Last week I visited Purl Alpaca with my WI group, for an evening of yarn squishing and alpaca feeding. We were lucky enough to be a trial group for the event, which has now been released to the general public here.
Upon arrival we were greeted by these happy faces and some wonderful cloudy lemonade and homemade cookies.
The ladies at Purl Alpaca (Tracy and Kari-Helene) gave us a very warm welcome and talked us through the history of the business and showcased the latest knit wear. We were able to try things on, buy the kits and finished samples, or just purchase some yarn to add to our stashes.
Alpaca yarn is particularly soft and to avoid the scratchy feel of some natural fibres, Purl Alpaca are particularly strict with the grading of their fleece. The yarn is not dyed and all the colour ways are natural (although some blended), making each lot unique.
The visit inspired me to pick up my knitting needles again, after neglecting them for my crochet hook for some time.
This pom pom scarf was the softest thing I have ever put around my neck!
The garments were just beautiful.
After said yarn squishing, we ventured outside (THANK YOU ENGLISH SUMMER) and met the alpacas for some apple feeding and stroking.
We learnt that you must hold onto your apple very tightly!! Alpacas are friendly creatures and will not spit unless they are very very annoyed. If they are in distress, they will usually just sit down.
They are sheared once a year in the Spring. These alpacas were all female.
I came away with a very reserved haul of yarn, the chunky for a cowl I imagine. It’s been a while since I made anything for myself (this jumper was the last thing).
The visit was as relaxing as a spa day! Alpacas really are calming creatures and yarn shopping is always good therapy too. A much needed visit after a crazy few weeks, I may have to go again.
Big thanks to Purl Alpaca for a lovely evening. You can read their blog post here.
Toodles!
A lovely write up of a fab evening. I may have to beg a copy of your picture of Dusty as I loved her so!
Paper Obsessed recently posted…Summer Summary- June and July (warning, contains a cute alpaca!)
She was pretty awesome!
What a lovely way to spend an evening – alpacas are so cute! I like the idea of just sitting down wherever you happen to be standing when you feel stressed- I might start doing that. xxx
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It was so cute. They just literally sat on the floor and still looked immensely cute.
I love this post! What a perfect evening. I’m so desperate to see some alpacas for real because I just love them, must do it before summer ends! x
Josie’s Journal
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