Brothers and sisters, I am shamelessly in lust. That’s L-U-S-T lust with something I’ve only seen a picture of. The object in question is this: Elegance, a 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk blend. I’ve been tidying up my yarn stash and I’ve already got enough products on, but I’d love to make something out of this. What would you do make it? A pair of socks? A pair of warm, soft mittens? There’s a beautiful sweater in the catalog next to it, but I’ve already got two beautiful sweaters started. I’ve also got a couple of friends who’d love something made from it.
What would you make?
I’m eagerly awaiting your replies and contemplating colors!
CJ
I love that kimono styled sweater - who cares that I’ve got several other sweaters on the needles, and just went to the annual mothers’ day sales at two yarn shops.
I want it.
I want it now.
But not in any of those colors, the only one that would look good on me is black - and I’ve finally learned my lesson about intricate cable knitting with black yarn.
Oooh, anything that would touch your skin directly! I’d probably do gloves or mittens and maybe a matching scarf. Alpaca’s very warm, so maybe not a sweater. I’m not sure how the silk affects it’s warmth.
I love alpaca. I want to buy huge vats of it, and swim in it like Scrooge McDuck in his moneybin.
Alpaca sheds like crazy, even combined with silk, something you may want to keep in mind. Like mlerose said, neither alpaca nor silk have any give. But it is very light and toasty warm. I’ve been knitting up a wrap in Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in grape , which is an 80/20 alpaca silk blend. Check out the price and yardage differences! I don’t think that I would use it again, but it does have very nice stitch definition. But the shedding! It’s worse than the cats! If this wasn’t a commissioned scarf, specifically requested in that yarn, I would have gotten rid of the yarn and used something else. I also find that alpaca is itchy on my neck, not as bad as mohair, but definitely noticeable. I would make something small, like a skinny scarf using a single skein, with it first, to see if you like it, before jumping into a sweater. Of course, YMMV.
I would make a matchy-matchy (but maybe with judicious use of contrast colours) hat, scarf and mitten set for next winter.
Actually, I wouldn’t, because I can’t seem to cope with animal fibers except silk, damnit. But if I had less reactive skin I’d be all over it. Maybe a cute little cloche-esque hat and something with simple cables for the scarf. And definitely mittens. Mmm.
Hmmm. I’m starting to think three balls of barn red should make a very nice, warm scarf for winter. A few years ago, my mother gave me Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns Vol. 1 and 2, so I should be able to find a suitable, reversable pattern for the yarn, probably in a knit-purl combination. I’ve also got a pattern for some rather decadent mittens, although I’ll have to check weight and yardage.
I mentioned the object of my lust to the gentleman in my life, and he pointed out I could make something solely for myself. The possibilities are intriguing and fun!
He sounds like a keeper, a voice of reason that cuts through the sense that everything must be made and given away. I’m glad you are treating yourself!
I got cotton skeins two for a dollar! and am knitting up a blanket for Project Linus. I only knew how to knit until my friend showed me purling so whole new worlds are opening up!
As another who’s worked with the Debbie Bliss 80/20 Alpaca silk, the blend of the two is gorgeous. It shows cables brilliantly.
If you haven’t worked with alpaca before, it hasn’t got the lanolin that wool does- which is either a good or a bad thing. I react poorly to wool in most cases (I’ve a weakness for Jamieson and Smith Shetland…) but don’t have any itch problems with alpaca.
It does, indeed, shed like you wouldn’t believe.
Incidentally, if you like silk and a splurge- the DB pure silk is nummy-nummy.
Hmm, Madwoman, with that user name and a love of knitting…I’m picturing you in a castle tower knitting away on some fantastic creation, but with out of control flowing hair and long robes, and something of a too bright glint in your eye. Am I close?
Thanks for all the ideas, folks. I’ve decided to knit myself a cabled scarf and ordered four balls in brick red. There’s just one slight problem. While looking for and finding ideas, I got to use a device I found useful. Now I have to explain to that gentleman I mentioned why I want to buy a ball winder! :eek:
JayJay, man to man, could you please explain to him that this is not a bad thing? Pretty please?
Oh my gosh, I just bought some of this. I tried and tried to resist the temptation, but I couldn’t. I should have resisted – I have an ample stash already AND I’m unemployed at the moment – but I have a skein of the taupe in my knitting bag right now. I’m just trying to decide what I want to make with it, and if I have enough (I hope so, because it’s $15.00/skein!).
This knitting habit is a dangerous, dangerous thing.
Oh, and Siege – I got a swift and ball winder for Christmas, and it’s just the best. I always forgot to wind my skeins/hanks at the store, and I’d end up with a snarled mess! Tell your gentleman that it will save you lots of time and frustration, and maybe even some money (you won’t “have” to go back to the yarn store to get it wound. This will save gas. And you will have less exposure to the tempting, tempting yarn, and less exposure means less money spent. Right?).
I knit my friend Antonio a cabled hat out of Elegance in that exact color. It turned out as an absolute killer of a hat, even though I measured his head when he had his hair in cornrows, and didn’t take his enormous hair into account. I had to add a cabled band to the bottom so it covered his ears. He loved it and spent the first fifteen minutes after I gave it to him rubbing the hat against his face. Unfortunately, his dad washed it in the washing machine and it died a sad and felty death. We are curently in negotiations for a new hat.
Elegance shows cables beautifully and it’s a joy to work with. I found that it doesn’t shed quite as much as pure alpaca and doesn’t pill as much as merino, which is my favorite fiber (alas for the pilling, but hooray for the cheapness). I’d love to knit a sweater out of Elegance, but like amarinth, I wouldn’t look good in anything but black, and I already own four black sweaters. The redwood would be nice, but that’s the wrong color brown for me. Rar!
Indeed, it is a bit pricey. At £6.95 a skein, I did get two of the blue. I suppose I think more in pounds than dollars these days.
One skein will not be enough for a shawl- and I am doing a somewhat lace pattern. Not nearly knitted lace, but it has eaten up one skein already and I’m not even halfway through.
Silk is an insulating material. ( I have many a silk undershirt for winter time wearing.)
With an alpaca/silk blend, I would stick to a hat or mittens or similar outdoorsy needed things. anything larger would probably be too prohibitive financially and temperature wise.
However, being that all I can knit are scarves and pathetic hats ( all going to russian orphans…might as well subject someone far away with my newly learned knitting skills before I torture my own locality.)
I did buy myself some really nice self pattering opal sock yarn ( or regia, I can’t remember.) with the intent of learning how to do socks. I lust for socks. I started knitting so I could make socks. Now that I am at that stage…I am less lusting.
I need some kind of viagara.
