Unique Gifts: Handmade Knitwear from Alpaca Fleece

If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for the holidays while supporting a local business, then look no further than Faraway Farm in Yorktown (check out the photos above for more details on what they sell).

Faraway Farm is home to a herd of alpacas, known for their soft, colorful fleece and engaging personalities. Leda Blumberg and her husband Steve Cole breed the animals and sell a wide range of items made from their fleece.

The alpaca fleece is warm, soft, durable and breathable. It's also less itchy than wool. 

"Once people start wearing it, they come back," Cole said.

You can find a number of one-of-a-kind handknit garments – soft throws, hats, scarves, shawls, sweaters, jackets, gloves, mlittens and socks, as well as stuffed animals. Customers can also purchase gift certificates. For a sampling of the items in the store, click here.

"People love the connection between the animals and the garments," Blumberg said. "They love the connection to what they're wearing."

The alpaca clothing that knitted and sold at the farm comes directly from the animals that live here. They are shorn once a year – every May – and the fleece is transformed into yarn to create a number of garments. Shearing is a painless process for the animals. 

The store is open year round by appointment and during special events throughout the year. On weekends through December, the store is open from noon to 4 p.m. 

For more information and directions to the farm, call 914-962-2110 or visit their website.

To learn more about Faraway Farm and the alpacas, click here to watch a video on Patch. 

To read more about how Blumberg and Cole made the decision to raise alpacas, click here to read Blumberg's blog on Patch.

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