somewhere in the now frozen minnesota landscape lives a most interesting young lady named annie. she's a blogger friend of mine.
annie raises llamas and alpacas. she hauls hay and water for her critters and she shears, spins, dyes and weaves their fiber into beautiful functional items.
annie also, singlehandedly, takes care of her mom who has alzheimer's. (when she's not rustling cattle and shearing her neighbors' sheep in her kitchen, that is! ...hahahahaha.)
if you're a knitter, weaver or anything of the sort (i'm sure i'm not usin' the correct lingo, but you get my drift) she has a website called Maple Corners Camelids where you can purchase what she doesn't give away to friends. it's pretty dang cool. take some time and cruise it here.
and please check out some photos of some of the above and more after the jump. i think you'll be glad you did...
(all photos by annie)
this is my favorite picture of her work:
(Specs: App 12 oz Polypay roving, using three colors of Gaywool dyes in three different dyepots.)
and here it is spun.
a felted purse...(can you believe that's home grown/home made?)
this is a shawl she says still needs to be *fulled* whatever the hell that means:
(Specs: 7 ft tri-loom, yarn is handspun one ply white alpaca (Laser Fine, barn name Peach Boy), one ply natural 50% merino/50% silk, then dyed with Gaywool dyes.)
and this... is Peach Boy!
a pretty cool dude, huh?
"damn straight i am! you wanta piece o' me?"
and... a minnesota sunset. (as talented as she is, annie didn't make that. she just took the picture.)
i can't decide which picture of Annie's Maple Corners is more beautiful.
... is it the cold, icey, gray one up top, or this last one of the sunset?
this video is not of, or by, annie. it's just something i found on youtube while wonderin' how in the cornbread hell one spins fabric. there're probably better demonstrations out there, but i kinda like it.
(i recommend replaying it and scrolling through the pictures while listening to the music. it's cheaper than therapy or drugs. i promise.)
peace, y'all.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
meet Annie...
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15 comments:
That is so cool. I went to Annie's website too. Her home is beautiful. I can't even imagine that kind of snow! Did you remember that Scotty had a llama? To protect his sheep from coyotes I think. But she died a couple of weeks ago. Laurie is so sad.
lla
Wow, Annie seems Wonderful, as is her home and animals....Beautiful!
that's funny. as i was writing this post i kept thinking you 2 would particularly appreciate it.
(la, i was told a breeding female is worth like 10,000 bucks! don't tell scotty that or he might get sad, too.)
I'm embarrassed to be commenting on a post about me. My ears are burning. Rick, the check is in the mail.
Fulling just means soaking/washing it. The fibers will plump up, and fill in the holes to create a more solid fabric.
(A breeding female alpaca usually starts around 10,000, but certain show llamas could reach that. To the sheep, a good guardian llama is priceless! I'm sorry Scotty lost his.)
Yay Annie! What a great tribute to her!
hold onto that check, annie.
i lost most of my readers a few days ago with what i considered to be a pretty mild political post. of the few who read/will read this one, most already know how cool you are.
(are llamas as valuable on the market as alpacas are?)
rilera - yep. and thanks. (as narcissistic as it may sound, i enjoy reading and looking at this post, too.)
Rick, you have to be kidding me. You lost readers because of that post? When I first clicked over here from Flinty's, I saw the photo on your sidebar and thought, hm, somebody I agree with on that count! Then your wit and writing kept me coming back.
Llamas have lost their commercial value in the last ten years or so. There was a time that llamas were selling for as much as alpacas, but not nowadays. Show llamas are a different story. A friend of mine just lost a $4000 llama. That hurt.
sitemeter doesn't lie. from that day to this, my site hits have dropped from around 60+/day to about 30. coincidence?
but it's not a big deal at all. just interesting.
i tend to make *friends* with people regardless of their whatevers. at some point some people decide i'm not their cup of tea. i think that's natural.
i missed that political post, lol. must have been... well... i'll have to go read, lol. by the way, annie, has an awesome place. my hubby would kill for a lifestyle like that. he wants to raise alpacas too. i'm just scared i'll get stuck with all the work, lol.
division of labor, gina!
you already shepherd 4 kids. and each one's probably worth a whole herd of alpacas.
Dear Santa,
Please may I have a llama for Christmas?
LOl, they are sooo cute!
My parents used to live in Olivia Minnisota and they loved it. Many fond memories they had of that place.
sorry, chris. i'm all outta llamas this year.
how 'bout a hug, a peck and a smile?
Rick,
I don't share your political views, but I continue to enjoy your blog. Variety is the spice of life! Just thought you'd like to know. :)
thanks betsy. i admire your open minded acceptance.
I can't imagine you losing readers, Rick. Great pictures and Annie's site is fantastic!
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