Wild Alpaca Dreams

{Arthur admires the foggy Inishowen landscape}

It is hard to believe it was 7 years ago, that I wrote In Defence of Our Friend, the Alpaca - a blog post on the benefits and quirks of using alpaca yarns for garment knitting. At the time, it had only been a few years since alpaca had entered the mainstream knitting scene. And because so many knitters were trying it for the first time, it seemed like everyone had something to say - myself included!

Things have calmed down a bit since on the alpaca front. Overall, I think the fibre is better understood now than it was a decade ago, and it has found its niche among knitters.

Meanwhile, my own love of alpaca has remained constant and unwavering. Which is why it felt like a fever dream last week, to find myself snuggling the real-life alpacas raised just down the road… with whose scrumptious fluffy fleeces I will soon get to knit.

A beloved attraction of the Inishowen Peninsula, Wild Alpaca Way is a coastal walk along the Northernmost point of Ireland. There you can enjoy panoramic Donegal views, fresh sea air, and… a herd of friendly alpacas. Even among locals, this is a favourite weekend pastime. And of course visitors travel here especially to take part.

I first discovered the Wild Alpaca Way whilst cycling the Inishowen 100 some years ago. Rather exhausted, I was pedalling up a particularly steep climb near the Five Finger Strand. It was foggy. And out of the fog emerged an alpaca face, grinning at me with mischief and curiosity. A man who was walking the animal by the lead said hello and wished me luck on the bike.

And now here we were in that very same spot, discussing yarn.

The alpacas are fluffy, rather petite, and strikingly gentle in their demeanour. They make cooing noises, like contented toddlers. Or maybe dolphins? It is a soothing sound, and interacting with these animals has been used in a therapeutic context for emotional, neurological, and trauma disorders. Young children also love the alpacas and often form a deep bond with them.

While my own 5 year old was a bit conservative with her affections, it was interesting to observe her studying the unusual animals.

Mummy is it a fluffy giraffe?

Mummy do the malpacas make yarn?

You can read about this local-to-me project here:
The Irish Independent: What Do You Do with 50 Alpacas?

And I look forward to designing with the yarn very soon!