ery hens were followed by bee keeping and then came along alpacas in a way that can only be described as magical. Anyone who has had contact with these curious, gentle and fascinating animals cannot help but be inspired….as we were.About Us
For years we were aware of an increasing desire to get back to something more fundamental and natural than working for private and public sector employers. We longed to keep animals that did not need to die in order to be productive and although neither of us had farmed before we had always kept dogs and had been involved in the countryside.
Rescued battery hens were followed by bee keeping and then came along alpacas in a way that can only be described as magical. Anyone who has had contact with these curious, gentle and fascinating animals cannot help but be inspired….as we were.
Pachamama - the Earth Mother of Andean mythology, which tells that alpacas were loaned to humans, to be left on earth for only as long as they are properly cared for and respected. Our philosophy is about the way of life that caring for alpacas allows us to enjoy whist getting closer to nature and the land. We firmly believe in the principles of kindness, respect and fun and found these embodied in Marty McGee Bennett's Camelidynamics, a beautiful way of understanding and handling alpacas. To that end we have both attained the Camelidynamics Handler Seal and Victoria is now an Apprentice Practitioner; she is able to offer one to one or small group sessions on all aspects of animal handling and facility design.
So we sourced the best that our money could buy and found our first three “Girls”- Nefertiti, Emily and Snowfall, all pregnant. We were then blessed very rapidly with our first cria “Jim Bob” born to Nefertiti on the coldest, windiest, wettest day of the month and were thrown into the deep end of cold cria resuscitation! But all went well and he is growing well.
Next came shearing; we decided that we would learn the "art" so that we could be flexible with our timings so as not to stress pregnant females unduly by having to stick to a shearer's timetable. Then came the prospect of fleece to play with; opening up the door to the basics of fibre preparation, dyeing, felting, spinning and weaving. SimplyAlpaca is our outlet for individually handcrafted textiles, products and quality fibre for other crafters, spinners, weavers and knitters. We also like to share our passion for working with this fibre by running hands on practical workshops.
Our aim is to enjoy life, spend time with the animals, take advantage of the fibre that they give us and encourage others to do the same.
