Tag Archives: alpaca

Alpacas On Vacation

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Safely in DC and sweating my butt off at the National Zoo. The pandas are the main attraction but I spotted an Alpaca at the petting zoo. And I couldn’t resist a photo.

My Midwest self is a little puzzled how this is a zoo attraction when they are all over Kansas but I remembered that I am in a major metro….

I can tell these babies had their spring or early summer shear and are growing back their coats. I even got bonus points from my travel companion for knowing they were not llamas but actually alpaca. We were both befuddled by the cow exhibit next door. Again, our Midwest was showing!

Finished: Brimstone Beanie

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This Bluestem Beanie was addicting. The regular repeats of the pattern really helped me mark and notice progress and it was hard to put down.

Pattern: Bluestem Beanie by Rebekah Lil (Rav Link)

Needles: US 7s and 8s

Yarn: Hat kit from Amber Waves Dye studio with their Alpaca Cloud DK and Kid Silk Fluff

The finished project is heavenly soft, that alpaca really helps the underlying softness with the fluffy mohair. The finished hat weighs 67 grams but feels like air. I think the finished yardage worked out to roughly 229 yards of yarn. I did add one extra repeat of the patterning to make my hat taller before starting decreases.

This yarn and pattern combo is so well done. I love how the colors worked out in the finished piece. The dyer did a great job! I think I will make this pattern again with other yarns in my stash to see how it works up with other bases mixed with mohair.

Happy Knitting!!

Pardon My Sneezes

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I have been obsessed with my Bluestem Beanie and it has been my all consuming project. I have forgotten how much mohair fuzzes and creates floaties. I find myself with mohair on my clothes and tickling my nose/eyes. To the point my kids asked me why I was sneezing!

Since this weekend, I have knit the 6 inches of stockinette and started in with the patterning. I had to concentrate to set up the stitches but once I was established then I can knit it almost without looking.

I do have to be careful to catch both plies. I found a couple of stitches where I didn’t grab the mohair. And thus far I have been pleased with the mohair as far as staying tangle free and being able to pull back mistakes. And the feel of this finished fabric is DEVINE! I will definitely work this combo again.

Happy Knitting!!

The Softest Cast On

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I was feeling nostalgic this weekend and pulled a hat kit out of my stash. This pattern and yarn combo was sent to me by two very dear friends I never get to see.

The pattern is the Bluestem Beanie by Rebekah Lil and the yarn is a kit from Amber Waves Dye Studio. You hold yarn double to get worsted but the components are the Alpaca Cloud DK held with Kid Silk Fluff. So basically DK weight in alpaca with a silk/mohair laceweight.

This is the SOFTEST combo I have ever felt! I am really excited about this as a change of pace from my other hats. There are not very many projects on Ravelry so I will see how this tests out!

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Mom’s In The Light

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The wooden coaster turned tassel maker works just fine. I got my tassels finished and temporarily on my Mom’s In The Light. We even got to see that yellow ball in the sky that was the sun for some good photos.

Pattern: In The Light by Casey Day-Crosier (Rav Link)

Yarn: Laneras Barefoot (100% Polworth) held double with yellow and green

Needles: US 8s

Mods: Omitted the lace section to conserve yarn as I only had two skeins.

I tried to style this shawl on my necklace holder. This photo was before it’s wash and blocking so it’s a little scrunchy. But I think it still looks nice. My mom is coming this week so I can get her input on the tassels before I do final touches.

I used every bit of each 400 yard skein for a total of 800 yards used. So this was a nice bang for my buck getting yarn out of my stash. And it will be nice and toasty with the fingering held double.

That’s More Shawl Like

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After some dedicated knitting time, my shawl has progressed past thong phase and into baby shawl phase.

As with my other In The Lights, I find myself splitting the strands or not getting both picked up. I mostly catch and fix these as I work the next row. But there are quite a few oopsies in this fabric. I am just thinking of them as character.

This was my gung ho project until I started my granny stripe blanket and I want to work on nothing else but that blanket. So I made an internal deal to work at least four rows on this a day before I can pick up my blanket. We will see how long that lasts. I’m just glad my mojo is back!

Happy Knitting

It Always Looks Like A Thong

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Yes, I still have lights up in my house. I finally took down Christmas decor but the lights just hit right with my seasonal effectiveness disorder. So I am leaning in. And I am getting on to my WIP pile. First up is my Mom’s In The Light.

This construction of shawl always looks like a thong at this stage. But I am moving along. I have made this pattern three times before so I’m pretty familiar. This version will not be faded and I might be playing yarn chicken. But this is what my Mom gave me to work with so I am going to figure it out.

Right now I’m just cruising through the garter in a two row repeat. Perfect for TV and fireplace knitting. Happy Knitting!!

A Finished Second Sparkly 2-ply

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My plying session this week was super fruitful! I finished my second skein of sparkly alpaca 2-ply.

This was 5 ounces of fiber that ended up turning into a 144 yard skein with 138 grams total weight. It worked out to a light worsted/heavy sport type skein. And the best news ever is that it is pretty darn close to the original skein so they should work together nicely!

I already have new fiber on the wheel and I will show you the awesomeness that this Targhee wool is doing! Happy spinning!!

Plying Again So Soon

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I decided to ply my second go at this black and shiny Alpaca fiber. I teed up my lazy Kate and a huge ole mug of water.

The plying went beautifully and I think I even managed to spin this yarn somewhat close to the first skein! The sparkle is truly what gets me. It’s just so shiny but the skein isn’t scratchy.

The kiddos absconded with my fiber wash and bucket. So once I track that down I will get this skein washed and whacked. I’m hoping for close to 150 yards with a stretch goal of 175 yards. This will mean the two skeins together can make a substantial project!

Happy Spinning!!

One Tense Football Game

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The Super Bowl is upon us and the Kansas City Chiefs squeaked into the title match. This black fiber is brought to you by the AFC Championship game that was a nail bitter. Too keep my blood pressure under control, I just kept focused on the spinning. By the end I blew through all five ounces!

The fire didn’t hurt either!

Now I have to decide if this will get plied before or after the big game! Happy Friday and Happy Spinning!!