The One-Stop Close-Knit Shop!
Jan 01 – Dec 31 – Close-Knit Alpacas, Woodhull, NY
GET YOURSELF ONE OF THESE!
THE ONE STOP CLOSE-KNIT SHOP!
Close-Knit Alpacas offers another terrific answer to what we all have been looking for…
How ’bout an opportunity to have a package of personalized services, products, alpacas (if you want or if you don’t yet…your call!), a one-on-one Advocate and unique, high-end marketing tools, ALL customized to fit your budget?!
Contact Wren and Close-Knit for details and GET YOUR ONE STOP SHOP!
Toll Free: 877-CLS-KNIT
Kentucky Classic Alpaca (Certification Pending) Show
Show Website:
Check-In: Oct. 21
# of Alpacas Anticipated:
HALTER: Level III
Huacaya = 350, Suri = 100
Sponsor: Kentucky Alpaca Association
Classes: This show will be judged using the 50/50 comparative judging basis.
HALTER:
Full Fleece, Color Championships (if minimums are met)
OPTIONAL HALTER:
Get of Sire, Produce of Dam, Breeders Best Group of Three, Bred & Owned Yearling, Open Gelding
PERFORMANCE:
Adult: Showmanship, Obstacle, Public Relations
Youth: Showmanship, Obstacle, Public Relations
Optional Fun: Gambler’s Choice, Costume Class – Youth, Egg & Spoon Race
Judge(s):
HALTER:
Diana Timmerman – Huacaya Females, Suri Females
Tim Lavan – Huacaya Males, Suri Males
OPTIONAL HALTER:
Diana Timmerman and Tim Lavan will co-judge.
PERFORMANCE:
Diana Timmerman
Home
We are a unique group of like-minded people working together to promote alpacas as an economically viable and environmentally sustainable livestock to own in the USA.
As a “Family Community,” we are dedicated to the principles of sharing, mutual support, and the provision of facts, experiences, and education to those new to alpacas and the universally valuable properties of alpaca fiber.
Here at Alpacas in the USA! you will discover exciting ways to buy, sell, and trade alpacas, alpaca products, and alpaca services … and you will learn how you, too, can own and enjoy Alpacas in the USA!
Fiber
“What do you DO with alpacas?”
Called the “Fiber of the Gods” in the South American countries where the alpaca originated, we are blessed to be able to enjoy luxurious garments made of alpaca…even if we are mere mortals!
Alpaca is famous for its incredible fineness (which translates to softness), its warmth (many times warmer than sheep wool) and its hypoallergenic qualities (no lanolin and small fiber cores equals low-prickle factor!). Alpacas are also available in over 22 natural colors! With so many natural shades of color, there’s no need for the harsh dyes and chemicals so offensive to human skin. The colors of alpaca range from the brightest white to the deepest black, making alpaca one of the most beautiful and environmentally friendly fibers on earth.
Many Americans are allergic to sheep wool. The itch that many experience when wearing sheep wool is largely due to the high degree of guard hair in that fiber. The guard hairs stick out from the fabric and itch or prick the wearer. It is this prickliness that irritates so many people. Another significant reason why most sheep wool products irritate is that of the harsh chemicals used to clean the lanolin out of the fiber of sheep wool.
Fiber size is measured in microns and the lower the micron count, the softer and smoother the fiber. Anything under 21 microns will be much softer and comforting to the skin than anything over 30 will be. You may not be bothered by a higher micron count that would drive your spouse absolutely mad. This means that if you are an alpaca breeder, a good rule of thumb for your breeding program would be… the finer the fiber, the better the fiber. Fineness is “number one.” Density seems to be the present “number two” focus for most breeders of Alpacas in the USA. The length of the fiber is also important, as fiber between four and six inches long is easier to work with at the mills. Regardless of fiber style or length, fineness is of utmost importance.
While alpaca fiber can be sold raw, “as is” and practically right off the animal’s back, it will bring greater income to the alpaca farmer if more value is added prior to sale. Many alpaca owners skirt, clean, card and spin their own yarn; or use commercial mini-mills to process it. Next, some alpaca farmers knit or weave fine finished products for sale direct from the farm. Many buyers pay a premium for hand crafted clothing items.
The average adult alpaca may produce 50 to 90 ounces of first-quality, “prime” fiber, as well as 50 to 100 oz. of “second” and “third” quality fiber. The first quality – prime – fleece is generally used for garments that are worm next to the skin. Seconds and thirds are great for gloves, hats, handbags, slippers, and even rugs. The huacaya alpaca fiber (fluffy and possessing nice “loft”) is much more common worldwide than suri; and the suri alpaca fiber (long, twisting locks that resemble “dreadlocks”) is much more rare. Suri fiber requires its own set of unique steps in the shearing and processing department.
Alpaca fiber is sold to a wide variety of end-users. Hand-spinners and fiber artists buy raw fleece, roving (cleaned and combed, or “carded,” ready-to-spin or felt fiber), and finished yarn. Knitters often purchase various weights and plies of alpaca yarn. Fiber Cooperatives and mini-mills found all across America collect alpaca fiber and process it on behalf of the alpaca producer/farmer.
In its raw state, an ounce of alpaca varies from $2.00-$5.00. Each stage of the process (cleaning, carding, spinning, knitting, finishing, etc) adds more value to the fiber. As a finished garment, it can sell for as much as $10.00 per oz. Hand knit goods are more desirable and have been known to sell for as much as $1000. Don’t we all wish we could knit items worth $1000?
Alpaca is in a burgeoning “growth stage” as an industry, so you might not see alpaca in every store, but we are working on it. Alpaca is so versatile, warm and wonderful, we alpaca people are banking on the fact that once you try alpaca, you will never want to go back to anything else.
Alpacas
“Is that REAL?” “Are those llamas?” “What the heck are they?”
All of these comments and more are heard by alpaca owners on a daily basis. Yes, they are very real, they are related to llamas and here you will learn much more about these gentle, wondrous creatures we know as alpacas.
Alpacas are fiber producing livestock. Their soft, silky fleece, similar to cashmere, is used to make yarns and fabrics for luxurious clothing. The tensile strength and durability of alpaca fiber also makes it suitable to being employed in a variety of household goods such as rugs, blankets and quilts. Alpacas in the USA are shorn once a year, early in the spring, to harvest their fiber and to ensure they don’t suffer from summer’s heat and humidity. Learn more info on the fiber aspect of the alpaca.
Alpacas are members of the Camelid family and are related to llamas, vicuna, guanaco and yes, camels! Originating from the high mountains of South America, alpacas are generally not difficult to keep. They require good quality forage – pasture or grass hay – and benefit from supplemental minerals formulated to compensate for any deficiencies in their local diet. Alpacas are compact animals (average 150 lbs), very efficient digesters, and do not require large acreage. Generally, as many as 8-10 alpacas can be grazed on grassy, one-acre (minimum) pastures. Their soft, padded feet are gentler on the soil than livestock with hooves. They use a community dung pile which makes fly and odor control more manageable, too, as well as enabling convenient clean up for intestinal parasite control. They are very environmentally friendly animals to live with – alpacas are green!
Alpacas are good neighbors – quiet and peaceful in their habits. They are capable of producing a variety of sounds, but when they are content and well cared for, they rarely make any sound at all.
Alpacas are hardy animals and like being outdoors most of the time, but need shelter (such as a 3 sided shed) available where they can take refuge from inclement weather. They tolerate cold but need shelter from severely cold wind or sub-freezing temperatures. They need relief from very hot and humid weather as they are subject to heat stress.
Alpacas are gentle natured herd animals and are very social with other alpacas. They are known to suffer stress-induced health problems if kept alone. They prefer the company of other alpacas. Where alpacas are concerned, the larger the herd, the safer and happier they feel. Alpacas embrace the concept of “The more the merrier!”
Alpacas are small and have few defenses against predators. The most common predator causing injury and death to alpacas has turned out to be the free-roaming domestic dog. Secure wire mesh fencing is essential for the protection of alpacas. Many alpaca owners add another layer of protection by keeping Livestock Guard Dogs, or Guardian Llamas in pastures with their alpacas.
As with all other livestock, alpacas need a worming and vaccination protocol appropriate to your farm and general area. Periodically they need their toenails trimmed. Some alpacas need to have their teeth filed or trimmed, also. They don’t often require a vet as most of the necessary medical care can be provided by a trained owner, but it is vital insurance to have an established relationship with a vet familiar with camelids who will make farm calls when you need them.
Alpacas fit the needs of so many people. They are gentle animals, good with children, relatively low maintenance and environmentally friendly! Plus, their fiber can be made into so many exquisite garments and more.
Us
Alpacas in the USA! is a group of alpaca business owners and breeders in the U.S.A. They are dedicated members of a “Close-Knit Family” promoting alpacas and alpaca fiber as a sustainable investment and lifestyle opportunity.
We are responsible for launching the first impact movie about alpacas to be released worldwide! This powerful marketing tool can be viewed by clicking on the link above or here.
This unique group shares radio campaigns, “Family FavorsTM”, point-of-purchase items, advertising, and other exciting, proven effective marketing tools.
Would you like to know more about this unique marketing program and how it can benefit your alpaca business? Watch a movie about investing in alpacas, read more about Alpacas in the USA!, call or e-mail any Alpacas in the USA! family member or contact us.
Contact
Please fill out this form and we will get back to you in a timely manner.
Join
Our mission is to promote alpacas as an economically viable and environmentally sustainable livestock to own in the USA.
Participation is by Application (with a one-time $30 Application fee in 2010) and/or via “sponsorship” by a Licensed A/USA Family member in good standing. Simply purchase products and/or services from a Participant named on this site, inquire about membership, and/or obtain their recommendation and sponsorship. Some participating farms even pay for the Application fee, so be sure to ask them about that! An A/USA Family member will then contact you for an interview and will provide answers to any questions you may have. Next, the simple, getting-to-know-you Application Form will be sent to you. Once you’ve submitted the Application Form with $30 fee, and are approved to come on board for the Premier movie and website, this document will be sent to you to be signed. Finally, the new Participant sends in their one time Admin/Set-up/Enrollment fee to be added to all databases, set up online as a Licensee of A/USA, and sent all start-up materials; new Participants then submit their Participation fee if they haven’t already.
Becoming an active part of this “Close-Knit Family” of alpaca businesses, farms and breeders enables you to promote your alpaca business optimally, and at a manageable cost. Note that we do not have a “busy” site with a varied and bright mix of outside advertisers on the site, taking focus away from our Participants’ farms and animals, products and services… You will be able to post events, upload pictures and other information, be featured on at least four to five places on the overall website (for no additional charges) in rotation with your fellow A/USA Family folks, sell anything you have to offer in your very own online store with PayPal capabilities, have an elegant home page with a link to any other site you may have, AND you’ll have your own URL you can print on your business cards and other materials.
Participation provides you with use of the impact movie under the terms of the Limited Use License Agreement. You will have the right to purchase high quality CD copies of the impact movie from A/USA – with a full-color label that has room on it for you to put your own contact information sticker, or you may design and order an approved label to be made with your own logo, farm colors and images (it should include our A/USA logo somewhere on it, even if small). As a participant in A/USA, you will be able to freely distribute your copies of the impact movie to potential customers. You will be able to put the movie right into your email signatures and directly onto your own web site. You’ll have the right to show the movie in your farm store, show booth and farm displays, in your barn during farm tours, and at any festivals and street fairs you may attend. Only about 1 percent of the available U.S. alpaca market presently has access to this site and the impact movies, so you will have unique, high-quality and extremely affordable marketing materials to help your business stand out “among the growing mass of alpaca enthusiasts.”
As a member of the Alpacas in the USA! Family you may enjoy “Family Favors,” as they may be offered by various A/USA participating farms and breeders (i.e. offer for participation in Close-Knit Alpacas’ new “One Stop Close-Knit Shop!” program, or discounts off products like The Alpaca Rosa’s “Tooth-A-Matic”), exclusive only to fellow Licensees, referrals from other family members, extra support and resources, and access to other unique marketing tools and opportunities offered “ala carte,” including the opportunity to purchase other Licenses for other impact movies with varying topics of focus; these will remain exclusive to this united group and their customers.
Alpacas in the USA! can help you with graphic design services (CD package customization for the Impact Movies(s) with your farm info), print ads, brochures, logos, brochures, etc.; in-house audio arts services (verbal announcements, radio air-ready commercials, etc.); a spiffy web presence; and a host of ever-changing marketing tools (banners for shows and farm visits, posters, and planned for the not too distant future CD/electronic and other book publications).
Family members are further authorized and encouraged to utilize the Alpacas in the USA! logo and slogan to add prestige to their businesses and to augment their existing marketing programs, while helping to share the important messages of Alpacas in the USA! with people everywhere interested in learning more about the wonderful realities associated with having alpacas in this country. We have web banners available for usage on your website, emails and other applications.
The Initial Join-Up costs for new members in 2010 includes Application, Set-Up/Admin fees and the Licensing fee, renewable annually. ONLY A/USA Family have marketing use of the impact movie and website, and a subscription to the accompanying website – www.AlpacasInTheUSA.com – is included during the licensed year at no additional charge. After payment in full is made for the year, and the Licensing Agreement signed, you will receive the Files you’ll need of the impact movie on a CD for your business’ use. Licensing of the Premier impact movie, combined with Web site subscription and Application fees for 2010 are a total of just $250 per year, not including the Set-Up/Admin. fee of an additional $45.00. NOTE: THIS SET-UP/ADMIN FEE IS BEING WAIVED FOR THE SPRING 2010 SPECIAL DRIVE FOR NEW PARTICIPANTS! A/USA Family members enjoy the ability to put up an unlimited number of listings and images on their pages at no additional fees, plus other features unique to our site. Please take time to thoroughly surf the site!
Contact our founder, Wren Owens, or any participating alpaca business owner named on the Alpacas in the USA! web site for more details, and to start your way on into the hearts of our Family. You may also visit the Home Page for Close-Knit Alpacas on this site to pick up an Application and peruse the store, because there are PayPal Buy Now Buttons there to make the submission of your fees quick and easy!
To submit your application online, visit our Membership Application page!
