October Wedding

As a designer, many fun projects have a way of finding me. Last month was no exception. While sitting at my booth at the Michigan Llamafest I encountered a nice lady who was going from booth to booth matching color swatches to yarn. A short conversation revealed she was planning her daughter's wedding, which was to be held outside, in Michigan, in October. She wanted to have shawls made for the bride and the 3 bridesmaids. Knowing that I could probably get the project done within her timeframe, I volunteered my services.

As luck would have it, I had two yarns in my studio that matched her color scheme perfectly! I had had one of the yarns around for a couple of years because I was not sure what to do with it. I am learning that eventually every yarn will find its perfect project. For my red skeins, this was it. They had found their special purpose!

One month later, I am finished with the shawls. Below are a few photos of the results!

A photo of all 4 shawls (sort of difficult to see because they kind of match my dining room)

Close-up of the bridesmaids shawls (I have learned that a paint chip is an excellent tool for matching colors)

The bride's shawl - alpaca and silk that I brought back from my India trip. It is very, very soft!

The loom being threaded for the bride's shawl

In the beginning, all shawls start out looking like this!

Michigan International Alpacafest

This weekend Oak Grove Alpacas will be attending the Michigan International Alpacafest in Flint, Michigan. We will be showing OGA Marie, OGA Peruvian Aquinas and OGA Peruvian Dash. Our daughter, Annelise, will take our beloved Cee Cee into the performance class for the first time. They are sure to win a blue ribbon!

Please visit us at the show! For details go to http://www.alpacafest.org/.

Stew for a Chilly Summer day

Today it is in the 60's in Michigan. Someone mentioned that it was a good day to make chilli, which got me to thinking about what kind of stew or chilli I could concoct. All week long my nice friends have been bringing me veggies from their gardens so I decided to come up with a recipe using the items I had in the house. This recipe was based on a vegetarian squash stew but I customized it to work with the veggies I had on hand. Give it a try!

Turkey Squash Stew
By: Michelle Waling

PREP TIME 30 Min
COOK TIME: 1 Hr 30 Min
READY IN 2 Hrs
SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground turkey
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chili powder
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1 medium summer squash, peeled and diced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup chickpeas, cooked or canned
1 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil and saute the onion for a few minutes. Add turkey and sauté until cooked. Add the cinnamon and chili powder and continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cumin seeds, saute for 2 minutes more before adding lemon juice and the tomatoes. Mix thoroughly so the stew doesn't get too chunky.
Stir the squash, chickpeas and water into the stew. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the stew simmer for 1 hour, or until squash is tender. Stirring occasionally throughout the cooking hour, and add more water if necessary. The finished stew should have a nice, thick stewy texture.

August at the Ranch

OGA Luxor

Now that August is at an end it is time to get ready for the fall alpaca season. I am busy making a few shawls and jackets. I am also spinning alpaca yarn for a custom order. The resulting sweater should be very pretty. I have so much to do and so little time!

Meanwhile the alpacas, chickens cats and dogs are all enjoying the nice Michigan summer weather.

Strato's Special D'Vincent

Getting out of the heat for a bit!

Roosters Showing Off

And finally the spoiled dogs are hangin out in the house:

Facebook Your Photos - Axel & Mac

Enjoy the last days of summer - it will be winter again before we know it!

Facebook | Your Photos - Taj Mahal, Agra, India

None Of the photos that I took do the Taj Mahal justice. It must be seen in person to fully appreciate it.

Michael, Annelise & I. The temp was well over 100 degrees during our visit.

Mom, Dad & Annelise

To see the rest of our pictures visit my facebook album:

Facebook Your Photos - Taj Mahal, Agra, India

New Yarn!

Now that I am home for at least a few days it is time to get working! I arrived home to two giant boxes of alpaca yarn that has been made for me at a great Michigan yarn mill called Stonehedge Fiber Mill. They have created beautiful sport and fingering weight 100% alpaca yarn in white, beige, fawn and black. I have ended up with a whopping 61 pounds of it! I am imaginging all of the great products that are going to be created in the very near future.

Imagine that each of these cones has about 2 pounds of yarn on it. It should keep me busy for quite a while.

In addition to finally having my own yarn processed I also had the opportunity to locate a source of silk yarn in Bangalore. Shortly before returning to the US I paid a visit to my 'silk man' and purchased a few goodies. The combination of soft alpaca and shiny silk is a great mix that I use often. My silk purchases will surely not go to waste! I am considering creating a few alpaca/silk weaving kits - If interested send me an email at mvwaling@gmail.com.

Beaded and sequined silk - I have a few ideas for this already. It won't sit in the studio for long!

A few of the colors I purchased. I was trying my best to find colors compatable with my natural colored alpaca.

A shot of all my new silk

This is a multi color single. I'll find some use for it eventually!

Facebook | Your Photos - Mehndi

On our last night in Bangalore Mungala came over and put henna on our hands. She then helped us dress in our saris and fixed our hair in Indian style. We had a mother/daughter portrait taken at the photo studio. I didn't get pictures of us when we were all dressed up so I will have to wait until my mother brings the pictures to me August 1st!

Facebook Your Photos - Mehndi