Becoming Bow Girl: So you are probably wondering... What do I do with all of the wool I shear off of my pet alpacas?

So you are probably wondering why I am up at 5:00 AM pacific... I went to sleep at 12:30 AM pacific but still woke up at 5:00 AM because I naturally wake up at 6:45 AM central time. So I actually woke up a few minutes late. Plus I have been getting up at or around 8:00 AM eastern (which is 5:00 AM pacific), so there you go!

In YARN news, I have two alpacas, Paco and Nacho, and I waited 4 years to send in their fiber for refining and spinning into yarn. The spinning company suggested we only sent in the "blankets," which refers to the high quality wool off their backs. So we sent in the 4 "blankets" from each animal. I expected to get about... 2,000 to 4,000 yards of wool. I got 13,790 yards back from the spinner!

13,790 yards! Are you kidding me?

That is 10 yards shy of 138 times the length of a football field. Can you imagine walking a football field 138 times to line it with yarn? I can make at least two HUGE blankets. At least.

My silk bamboo yarn is 102 yards per spool and that is $5.99 retail. I got about 135 times that much yarn back from the spinner. All 6 spools of alpaca wool weighs 15.3 pounds!! HOLY MOLY! I cannot express to you HOW much yarn that is. A baby blanket takes about 1,200 to 1,500 yards of yarn, while a larger blanket can take up about 2500 to 4000 yards. I can make 10 baby blankets (3 feet wide and 4 feet long) and still have more yarn. Not to mention, the colors are so natural and gorgeous. I look at the wool and say, "Paco, Nacho! This wool came from my beloved pets!" and that means the world to me...

I did NOT expect to feel an emotional connection to the wool. But I SO did. I can't sell it. I can't. It is the most luxurious and gorgeous wool I have ever had the privilege to behold. Each skein can make more than one blanket... So I wouldn't have to weave in tied ends!

I am proud to present Paco and Nacho's 4 years of work below: