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
Comments
4 responses to “summer alpaca”
I love your phrase ‘tasksome project’! (Autocorrect obviously doesn’t). This is also my approach to knitting, alas. I have two bobbins of alpaca which, typically for me is ‘chunky’. The fibre came from a friend’s animal which I never met, and which had evidently rolled about in a dust hole. Washed, it is in fact, white.
It was only after Alpaca day with the guild that I realised that this might just turn into a ‘baggy’ yarn if plied, so it sits, waiting until I have some prepared white wool to mix it with. I would like to know how to be confident that there’s enough finished yarn for a chosen project, but that another topic…….
There is always a sort of cart before the horse thing going on with me and spinning. If I have a fleece or some fibre I don’t know what I will use it for until I have spun some to see what it does. The fibre dictates how it wants to be spun and what sort of yarn it will make. Should I be more assertive and determine what yarn I produce?
That is such a nice picture Helen and so summery and quiet. Very ladylike composition.
Lol, Thanks Serena.