   Spotsie had her little boy sometime earlier in the day.  He was dry, walking and drinking when Kathe found him. 

When we got home hours later, this is what I saw:

first view

He was sitting in the doorway of the barn.   Just as cute as could be.

With his mom

Doesn’t he look like a mini Spotsie?   Only his black spot is up on head.

Hello Sister

He says hi to his sister Georgie. 

First evening

This is still on Saturday night – less than a day old, probably less than 12 hours old.  He just looks all grown up already. 

The two Little Guys are already becoming buddies.   Born 10 days apart, LG#2 is already running and keeping up with LG#1.   They will be much fun to watch play all summer.

While I worry about birthing problems, there is another down side to not being here when crias are born.  I can see a big difference in the way these two crias interact with me.   LG#1 comes up to me, does not run away when I walk around the pen and doesn’t even startle when I reach through the fence panel to pet him.  While part of that may be mellowness inherited from Vagabond, I attribute at least part of it to bonding / imprinting while I was drying him in the first hours of his life.   In contrast, LG#2 runs from me, is easily startled when I walk through the herd and does a dance when I catch him and tough his legs.   I’m working with him.  I would like him to be a little less skittish around me.  Some experts say that crias and moms should be left alone to bond, but I think having a cria that allows human touch will be easier to handle in the future.  

What else?   Chestinahas been spitting for a couple weeks, as has Honie (our boarded girl).   We’re hoping both are pregnant.   We’ve started breeding Annie to DC and it won’t be long before we will start to breed Embraceand Spotsie.   That’s a lot of progesterone in one barn! 

I’ve got another shawl in mind to start on – I’m thinking yellow/orange/pink or some combination of those.   Suggestions?  Preferences?

Oh – and I’m going to make more sweater dryers.  I made a bunch of these a while back.  I use mine all the time.  It is small enough to fit in a bath tub, so dripping pantyhose can drip.  (Does anyone still wear pantyhose?)  It is big enough to dry a sweater.  Best of all, it folds up and fits in a nifty little bag that can be hidden in the closet or under the bed.

Recently a consignment / dollar sort-of-store went out of business in a local town.   Darryl read about their online auction in the newspaper, so I checked it out.   They were selling everything – to the bare walls.  I found a group of 3 display racks.   Opening bid was $2.  I set my max at $15 and forgot about it!   A few weeks later, I got an email that I had won the bid.  So off I went to collect my treasures!

Rack #1 is for CDs – Darryl snarfed that one to use for bottles of nails, screws, bolts, etc. 

Rack #2 is still being re-worked in my brain – not ready for its debut yet! 

Rack #3 is my new yarn display:

Yarn rack

It has a total of 6 rotating racks and another section to make it taller.  But I want to set it on my table at the farmers market later today, so I only have 2 of the racks loaded with skeins.

Cost breakdown:

Winning auction bid + tax + auction fee = $2.34 for ALL 3 RACKS

New little end caps for the yarn racks to keep yarn from snagging – 36 x .15 = $5.75

I made the little red skirt from fabric from Mom’s stash = $0.00

I made sandbags to weight the rack so the wind won’t blow it over = $0.00

Sign on top, a benefit of  Minn Grown membership = $0.00

I’m so happy with this display.  I will be even happier if I sell some yarn today at the market.

Here’s the weights:

Display rack weights

Do you know what they are?   I dug through my rag bag and found a pair of sweatpants with really bad elastic in the waist.   So I chopped off the bottom portion of each leg, sewed the tops shut, sent Darryl out to fill with sand, sewed them shut at the ankles and just like that…  I had weights!   Cool, huh?

In alpaca news, DC arrived yesterday.   He and Jose are to be roommates for the duration of DC’s visit.   Jose took a ‘liking’ to DC – if you know what I mean.   So we took them for a little ride into the neighboring town.   We (Darryl and I, not DC and Jose) got some supper at the Dairy Queen (along with some stares at the look and smell of our barn clothes – the trailer would not allow us to use the drive-thru!  Ooops!)  By that time the boys had decorated the trailer in green and were at an impasse – one in each end of the trailer.   We brought them home and they are sharing their pen.   They are not friends – probably never will be good buds – but they get along well enough to co-exist for a month or so!  Good tip – the bonding trailer ride really does work.   Thanks to Sandy for that idea. 

I saw Spotsie’s cria moving around inside her the other day.  Hopefully she (yes, hoping for a girl) was getting into position to join us in the outside world.  Our Little Guy is just waiting for a playmate!  I promise more pix soon.

We have a big festival at our church for July 4th!  If you are looking for something to do, come join us.   Since I may be too busy to blog  for a few days – I wish you all a relaxing Independence Day.