Nuggett

A special blend of 80% Nuggett’s fleece with 20% bamboo. It makes a luscious yarn a friend described as being French Vanilla – so smooth. 3.5 oz per 207 yd. skeins. Sport Weight.   $32.00

Handwoven rugs from Diastole’s alpacas. Various natural colors  – farmer’s choice or call for description. Price each $89.00.

3′x5′ handwoven alpaca rugs. Light fawn with brown stripe. Made exclusively from Diastole alpacas! Our unofficial hostess and beauty Queen, Maeve, shows off one of her favorites! $225 each.

80% Alpaca / 20% Merino Wool. Each skein is 3.5 ounces, 189 yards. $32.00 each.

Please contact us when ording multiple skeins to check availability.

80% Alpaca/20% Merino wool. 3.5oz, 182 yards. 32.00 each.

On September 25 and 26, alpaca breeders from across the United States and Canada will invite the public to come to their farm or ranch to meet their alpacas and learn more about these inquisitive, unique animals. Diastole Alpaca Farm will be participating in NAFDs again this year. We will be open to the public on Saturday from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM and on Sunday from noon until 4:00 PM. The web site has directions and our phone number on the “About the Farm” page – we are only 15 minutes from Winston-Salem.

All 23 alpacas, two dozen chickens and our livestock guardian dogs will be ready to welcome you to the farm. We will have demonstrations of their fleece and several of the steps involved in preparing it for finished garments. Yarn, rugs, and fiber from the herd will be available as well as alpaca socks, garments and baby alpaca throws (5 ft X 6 ft blankets). The throws are great for Christmas presents – after you have one for yourself.

We will have a large selection of 6″ felted hand made alpaca figures available for sale. These are made by groups of women in Peru who call themselves “Grupo de Madres” (mothers club): a group of very talented and industrious women who make hand made items from their homes. Being able to work from their home enables them to care for their households while they create products – practicing techniques handed down from generation to generation. There are currently eight different groups with about 24 women in each group. We are very proud to be able to present their work here at our farm.

We hope you will be able to visit the farm and meet the alpacas. If you have any questions please give us a call at 336 775 7303.

For more information on participating farms go to:

Carolina Alpaca Breeders Organization at www.carolinaalpacafarms.org or
Alpaca Owners and Breeders Organization at www.alpacainfo.com

We are very fortunate to have Jo Thomas of Knit Picky Yarns and Ann Potter of Pilot Mountain Llamas to demonstrate spinning our alpaca fleece each afternoon. These are two very special friends who really create some wonderful yarn in various and creative styles. It is worth the trip just to see what they can create!

Jim and Sandy Morris

Just happened to go to the barn around 6 pm on June 29 and found Blossom standing over her very still baby. Taking very deep breaths I opened the gate and grabbed my precip. kit. I toweled him off and he responded but he was obviously a premature baby with some problems. After checking him over we had to hold him to suck and he did, hooray. Mom was very patient and full of milk so that a big hurdle passed. Just so happened our wonderful vet was coming in the morning for another matter (routine shots / check up) so that was lucky, too. Jim found that our cria had atresia ani (no opening in his butt). Our vet was able to surgically correct this on our farm and to determine that the rest of his GI tract appeared to be normal. All of 6/30 was pretty much spent doing neonatal ICU nursing. It took 3 days for confirmation of poop and that was cause for a champagne toast. It is amazing to me what is cause for celebration with life on the farm. Used to be we only drank champagne in France and after France we only drank it for big events like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Now we drink it to salute a bowel movement in a newborn alpaca! How times have changed. We have discovered that it is the little things as much as any big thing and that we need to celebrate every day just for the joy of it.

During the week that the cria was born we were dog sitting our dear friends Chesapeake Bay retriever while they were on a cruise. He was pretty happy here but not too impressed with our house dogs. He is an only child and we were not surprised that he wanted his own space. We have known and loved him since he was a pup and there was some jealousy involved from different corners – mostly from our baby – Luke. All that worked out fine but on the day before our friends were due to return this dog got sick. Worry and watch for 24 hr and hoping it would pass. No such luck. Off we go to emerg vet. hosp. on 7/3 and the poor dog had pancreatitis. I thought, “Oh no, not again.” That is what our Owen died from last month. However, the Chessie was treated agressively and is fully recovered for which we are grateful, very grateful.

What else is new? Hmmm. (I know that is an alpaca sound but no pun is intended.) I know! We are ready to post pictures of our yarn and rugs made from the fleece from our alpacas. That is big news and I am anxious to get it posted and see the response. Hope all of you are as excited about this as we are!

Our chickens are fine but egg production has slowed a bit. They were one year old in April so we have passed the peak for number of eggs per day. They are still affectionate and all the children love to touch them. The books say it is time for stew but that won’t happen. They can get older along with the rest of us.

There is a chance that we may host a CAMELIDynamics workshop with Marty Mcgee Bennett. It is still all talk for now but I will keep you posted. Let me know if you are interested in attending, won’t you, please. She is terrific and her seminars are too.
Let your heart rest.

What an experience! It was good, too. Our booth was well received, we sold a fair amount of yarn and we met lots of nice people. We look forward to doing it again next year.
News from the farm:
It is June and that means heat and that means hosing alpaca bellies. Do they love that? You bet. As soon as the hose comes out they are pushing each other to be first in line. Spraying their belly (which is the least hairy part on the animal) helps to cool down their internal temperature. Even though they were sheared in April the little amount of fleece they have grown out is enough to keep them warm. Belly spraying is also a good way to get a good look at legs and feet. We can check for injuries, mites and anything that looks off.
All the dogs are fit. The house dogs are still not sure what the order is since Owen died. Libby, the Siberian husky who won the National Obed. Novice Champion some years ago and who was (now retired) a certified therapy dog, appears to be the lead contender. I will let you know when they let me know.
Blossom, our lovely Marilyn Monroe like alpaca is due to deliver 7/17/10. That date is an estimate, it could be sooner. This is her first cria (baby alpaca) since 08. She is a great mother and she makes her delivery appear to be an act of divine creation. The others alpacas circle around the newborn and they each greet the baby with a gentle nose touch. It took my breath away the first time I saw it. Such tender actions and behavior form the herd, including the Achbash dogs who stay close by mom and the newborn, make my heart sing.

The Carolina Alpaca Breeders and Owners annual meeting is coming up soon – June 19th. All are welcome, go to the CABO website for more info or give us a call. It is a good time to see what alpaca people are like.

So much has happened since the last farm update. I will begin with the hay, it has been cut, baled and it is beautiful and we have alot of it. That is very good.
Not sure if three of our girls are pregnant but they have been bred.
A very sad event on May 15. Our 12 yr old husky mix, Owen, died. He had pancreatitis. He got kind of sick on Wed., went to the vet. Thur., brought him home and he had a small rally on Fri. Sat was overall quite dreadful. He was euthanized at sunset. We are still having trouble breathing. The heaviness of our hearts is almost overwhelming. I know this will pass but I miss him so much. I see him everywhere, I smell him, I reach to touch him and it is not him.
Just after he died I went to the barn. I was crying, you know, gasping, heaving, eyes swollen shut, tons of snot and all that. I went into the barn and the Achbash, Katie, became disturbed and then concilatory. She is a very serious dog, no nonsense with her, but she stayed by my side and gave me a lick or two. The alpacas, all female, stood near by and gave me all of their attention, just standing there and looking. It looked like they were wondering, “what is wrong with her?” Whatever it is must hurt a lot. We can feel her grief. Several came up and gave me a breath, they put their nose to mine and we breathe each others breath. I think you have to physically experience this to understand the comforting power and generosity of it. This is, to me, just another expression of the natural decency of animals. I appreciate these animals so very much.
On a lighter note, we are getting ready for the “Got to be NC Agricultural Festival” this coming weekend at the Raleigh State Fairgrounds. We have a booth in the Holshouser Building as part of the Fiber Fair. Hope you can visit us there. Mention this site and receive a 5% discount on your purchases. Admission and parking are free. Go to the fair site to see all the great agricultural events they are supporting. www.ncagfest.com