I hope your summer is going well.  The last few days of warm weather has staved off the approaching autumn quite nicely.  Since the Black Isle Show, which Serena wrote a good report of in the newsletter, I haven’t been out and about much but I thought I’d show you the results of my alpaca treasures from our day out at the alpaca farm.  I bought a small quantity of white which I spun up with merino (on recommendation) and silk at a ratio of 6:10:1.  It has turned out beautifully soft and fine.  I spun worsted from double carded thin batts torn into strips and managed a fine lace weight 2ply.  I’ve heard people say “why is everyone obsessed with spinning fine” but I wanted to stretch the rather expensive alpaca fibre as far as possible.  Sooo now to the knitting.  I’m not a knitter by nature so this is a tasksome project.  I’m doing a mobius scarf in a 4×4 basket weave on 3.5 needles and it’s like knitting baby clothes for a big person… wish me luck!

What are your thoughts on alpaca yarns?  Some say they are a bit lifeless without the bounce of some wool added and I wonder what your experiences are.

Hope to see you soon at some of the events !

All the best

Helen