Will Drive for Fleece

My spinning guild decided to take a road trip this weekend to an alpaca ranch near Solvang.

Here I am with my traveling buddies, Michelle and Sydney.

Oh yeah, and Michelle's son Ian, who was born the same month as Joy.

And here are the cuddly critters we came to see. These alpacas were shorn about a month ago, and apparently when you shear a show alpaca you leave the fleece long on the head and legs. I also learned that alpaca hair is technically called "fiber" but most people call it "fleece" because that evokes warm, cozy images, whereas "fiber" evokes thoughts of bran muffins.

And yes, I did indulge and buy some fleece while I was there, because no matter how big a spinner's fiber stash is, there is always room for more. Besides, it was so deliciously lofty that I couldn't resist.

Here are some more alpacas, sporting various hues and afro styles. Apparently alpacas are very social animals who don't thrive alone. However, if you own more than one of them you have to keep the males and female in separate pastures because they breed like rabbits (relatively speaking--their gestation period is eleven months). I also learned that you can use a llama to protect an alpaca herd from coyotes because llamas dislike canines and will attack them. Who knew?