Heavenly Sunlight Alpaca Shawls
Lester and Tammie Marks live on the Heavenly Sunlight Alpaca Farm in Freeport, WV, and lend a whole new meaning to the term agri-tourism. Tammie teaches weaving, knitting and crocheting classes, runs a country store, fashions original shawls from alpaca hair, and, as an aside, raises herd of alpacas. Ten minutes into a conversation with Tammie, you’ve learned: alpacas aren’t lone souls; they pull out grass instead of biting it off; their hooves are easy on the ground; it takes nearly a year of gestation for a mama to deliver a baby. Alpaca yarn is comparable in softness to cashmere, it’s hyper allergenic, and it contains no lanolin. Stylish and comfortable, Tammie’s shawls are named Candy Cane, Forest Dreams, Ebony & Ivory, Brick Oven, WV Fan, Peppermint Candy, Sante Fe, Punk Rock Princess, Stormy Weather and Fire Side Chat---each matching the scene and shades those names imply.
For more about the Heavenly Sunlight Alpaca Farm, visit heavenlysunlightcountrystore.com, and shop for her shawls at TAMARACK: The Best of West Virginia.