rowena
Our second day in southwest England ranks as one of the best days of my life. I'm not exaggerating. After the perfect morning on the farm, we drove just thirty more miles to Bude, Cornwall - a gorgeous little town on the sea and home of my dearest love Rowena. Oh, but I've gone too far ahead. Let me back up a little.
We are in England, because Baine is on sabbatical and doing some work here. I came along for the ride. My plan was to spend the time growing a baby bear, hiking green spaces, and surrounding myself with all things knitty and woolly. Southwest England is covered with sheep, alpacas, and farmland, so I knew this would be the climax of my English, knitting sabbatical. Luckily, I found this wonderful, little yarn shop online, and that is what led us to Bude in the first place. I was hoping to find some local farm wool or alpaca yarn. I also distantly hoped to find some local wool or alpaca fleece to spin into yarn on my own. But I dared not hope for that much, so I just tucked it into the back of my mind.
Nevertheless, after choosing some of the most luscious alpaca yarn (from a tiny, local herd) I've ever touched, I asked the shop owner if she had any fleeces as well. She said her business partner (owner of the alpaca herd) might. She and the herd just lived four miles up the road, and she'd call to find out. An hour later, I became the ecstatic and proud owner of a full fleece of Rowena, the alpaca.
I just started spinning a few months ago, and this is my first full fleece to own. And it's from a small farm on the coast of England! And it's alpaca! And it's brown! And it's Rowena! According to Rowena's pictures and profile on the Bowden Alpaca website, she was born of an alpaca named Brunissen in 2008. "She is very friendly and inquisitive and loves to greet the visitors when they pass by the field. She is a great auntie, good practise for future motherhood. We are hoping she will give birth within the next couple of weeks."
Oh, Rowena. I literally couldn't breathe from excitement the rest of the day after purchasing her fleece. Even now, I can only look at the fleece in moderation, lest I die of sheer pleasure.
All this pleasure was situated right after a glorious morning on the B&B farm and moments before discovering England's pristine, Pacific coast. I will tell you about that next.
We are in England, because Baine is on sabbatical and doing some work here. I came along for the ride. My plan was to spend the time growing a baby bear, hiking green spaces, and surrounding myself with all things knitty and woolly. Southwest England is covered with sheep, alpacas, and farmland, so I knew this would be the climax of my English, knitting sabbatical. Luckily, I found this wonderful, little yarn shop online, and that is what led us to Bude in the first place. I was hoping to find some local farm wool or alpaca yarn. I also distantly hoped to find some local wool or alpaca fleece to spin into yarn on my own. But I dared not hope for that much, so I just tucked it into the back of my mind.
Baby Bear leading the way to the yarn shop
Nevertheless, after choosing some of the most luscious alpaca yarn (from a tiny, local herd) I've ever touched, I asked the shop owner if she had any fleeces as well. She said her business partner (owner of the alpaca herd) might. She and the herd just lived four miles up the road, and she'd call to find out. An hour later, I became the ecstatic and proud owner of a full fleece of Rowena, the alpaca.
Rowena
Alpacas on Bowden Farms - from their website
Oh, Rowena. I literally couldn't breathe from excitement the rest of the day after purchasing her fleece. Even now, I can only look at the fleece in moderation, lest I die of sheer pleasure.
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