Visting Guests at Threadbenders -Alpacas at Windy Hill, Somis, CA.

 

 

Wednesday, June 21st, 2023 

So delightful to welcome Bev-Sue Powers and Cindy Harris of Alpacas at Windy Hills in Somis,CA to our classroom at Threadbenders yesterday. We learned about Cindy's Alpaca farm and are coordinating a visit there in August. 

The studio classroom at Threadbenders in Camarillo, CA. where you'll find me volunteering most Wednesdays in weaving, felting, stamping, and most fiber fun ideas we love doing.

VCHSG Holiday Gathering December, 2022

Starting out the Holiday Season with friends and acquaintances.  

 

SUMMER DO'S

 July 5th, 2022

Survived the wars of Independence Day.  Pups are relieved for the fireworks to be over.  After having numerous sparks hitting our back yard and trees, I went out and became a KAREN.  Shouted HEY, QUIT IT.  Partygoer cattycorner heard to say "Hey, it's not even 10 pm."  WHEN does time have to do with setting someone's house on fire?   I'm dismayed at how unthinking and stupid some people are.  And how is it Independence Day when a woman doesn't have the right to do with her body what she needs?  Oh, is it age or is it just a state of affairs in this world?  

Anyways, I keep my mind active loving the making of my creations.  Though they be not that gorgeous or anywhere near perfect, they are fun to make.  I'm sometimes too anxious to see the outcome.  Got to slow down and enjoy the process more.  Better planning would probably add to the final outcome.  Well, here's some of whats on the loom these days.  

Group project creating this banner for our informal firends in Topanga who gather the third Saturday each month .  Done with rug punch wool onto monks cloth fabric and an inkle loom creation for the trunk of the tree. 

Took a jaunt up to San Mateo (outside SF) to attend CNCH Conference of Northern California Handweavers. Spin to Weave with Sara Lamb and Wedge Weave tapestry with Deborah Corsini.  Then a jaunt over to the Legion of Honor Museum in Golden Gate Park for an exhibit of Guo Pei Fantasy Clothing.   

    
                                                                                                                                                   

 https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/guo-pei

 A visit to A Simpler Time Fiber Mill & Alpaca Farm

July 16^th, 2021

A Simpler Time Alpacas & Mill

Dave & Barbara Davies

ASimplerTimeStore.com

(619) 579-9114

1802 Alta Pl

El Cajon, CA 92021

 

With a quest for fiber mills in our Southern California Fibershed, I’ve been curious after hearing of a fiber mill and Alpaca Ranch near San Diego, CA.  Our past year and a half of being cloistered in our homes unable to explore nearby resources. 

 

When the restrictions were lifted, I decided to combine a trip to see my family in El Cajon and a trip to learn about a fiber mill near by them.  I dragged my cousins along on my venture hoping that they might also find it interesting. 

 

I talked to Barbara Davies at a Simpler Time who couldn’t have been more welcoming and informative.  Of course she’d love to give us a tour of her facility. I packed my bag along with my husband into my Subaru and headed south.  The weather has been very unforgiving and I worried that we would be out in the elements subjected to the extreme heat wave that we’ve been experiencing these past few weeks. What a relief it was travel along the Coast where temps were less than around where I live, but not by much.  Still it was nice to see the sea again and travel the open highways.

 

We did an early morning visit down a long and winding road to their place. Located on 4 acres just 30 miles East of San Diego.  The views were spectacular overlooking the hills and valleys of El Cajon with their surrounding communities.  Dave and Barbaras home was a lovely structure that they had lovingly rebuilt after the fires that took their original home but left the barn with the fiber mill untouched. Barbara’s cousin also joined filling us in on the personalities of herd.  Their 9 children learned invaluable lessons in taking part of the rebuild.  The Alpacas were sheltered in their respective pens which were lovely, airy, protected by the “greeter” dogs Max and Molly.  Along with the Alpacas both owned by the Davies’ and boarded by private owners, there were white Peacocks and goats for weed abatement. The “greeter” dogs were loving, friendly along with the very animated farm cat. 

 

We were given treats to go into the pens and hand feed some of the Alpacas. 

 

After visiting with the Alpaca tenants and adoptees, we were treated to a tour of the fiber mill.  Barbara patiently answered all our questions, along with explaining each process of preparing the fiber for cones, skeins, roving and pin roving.   

 

The end of the tour we were treated to a tour of their lovely store with all kinds of products made from Alpaca, including lovely skeins of multi colorful Alpaca. 

Prices for processing are included on their website.  There is a bit of a waiting period as is usual for mills with the many orders they receive

 A visit to Alpacas in Windy Hills to kick off the weekend.  What a delightfully fun, enriching day spent felting some Churro roving with their felting machine.  What we'll make of the matts will be left to be seen.  I think we've got some marvelous ideas to use this new craft.  

was kind enough to guide us through the process, slowly. methodically and gently we embarked turning some unused churro roving into useful felt squares.  the possibilities are endless.  The matts were a pleasure to put through the felt loom.  someone had to be on the back side to catch the product after it had been felt needled 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 times through. When it got home it was discovered after 8 passes that there were still some slight slits needing a fill.  Deb threw a mat into hot water and the dryer which improved the consistency effectively. 

 The matts will be offered to the guild members the Harvest Sale or online to offset the amount of money that was paid for renting the felting facilities.  

I'm incorporating our videos and photos we took with our phones of both the Alpacas, some just born hours before our visit, another born the day before and in the felting shed.  So adorable and amazing watching them explore this brand new world on their little lovely legs under the watchful protection of their mama Alpacas.  

 

 

here we see Teresa & Debra lining up the next batch to go through the felt loom

quality control manager

Todays visit to Alpacas at Windy Hill , Somis, CA

 7/1/21

Off to Windy Hills Alpaca Farm today. Felting machine to explore, alpacas to kiss and friends to hug.  Taking my raggedy bag of cotton to see if it can be felted, or incorporated into existing wool/alpaca 2nds. Maybe that Cat Cave will be made soon after all.