ABOUT LONGWOODS ALPACAS

One very cold day in November 2003 — just a year after my breast cancer diagnosis and only months after finishing chemo and radiation — I wandered into an “Open Farm” event and met my first alpaca, nose to nose. I buried my hands and face in a basket of fleece, and that was it. I was hooked.

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For thirteen years I was consumed by learning everything I could about animal husbandry, pasture management, farmers markets, and putting all that glorious fiber into production.

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As a certified fiber sorter, I learned how to build  yarns that tend not to prickle, pill, or shed.  I worked with commercial mills and mini-mills to create yarns that are as exquisite to work with as they are to wear. 

​When we sold our livestock and farm in 2017 and moved out-of-State for a few years, I continued to knit, weave, and dye yarns, but didn't have a "home base" as we do now in the village of New Harbor, along Maine’s midcoast. 

The colorways of my hand-dyed yarns are inspired by the natural beauty of Maine, and the Pemaquid region in particular.  In addition to yarn weights from fingering to bulky, you will find a wide variety of blends rather than 100% alpaca -- I've always said alpaca "plays well with others." 

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You will find my dyed yarns, hand-knits, and hand-wovens for sale at the Pemaquid Craft Co-operative here in New Harbor, mid-May through mid-October.  In addition, many of the hand-dyed yarns are available at Hillcrest House Fibers & Yarn in Walpole, ME.

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Whether you knit, crochet, weave, or are looking for a finished garment, I invite you to enhance your life with a good yarn!