Granite State Alpacas

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Hampton Falls, NH
Granite State Alpacas

Located in Hampton Falls NH. We raise friendly alpacas. Book a farm tour & shop our farm store.

06/26/2024

I caught Indie having a little fun today.

06/25/2024

Genny’s 2024 collection of bird nest fluff.
A personal photo accompanies each kit shows how pretty she is. ☺️

06/24/2024

When visitors tell me how much they enjoyed their time with our alpacas and shopping in our farm store makes my heart swell. 🥰

06/23/2024

We had a busy day with farm tours this weekend with alpaca 101 and first time alpaca encounters. The herd charmed us all with their soft noses while eating from our hands. alpaca kisses, and playful antics.

We also spent some time at the skirting table (I’m currently working on Baxter’s blanket fiber) and got to feel how soft and fence alpaca fiber is.

Thank you, Jen, Kevin, Christie, Aiden, Alaina, Alisha (or Ashley 🤔), Elesha, & Sam! We had fun with you! ☺️

06/21/2024

Happy Fluffy Tail Friday!!

I love the end of the week so I can share these cute cabooses.

06/20/2024

This is how you clean alpaca products

In all seriousness, alpaca products require very cleaning thanks to their odor-resistant qualities.

Just hang you alpaca scarf, blanket, hat, gloves, etc. on the clothesline or dry clean.

For alpaca socks, all are washing machine friendly but best to lie them flat to dry to avoid shrinking.

06/19/2024

The votes are in!!!

You all are SO great to weigh in to tell me which version of Indie (A = shorn / B = fully wooly) you think would be better on a photo card.

Here is how you voted:

Fully wooly - 90 votes
Shorn - 17
Undecided - 9
Other suggestion - 9

This was incredibly helpful - thank you!!

Little Miss Fluffy-pants thanks you too!! 🤎

06/18/2024

Can you help me decide?

I make postcards of my alpacas and always include one in dryer balls, bird nesting fluff, insoles, and online orders. It’s time to make one for Indie, but I can’t decide between shorn Indie or wooly Indie.

Both are cute but if you had to pick one, which one would you rather receive a photo of her — shorn or fully wooly?

06/17/2024

A couple Loch Ness monsters were sighted today

06/17/2024

What a difference two years will make.

We missed Ace’s birthday on June 8, 😱 but I don’t think he cared.

I still have his fleece from his 2023 shearing that I plan to blend with this year’s fleece (once his coat is back from the Innovative Fleece Assessment later in July) to make into his first batch of yarn. 🤩

06/16/2024

I’m separating out all of Indie’s super short pieces and collecting the longer strands so to be sent to the mill for processing in preparation for dryer ball making.

I separate so there is less labor and cost involved when sending the fiber to the mill.

All the bits of Indie’s fiber that won’t go to the mill will be made into the silkiest and softest bird nest fluff kits and will be available soon.

06/16/2024

For all the dads out there: you’re the best dad EVer!

06/16/2024

Baxter may be grazing in a field of clover, but he’s also busy growing next year’s fleece. 😁

06/16/2024

It’s a girls’ day! Cindy & Lucia were introduced to Melody and the herd. While we visited the boys for a little bit, Mel, Indie, & the rest of the females had the bulk of our attention.

We watched them graze, felt their soft noses as they ate out of our hands and got a few alpaca kisses.

06/15/2024

Update: SOLD OUT!

Alpaca dryer “odd balls” happen from time to time and they happened again recently.

They are “odd balls” because they didn’t come out as well as I like them to. They still do the same job as the perfect ones do, just may look a little wonky.

The two tone odd balls didn’t fuse together as well as I had hoped and the beige ones came out more firm than I like them. The beige ones are from my own alpaca Melody.

This small batch is available if anyone wants a few or the whole lot.

Do you have a dryer that could give them a good home?

06/15/2024

Happy skinny butt Saturday!

Courtesy of Amity, Lady, & Pepper

The herd is already growing their coats back (it’s always growing) and will start to fill out again over the next few months. Like watching grass grow.

06/14/2024

The alpacas love the water.

We monitor each one to see how each alpaca responds to the garden hose and try to accommodate their preferences.

For example, some love to be doused head to toe, while others just want to feel the spray on their chest, or in some cases their bum!

During the heat of the days it’s a made rush for the garden hose and it can be very chaotic with 11 girls clambering for some pool time.

So it’s nice during the cooler part of the day to have moments like this where those who are interested in being hosed off are willing to share. 😄

06/13/2024

Ace & Indie’s fleeces are all packed up & ready to go to the Innovative Fleece Assessment in KY.

They will be reviewed for not only their micron, uniformity, and graded for best use.

06/12/2024

Seacoast NH friends - today is opening day for the Hampton Falls Farmer’s Market.

The HFFM Committee has been working hard for the last year to make this annual event something to look forward to with a variety of vendors and entertainment each week.

Stop by this afternoon to stock up on local produce and if need something for dad for Father’s Day, we have alpaca socks. 🦙

06/11/2024

I want to talk about two topics:

1) the reel showing Indie before/after her haircut

2) comments that Indie is too skinny.

06/11/2024

Finger puppets, mini alpaca, and a friendship bracelet made from Baxter & Summer’s yarn are just a few items that went home with a visitor recently.

love seeing what speaks to people when they look through all the treasures in our farm store.

06/09/2024

I took a sample of Indie’s crimpy fiber to the ruler.

This is why she looked SO fluffy!

06/09/2024

Thank you for being here and enjoying our content.
If you love watching the alpacas and their antics and want to help out in some way, we welcome donations in any amount to the farm.
Donations are 100% optional but know that every dollar goes directly to the care, feeding, and well-being of the alpacas and their lifestyle.
Our goal is for the herd to enjoy life to the fullest and share their activities and moments with you.

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KD2PLQ639GRE6

06/09/2024

Skeins of alpaca yarn are like potato chips, you can’t have just one!

What’s your “potato chip”?

06/08/2024

Today’s farm tours were unexpectedly similar. Both groups were families that everyone’s names started with the same letter. What are the odds?! 🤯

One family was “J” and the other was “S”.

Both visits were so enjoyable for me that I did a bad job capturing the moments.🤪

06/07/2024

Our first farm tour post shearing.

Cathie brought her family who are visiting from Pennsylvania and Indiana to meet the alpacas.

We watched them graze, roll, and sunbathe in between visits with us for a treat.

06/05/2024

I don’t always get things right.

This is my collection of alpaca dryer “oddballs” that I have collected over the years of the dryer balls I’ve made that didn’t come out as they should.

They didn’t felt into a round ball, they separated or fell apart, or the nylon stocking was so fused into the fiber that there was no way It was coming out.

They look terrible, but they live in my laundry room because they work just as well as the dryer balls that came out perfectly.

It is because of these “oddballs” that I learned how to correct my mistakes and make alpaca dryer balls that hold together and do their job beautifully. 😊

Address

Hampton Falls, NH
03844

Website

https://linktr.ee/gsalpacas

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Videos

It’s 🐢 season! . Keep an eye for them trying to cross the road, especially the smaller turtles. . Help them to the other side if you can.

It’s why we call him Mr. B Floofy. Nine more days until shearing & all that floof all comes off. #GraniteStateAlpacas #floof

Why do alpacas spit? . A variety of reasons: it’s a communication tool because of personal space invasion, food possessive, dominance, frustration, or they feel threatened. #spithappens . 99% of the time, alpacas are spitting at each other, it’s not often that is deliberate toward a human. . If a person is spit at by an alpaca, here’s probably why: . Standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. An alpaca doesn’t think about where they are aiming when they spit. So if they’re arguing with another alpaca, the spit will fly no matter where they are looking. It just flies (see 3rd clip) . the alpaca felt threatened - moving too fast & too close, or it feels cornered. Even standing there locking eyes for an extended period will make an alpaca feel nervous; . The alpacas is distrustful - it could be from a lack of human interaction or repeated bad experience with humans. . The alpaca is protecting its cria (baby alpaca). . More interesting info - there are 3 kinds of spit: . The air spit - the head is pointed straight up and the alpaca spits into the air. This is the warning shot to other alpacas. A “stop bugging me!” message. . The food in the mouth spit - when you see an alpaca’s face covered with grass or other food. They were spit on. . The guttural spit - this is the nasty stuff that has been regurgitated from their stomach. 🤢 Even the alpacas don’t like it. It takes a very heated argument between 2 alpacas for this to happen and usually paralyzes the bottom lip so it hangs slack for a few minutes. . #GraniteStateAlpacas #MoreThanYouWantedToKnow #alpacafarm #alpacalove #alpacayarn #alpacasocks #alpacaspit #TheMoreYouKnow

Genny puts herself in the most awkward situations, but we love her anyway. #GreniteStateAlpacas #Genevieve #JennyWithAG

Granite State Alpacas - Introductions.

Hi everyone! I’m Sandy, the one behind the camera of this account. . The alpacas are so full of personality that I enjoy capturing & sharing their day-do-day activities & antics. . In most cases, I am in the right place at the right time & capture the moments and other times I share activities happening around the farm. I have a sense of humor & like to incorporate it as much as possible. . I don’t do all this alone, I have a partner in crime @hp2joe who is instrumental in making this farm go. . I love yarn & am blessed that I grow my own fiber in my backyard so I can make yarn, weave/knit/crochet scarves & hats, make dryer balls, insoles, birdnest fluff & more for you to enjoy. We also partner with other alpaca farms & suppliers to be a local resource for all your alpaca needs. 😊 . Everything we do & sell is for the benefit of the animals and their care. . Alpacas are amazing creatures with their curious & sweet-natured personalities. There is always something to learn about them & from them through observation & interaction. . Most of the time, they make us laugh. If you’ve read this far, feel free to comment with a hello and tell me why you like alpacas. 🤩

When you see something - squeak something! (I would tag the person who quoted the above as comment from one of my previous videos, but I could not find you) . Last autumn our alpaca, Melody, saw something in the distance and it’s her job to alert the herd. Even if we can’t see it - she does. . Good job, Melody, good job! 🥰 .

When you see something - squeak something! . Last autumn our alpaca, Melody, saw something in the distance and it’s her job to alert the herd. Even if we can’t see it - she does. . Good job, Melody, good job! 🥰 . #GraniteStateAlpacas #MelodytheSqueakingAlpaca #alpacalove #alpacafarm #NHalpacafarm #squeaky #AlpacaAlarm #warning #AlpacaAlarmCall

The fan club had their first meeting today. Agenda topics: assigned seating- kiddie pool privileges - grazing rotation- dust bath schedules- sunbathing. #GraniteStateAlpacas

Pool Party for One - Summer knows how to make a splash. 😄

Gotta stay clean until shearing day - so out come the splashing buckets. . Just enough to cool their legs. . #GraniteStateAlpacas #splashparty #poolparty #alpacalove #alpacafarm #shearingdayiscoming

She’s been squeaking for days

Did you know alpacas have baby teeth? Yes, they do! Alpacas are born with baby teeth and will typically - and suddenly - lose a front incisor at approximately 2-2.5 years old to make room for the permanent teeth. Normally the second baby tooth will fall out a short time later but it took our girl, Pepper, 15 months to lose the second tooth 😵‍💫 It took her permanent teeth to fully grow in for the baby tooth to fall away.

Once the sun goes down, the fun begins. . After warm sunny day when the temps drop & the sun goes down, that is when the alpacas like to kick up their heels and play. . #GraniteStateAlpacas #afterdark #alpacasplaying #alpacaalarm #girlspen #playtime

Girl fight! . Girls get into tussles too. Not as often, but they have their moments when it can get aggressive. . No harm came to either girl. They had a disagreement & it was over in a minute. . #GraniteStateAlpacas #girlfight #spit #spitfight #alpacafarm #alpacalove #alpacayarn #Summer #Pepper #youArenTheBossofMe

Ace is a star student. He’s learned 5 commands and loves playing this game with me. Alpacas are smart, have long memories, and love to learn things.

What does it sound like? . Alpacas don’t have any natural defenses. . As flight animals, alpacas will alert the herd of any potential danger with an alarm. . This sound will capture the herd’s attention and they will quickly look in the direction where the threat has been observed. . In most cases, the alarmist spotted a neighbor’s pet, unthreatening wildlife (a groundhog, turtle, etc.), but don’t assume they’re “crying wolf” because they may actually see one. . #GraniteStateAlpacas #Melody #soundthealarm #alpacafarm #alpacaalarm #alpacayarn #alpacasock #guardian #keepaneyeout

I got spit on! It wasn’t meant for me and I wasn’t involved, but during a heated argument there was “collateral damage” to my alpaca hat. 🤯 I’ve spoken before about how to clean alpaca, and I saw this as a great opportunity to show you how easy it is to clean an alpaca garment. By the way, this is an alpaca beanie I made about 10 years ago. My first handmade hat and it’s my favorite hat to wear.