When Meredith O'Neil gave up work as an MSNBC television producer, she sold her New Jersey home at a peak price and began her search for a job that she would love even if she wasn't paid.

   "I retired at age 29," she says of her unusual odyssey that began seven years ago.

   She crisscrossed the West in a travel trailer, "looking for somewhere or something worth stopping for." She cleaned salmon in Alaska, picked apples in Washington, sold Christmas trees in central California.

   Four years ago, she was visiting a Denver alpaca farm with a friend. "It was cold and muddy and mucky and the animals crowded all around me for treats, their faces inches away, the same height as me. The game was over."

   She says, "Alpacas are not only cute, but intelligent,

   - calm and gentle and you can hang out with them. They have this hum that settles you."

   She also liked their business potential.

   Alpacas, from South America, have been here about 24 years.

   There are about 50,000 in the U.S. and since the national alpaca registry is closed to further importation to protect the national herd, there has been a steady breeder's market. The demand for alpaca fiber in textiles, fashion and new-product innovations is in its infancy.

   O'Neil spent five months at the Denver-area farm doing chores and learning the business, then searched for farmland. She had spent much of her youth in Evergreen and thought southern Colorado would be good. Someone steered her to Westcliffe.

   "I saw beautiful mountains, a grocery store and even a movie theater. I was in heaven."

   Question:. How did you get started?

   Answer:. I purchased a house on 42 acres of land. My family came from Savannah to help build the barn and put up fencing.

   I'm immersed in the green environmental movement. Alpacas are easy on the land. I'm off the grid. I have a well. I use solar and wind power. I have a green house and a garden.

   Q:. How many animals do you have?

   A:. I have 28 alpacas and one baby is due. I have seven goats, eight chickens, four Akbash livestock guard dogs, one house dog, a foster dog and three foster kittens.

   Q:. How hard is this work?

   A:. I'm up at 4:30 a.m. There's a lot of work for three hours, and then again in the evening. You have to like going out in the snow and digging out the gates.

   Q:. How do you make money on alpacas?

   A:. By breeding and selling babies and females. They start at about $10,000. Male sires go for $15,000, fiber animals are about $2,000.

   You can work with fiber. Alpacas are sheared once a year. An animal can produce anywhere from one sweater's worth of fiber to 15 pounds.

   The fiber business is growing. Raw fiber gets less money than the yarn, and the yarn gets less than creating clothing or other products with it.

   I do some processing, clean it, get the hay out of it. My mom and I learned to spin and make it into yarn.

   But I could never spin all the fiber from 28 alpacas. It's a slow process. So I send some to a minimill. That's another way some people are going with the alpaca business, buying the equipment to do that.

   I have an adoption program. For $200 a year, a spinner gets the prime fiber blanket off their ‘adopted' animal. They also get a newsletter about their chosen alpaca and get to visit anytime.

   Q:. Do you have any fiber products?

   A.. I have a line of shoe inserts called Snuggly Toes. Alpaca fiber is very warm and soft. I tested them by wearing the inserts with unlined boots all winter, and they are also great inside Crocs.

   I also make alpaca dog and cat beds. I got the idea because my dog Gracie kept laying down on the fiber, and I said why not? The beds are warm and soft. I sell them as fast as I make them. I also crochet alpaca hats, mufflers, baby blankets.

   Q:. Are you profitable?

   A:. Not yet. The first few years I was growing the herd, without attempts at sales. Gestation for an alpaca is 11 to 12 months, so I was waiting for babies. Like everything else, right now the industry is down with the economy.

   Q:. How are you going to grow the business?

   A:. It will always be a cottage industry. I could never have enough animals to massproduce sweaters. I'm going slowly. I want to satisfy my customers in a timely fashion and make sure everything is well-made. I'm not a natural salesperson. But I'm going to spend more time on marketing. I have the fiber products in the Westclifie farmer's market and a local store. I want to eventually get in more stores.

   And as for the stock, it takes a lot of effort. There's an online auction, my Web site. Not everyone is looking for alpacas. It's not like selling milk or jeans.

   Q:. Where can we see your alpacas and products?

   A:. National Alpaca Farm Day will be held Sept. 27 and 28 in Westcliffe. Four farms are hosting a public Alpaca Weekend open house.

   There will be tours of the farms, demonstrations, talks and a variety of alpaca products for sale. You can find out more by calling 1-719- 783-9619 or going to spring timefarms.com.