Visiting a Local Alpaca Farm: Blackberry Hill Alpacas and Fiber Inspiration

I bet you cannot guess what I did today. I got to visit a local alpaca farm, Blackberry Hill Alpacas, to be exact. I know you are jealous, but she will have a shop open in September where you can get roving, fleece, knitted and crocheted goods, yarn, and many more wonderful little, cute things.

I really enjoyed it. I took my mother and my youngest along for the adventure. I have always thought alpacas were pretty animals, but up close they are even more elegant. I wish I had gotten better pictures, but I can always go back.

We got to feed some of them, and even though they seem like big teddy bears that you could run up to and hug, they are not. They are very gentle, though, just somewhat skittish. They did better with my little redhead, I think, because he was more their size. One of them even nudged his head, which made him laugh.

Mrs. Debra was very excited to talk about her babies and to tell me about some of the process that gets the fleece from the animals to us spinners and fiber people. It was very interesting to learn that she hand-picks the vegetable matter from the fleece before she enters them to be judged. The wall in the store was lined with ribbons from her little herd and filled with pictures.

I definitely had some favorites from her herd. They were all really pretty, but I especially loved Casper. He has the prettiest eyes. They are white with a blue center and a black line across. They told me that usually when eyes look like that, the alpaca is deaf, but thankfully, he was not.

I also loved Chocolate Marshmallow. I would love to make a sweater from his beautiful, dark brown, reddish coat. Then I could say I was wearing Chocolate Marshmallows. How cool would that be? There was also a female who was black with some white on her head. She was so pretty, and I would really love some of her fleece, too. I just found out her name is Sage.

Speaking of fleece, I know they will be selling some of it soon if anyone is interested. The picture below is a little something I picked up while I was there. The white alpaca looks cute in my yarn room, and the smallest one is a finger puppet alpaca. I mean, really, how could I resist?

This is an example of the roving she will have with her at the show in September. She also has sets that come with a drop spindle. This particular one is a pretty brownish color, but she also has a heather gray that I loved. It is such a great color for anything and anyone. I also saw sweaters she had made from alpaca and cotton that had the cutest little designs on them.

If you would like to find out more about her and her farm of woolly babies, she can be reached on Facebook by clicking this link:
https://www.facebook.com/BlackberryHillAlpacas

Please go to her Facebook page, like it, spread the word, and comment on her page that I sent you.

She can also be reached at:

Blackberry Hill Alpacas
6330 Saks Rd
Saks, Alabama 36206
256-453-4147

Blackberry Hill Alpacas is a small alpaca farm located in Alabama, and it is clear from visiting that a lot of care and pride go into the herd. The farm is known for raising quality alpacas and for the attention given to fleece preparation, breeding, and education. There is quite a bit of information available online about the farm, their animals, and their participation in shows and fiber events. It is wonderful to see a local farm so dedicated to the fiber community and to sharing that knowledge with others.