We now have Suri's........

24 Apr, 2023, No comments

Alpacas come in two different types, the most common is the "fluffy teddy bear" looking Huacaya type, which make up around 90% of of the total alpaca population. The second more rare type is the Suri which has long silky dreadlocks.

I have always wanted some Suri's, and now we have some. Meet Lincoln and Timon who came from Hungary. If you visit us you can now see for yourself the difference in the fleece.

Meet Lincoln (light brown) and Timon (dark brown).

Lincoln, look at the curls.

Timon, see how the fleece hangs down.

George, Freddie and Tellus with typical Huacaya type fleece.

Felting course this weekend

30 Jul, 2018, No comments

Our felting course (August 3rd-5th) is coming up and we still have places left. So if you would like to join us then please send us a message through our contact page. For more details see here

You can also come and see the newest additions to our alpaca herd, Josefs and Jakobs. Both were born within hours of each other on Friday 27th August. Josefs had a difficult few days as his mother initially rejected him, but she is now feeding him, so a sigh of relief from us.

Josefs

Mari and Jakobs

August courses: 3rd-5th

26 May, 2018, No comments

We are pleased to announce our courses in August with Galina Blazejewska. This is the third visit by Galina and each year she has inspired us with her creations.

This year we will do some botanical printing on silk and cotton, you can even bring along your old t-shirts to give them a new lease of life. We will be using flowers and leaves which we will pick from our land - a great excuse to wander in our fields, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere and watching our alpacas.

We will be using the silks from the eco-printing to make a vest or lightweight jacket, which will be lined with merino and alpaca for a touch of luxury and warmth.

But don't worry, if you can only attend on the Friday, you can always use the printed silks in your own creations or as a fabulous scarf

If you do not want to do the lightweight jacket then it is possible to make a fluffy bag from our alpaca fleece

The last course will be a chance to learn how to make some gorgeous felted flowers that you can use as brooches or to embellish your own creations.

If you would like to book on any of the courses or all three then either send an email to us via our contact page or book directly from our website using Paypal.

Latvian Alpaca Adventure #2 Brochure

22 Feb, 2018, No comments

We have been working on our brochure over the last month. It has been an enjoyable time, as It has involved a trip to Riga to spend a day with Ieva Prāne making a wrap and photographing the process. It has also involved a morning talking to the lovely people at Hobby Wool over a cup of tea and finding out about the history of Latvian mitten patterns. Interesting factoid, did you know there are over 5000 designs of traditional Latvian mittens? Of course there is much more to Latvian knitting than that and we shall find out more during our time in Riga. So I hope you enjoy the brochure as we introduce you to our tutors and of course our alpacas.

Latvian_Alpaca_Adventure__2_Brochure.pdf

Latvian Alpaca Adventure #2 Update - 3rd-10th June 2018

10 Jan, 2018, No comments

Bookings are now open for the Latvian Alpaca Adventure #2. Our Latvian Alpaca Adventure takes you once again from the heart of the Latvian capital, Riga to the depths of the beautiful Latvian countryside. Here on our farm you will be meeting the alpacas and felting with their fleece. There will be various excursions. All food, accommodation, excursions and travel are included in the price

We are limiting the number to four places, which ensures a cosy group. One place is booked already, so if you thinking of joining us please do contact us either via the contact page on this website or via a message on our Facebook page. £500/€565 will reserve your booking with full payment due six weeks before the event.

We are looking forward to introducing you to this wonderful country and our beautiful alpacas

* Latvian Alpaca Adventure #2 * 3rd-10th June 2018

17 Oct, 2017, No comments

We are happy to announce the second Latvian Alpaca Adventure in conjunction with Heather Potten. Heather is a feltmaker based in Edinburgh who was one of the tutors and helped in the coordination of the first event.

On the adventure you will learn the nuances of felting with alpaca fleece as well as meeting the alpacas who have kindly donated their fleeces. The adventure will also give you a taste of the history and culture of this wonderful country of Latvia. The exact details of the programme are still to be finalised so please keep checking back for further details. You can read more about the first Latvian Alpaca Adventure on Heather's blog here and our Facebook page here

We will start our tour in the capital Riga before once again heading to the picturesque town of Sigulda. On the Tuesday we will visit the multi-media artist Ieva Prane, who lead an exciting and challenging workshop last year. Ieva brings an artistic eye to felting that was thoroughly enjoyed by the participants.

From the city we head out into the Latvian countryside to our farm where you will meet our adorable alpacas. You will be using their fleece to felt with and experience the softness of alpaca. As we have discovered each alpaca fleece has its own individual characteristics and we will talk about some of the difficulties that the alpaca fleece can present to a felter and show ways to overcome this. Accommodation will be in the local Ergli Hotel.

So if you wish to join us, then please either send us a message via this website from the contact page or via our Facebook page. We are all looking forward to seeing you

Felting Course with Galina Blazejewska 4th-6th August

23 Apr, 2017, No comments

We are happy to announce that Galina Blazejewska will be joining us again on our farm for another felting course. You can come for one, two or all three days. Each day we will be tackling a different project, mittens or bootees on Friday 4th, a hat on Saturday 5th and a scarf on Sunday 6th. Galina brings her exuberant style to felting and will ensure you go away with a wonderful felted item at the end of the day.

We will be using our own alpaca fleece with merino or local sheep fleece and our alpacas are fluffing up nicely ready for shearing next month. We will start the course with a farm tour each morning to meet the alpacas who will have donated their fleece to the items you will be making. Getting to know their individual characters. This will be followed by coffee and pastries fresh from one of the local bakeries as Galina introduces herself and the project we will tackle for the day. Lunch is provided by the local hotel and we will finish off the day with refreshments to wind down and take in the peaceful atmosphere on our farm.

Latvian Alpaca Adventure 5th-11th June 2017

30 Dec, 2016, 1 comment

We are excited to announce this new venture run in conjunction with Heather Potten. Heather is a feltmaker based in Edinburgh. She has been working with felt since 2008, and has contributed to textile and home exhibitions around Scotland since 2011. Heather is an experienced tutor and holds regular workshops in 3D and 2D feltmaking.

We spent an enjoyable week planning a holiday that incorporates excursions and activities to help you truly experience Latvia. We will have a guided tour of the capital Riga, from the old town to the art nouveau district, capturing the sites with an artistic eye. From there we will go to the picturesque town of Sigulda for the evening before heading for our first felting workshop with the multi-media artist Ieva Prane.

Most of the week will be spent in the heart of the Latvian countryside amongst the rolling hills of the upland region. Accommodation will be in the local Ergli Hotel. On our farm you will meet the alpacas and learn more about these endearing creatures. You will be using their fleece to felt with and experience the softness of alpaca fleece. We will talk about some of the difficulties that the alpaca fleece can present to a felter and show ways to overcome this.

Various activities are on offer and all included in the price, from tasting goats cheese on a local farm, trying the local moonshine, making soap, porcelain painting and visiting one of the local picturesque museums where we can listen to the local choir, hearing songs for which Latvia is famous.

We will sample delicious food prepared locally from barbecues to a full dinner at Marciena Muiza on our last evening. On our farm will be various herbs to make refreshing teas and, if the season treats us kindly. plenty of salad leaves to accompany our lunches and barbecues.

Accommodation, food, travel within Latvia and excursions are included in the price of £1250 or €1460*. You can pay the full price on our site or email us via our contact page to discuss payments by bank transfer or Paypal. In this case, a non-refundable deposit of £500 or €585 is required to secure your place with the full amount payable six weeks prior to the holiday. Bookings are strictly limited and filling up fast, so book soon.

Once the places are filled, we will run a waiting list for future events.

*flights to Latvia are not included in the price

For full programme details click here

Felting Workshop with Galina Blazejewska from Poland (July 16th / 17th / 18th 2016).

20 Apr, 2016, No comments

Galina is an incredible felter from Poland. Her creations show an attractive combination of vitality and glamour. She draws inspiration from the natural world around her and from the properties of the wool itself. To see some of the fabulous work by Galina click the following link http:// galafilc.blogspot.com/

The felting course will take place at Griezites Alpakas approximately 6km outside of Ergli. We will use the fleece from our own alpacas and local sheep for the items.
Each workshop will be for 5-10 people and start with an introduction to the alpacas at 10:30am. For more details click here.

If the weather is good we can join the alpacas in the fields to do our felting or in our large greenhouse among the grapevines if the weather does not cooperate. We will still be overlooking the hilly fields of our farm.

If you would like to join us for all three days or stay over in this lovely area of Latvia then please contact us for details of accommodation available in the area.