The
Fuchsia Fleece began in 1994, as a desire to return to a more
creative life. A trip to the Montpelier Fall Fiber Fest had awakened
Katharine’s dormant knitting, spinning and weaving talent. That interest
along with the subsequent use of fiber led to the idea of creating our own
yarn from the ground up with alpacas, llamas and angora rabbits as
sources. The farm plan was born and the hunt was on.
At that time we were restoring ante bellum
Italianate homes in Petersburg, Virginia, an unlikely place to raise
alpacas. Not to be deterred however, we began our animal husbandry
experience with a growing rabbit herd and rabbits do grow. We also
began our search for the right farm environment, and the perfect alpacas.
After extensive explorations, we decided that both suri and huacaya
alpacas were going to be part of our herd and our lifestyle.
It took several years to sell the Petersburg
properties. During this time, we surveyed numerous alpaca operations,
gleaning much useful information about alpacas and alpaca farms, met many
wonderful, helpful breeders and found the suri and huacaya core of
our
present herd. We agisted the foundation herd in New Jersey and
Ohio while
we continued our search for the proper site with the thought of the
alpacas continued well being and prosperity in mind.
Late in 1997, we finally divested ourselves of the
Petersburg homes, and found a marvelous farm in the upper Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia. We moved amidst a January snowstorm in 1998.
When the snow melted we built fences, shelters and prepared the site for
the needs of alpacas.
Then we brought our alpacas to live with us in mid
summer, just a month before our first Virginia cria was born. And so our
alpaca odyssey began. In the fullness of time, The Fuchsia Fleece,
LLC has evolved to reflect our professional dedication and ethics.
We soon found ourselves no longer shoppers at fiber
fairs, but vendors. So, it became a logical progression to add craft
books to our sales
list to complement our own fiber, yarn hand made textiles, and alpacas.
Katharine has pursued and completed the requirements
of The Knitting Guild of America's Master Knitter Program. Along the
way she has also acquired many blue ribbons for her work made entirely
from our own hand raised, hand spun yarn. The design at right and a
matching cardigan have been featured in Cast On magazine.
Our time on the farm has taught us the value of
natural resources working constructively with Mother Nature. As a result
we are taking part in a clean water conservation project to improve the
quality of the Chesapeake Bay in conjunction with the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Virginia Department of Agriculture,
Ducks Unlimited, and the Valley Conservation Council.
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Since the
beginning our herd has been growing with excellence
of character and diversity, we are continuing to learn, and we have been
enjoying the life of farmers, even hosting regional university veterinary
school students' educational camelid farm sessions each semester for
several years. We have decided to
concentrate our efforts on the alpacas and as a result our present
herd of Angora rabbits consists of four Satins, three reds and one
copper. |
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We have learned much and made many new friends
through our interactive memberships in these professional organizations:
Alpaca Owners and Breeders
Association (AOBA)
Mid Atlantic Alpaca
Association (MAPACA) – Charter Member
The Suri Network – Charter
Member
Lama Association of the
Mid-Atlantic States (LAMAS)
Greater Appalachian Llama
and Alpaca Association (GALA)
Alpaca Llama Show
Association (ALSA)
United States Animal Health
Association (USAHA)
Virginia Forage and
Grassland Council
Rockbridge Forestry and
Wildlife Association
The Knitting Guild of
America
The Handweaver’s Guild of
America, Inc.
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