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January 25, 2006
J4 Alpacas
There are two people that are living my dream right now. They are Jim and Jean Morgan of J4 Alpacas. I love alpaca above all fibers. I first came upon it at Arcadia Knitting. I remember the skein. It was Classic Elite charcoal. I reached out, touched it and then squeezed it with all my might as if I could get to the source of all that softness. I looked up at Kathy, she nodded her head reverently and said ever so gently a-l-p-a-c-a.
My first alpaca project was also my first cable project - an unbelievably difficult but ultimately beautiful hat that my husband Jim later felted. I made what was to become my favorite sweater, started another and began to accumulate skeins in different colors. Every yarn in every pattern was a candidate for alpaca. I rediscovered the joys of knitting and Chicago didn’t seem so cold anymore.
Now I have a dream. I want to live on a farm. I know less than nothing about rural living and even less about raising animals. But you know how it is with dreams. They never go away. Lucky for me my Jim shares this dream. When I found the source of that softness on the web, we made an appointment to visit a farm not 20 minutes away.
This is what we found. Have you ever seen such gorgeousness?
Look at this little guy. At 31 pounds, Flaps is their ittiest bittiest.
And the Morgans are just about the loveliest people you’d ever want to meet. They are fiber people - warm and funny and totally committed to the care of these beautiful creatures.
I don’t how long it will take. I don’t how we’re going to get there but I can’t imagine a better way to live a life that to be surrounded by such grace.
