October 11 - 14, 2007: Sugar River Handknits will be a vendor at the Wisconsin SPIN IN, located in Washington County Fair Grounds, West Bend, WI. Come and pick your own fleece, rovings, or yarns. Seeing these fine products is one thing. Touching is to be hooked on llama!

April 1, 2007 - Sugar River Llamas won the Small Breeders Award at the Celebrity World Futurity. This means we were recognized as having llamas not only of great conformation, but also marketable with wonderful, soft fleeces! Some of these same llamas are now being shorn. All our fleeces go into yarn, rovings, or rugs, depending upon the quality of the fiber. See the winning llamas at www.srllamas.com

April 14, 2007 - Fran was approved as an Alpaca Fleece Apprentice by the Alpaca and Llama Show Association

Nov. 10 - 13: 2006 ALSA Grand Nationals. Fran is donating 7 handknit chulla hats as grand prizes for the fleece competition. Each hat is knit from Sugar River Yarn. Each hat is unique in design. Each hat includes llamas as a design element.

October 13 - 15: Sugar River Handknits is going to the 2006 Wisconsin Spin In, located in Wausau, WI

Mayteo won first place at the W. Virginia State Fair, double coat fleece, less than twenty-four months!!!! Yeah!!!

Sept. 24 - Sugar River Llamas won two Grand Champion and one Reserve champion at the Llama Futurity competition for traditional / silky llamas! We are thrilled because these llamas were judged not just on conformation and gait, presence, etc. BUT, fiber is part of the judging criteria - and, marketability. See the winners at www.srllamas.com

Sept. 22 - 24 - Fran is preparing to teach a basic knitting class at LFA, Cedar Rapids, IA. Hope to see you there. (I hope you know that Fran can teach knitting just about any where. Have a knitting question or problem, just see Fran at ringside, while Ali shows those llamas. Since Fran gets to talk knitting, consultation is free.)

Sept. 16 - Had to decide whether to enter the Walking Fleece competition with SRLL Make Your Mark and SRLL Felix - or, do a presentation for sheep breeders on Guard Llamas. For the good of both in industries, we decided upon Guard Llamas

August 20th - The fleeces have moved on to the West Virginia State Fair, fleece judge Mary Jo Miller.

July 27th - Sent Fleeces to the Ohio State Fair, fleece judge Geri Rutlege. Mayteo won 6th in Double Coat under 24 months and Noticia won 5th in Single Coat under 24 months. Fran's tam "herd hat" won first place in the professional knitters category. She was very pleased with that - it was the first time she had tried using only Sugar River Yarns to create color coordinated patterns. Yippee!