On our family holiday this year, we went not far from my parents' home in Germany to Ameland Island off the norther coast of The Netherlands. With beaches, bicycles, and sheep, I was in heaven. Until I saw the alpacas. I love alpacas, and even more than the animals themselves, I love alpaca yarn.
The natural colors of alpaca are incredibly diverse, as I learned on a trip to Maine last year. What I thought would be a quick visit to see the alpacas and buy some of yarn made from them, turned into a 2 hour talk about raising alpacas and alpaca genetics. If breeding alpacas and genetics related to coloring interests you, check out the this link.
Anyway, back to the Dutch island. Not only are there many sheep on the island, but there is also an alpaca farm. Both the sheep and alpaca's fiber is spun on the island and sold at a local shop. Locally grown, spun, and sold. Not a yarn shop, but a very sweet little place with beautiful things, de Strandjutter. Also, the lady was super kind and she had a giant Great Dane. I bought some beautiful deep red-brown, very light fingering, 2-ply 100% alpaca. There isn't a yardage on the had written tag, only the content and weight, 175 gm. I would guesstimate (very scientific, I know) that I have about 700 yards, erring to the low side.
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