It’s wonderful knowing what I want for Christmas already. Just get me a few pairs of alpaca socks.
That would be so luxurious around my feet. I stroked alpaca fleece socks on a Silvana ranch owned by Ruthann McVicker. Her beautiful mountain-view farm is bordered by white rail fence and sits amongst other farms on gently rolling green fields.
City girl felt out of place, but not as unnerved as visiting a very angry ostrich. That bird could have snapped my hand off. And don’t get me started on that beady-eyed emu in Bothell.
My mission this time: alpacas.
They were cute, with brown eyes and silly hair hats. Breeder Alise Schmitt from Marysville boards her brood on the Silvana farm that covers almost 8 acres.
“Our herds together number nearly 40, and there are 13 babies on the way,” Schmitt said. “What began as a business relationship has blossomed into a great friendship as well.”
McVicker, with JRAM Alpacas, LLC, was widowed about two years ago. She is retired from a job in telecommunications. In the tidy barn, she pried open Sable’s mouth. A nice male alpaca, he seemed gentle. Funny, they have no top teeth, but a mighty set of bottom chompers, good for clipping grass above the root.
To hold your interest, the women said that a top-quality alpaca can sell for up to $25,000.
For $1,200, Sable will go on a blind date with a female alpaca, with the express purpose of mating. With no foreplay or even sushi, alpaca amore takes about half an hour.
See a bunch of the critters at the Alpaca Owners and Breeders and Alpaca Association of Western Washington’s Alpacapalooza this weekend in Puyallup.
Alpacapalooza began at the fairgrounds in Monroe, Schmitt said, but with its phenomenal growth, it moved to the fairgrounds in Puyallup.
“Breeders come from as far away as California and Montana for the good-natured competition,” she said. “Alpacapalooza also draws families and prospective alpaca owners from all over Western Washington, including many from Snohomish and Skagit counties.
Alpacas are members of the camel family. This year there will be about 700 at the Puyallup show. Fleece and fiber judges come from Canada, Wisconsin and Colorado. Schmitt is in her fourth year as Alpacapalooza Fleece Show Superintendent, and McVicker is in charge of coordinating the ribbon orders, more than 800 this year.
By day, Schmitt works at Providence Everett Medical Center as a breast-feeding consultant. The Herald was the impetus for Schmitt to visit an alpaca show in 1999. A cute picture in the newspaper prompted her to check out the program.
“I was totally smitten,” Schmitt said. “I plunged headlong into an intensive quest for information. My husband, John, and I visited several farms.”
By 2000, they had the first of their herd for Genesis Alpacas. Someday, they hope to have acreage for their own farm.
At the McVicker ranch, one room in the barn is devoted to unprocessed fleece, which can be spun into yarn. Schmitt sells alpaca yarn and garments at www.genesisalpacas.com.
Melding their businesses is a cooperative effort, Schmitt said. They work together for herd health, shearing, breeding, showing, marketing their animals and even transporting alpacas across the state in minivans to breed and sell.
Alpacas have a number of advantages over traditional livestock. They are hardy, disease-resistant, economical and are easy on pastures. Their soft, padded feet do not tear up the sod. They are quiet by nature.
And their fiber is like velvet on the tootsies.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com. Alpacapalooza
Alpacapalooza 2007 is planned for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup. Admission is free. Find halter and fleece shows, crafts, exhibits, sales seminars and a fashion show. Bring food donations for the needy. For more information, go to www.alpacapalooza.com.
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