Friday, June 14, 2013

What Can You Make With Baby Alpaca Yarn

By Freida McCall


If you are someone who is entering the world of knitting you will need to learn about the different wools you can use. One of the highest quality fibres you can knit with comes from Peru. Baby alpaca yarn is luxurious and sought after as it comes from alpacas only when they are first sheared.

This is a fibre that is considered to be the one of the finest ones found anywhere in the world. The lightweight yarn can be used in all sorts of crafts and turned into the most glamorous fashions which makes it hugely popular with famous fashion houses all over the world. It is warm and so you can use it as a brilliant insulator, keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the warmer months. It feels like silk but is warm like wool.

You can find the yarn in a variety of colours. There are spinners who will dye it for you or you can buy it from suppliers who manufacture large quantities. Natural colours are also available if you love to steer away from brighter, bolder colours as there are 22 natural shades.

Baby alpaca is a confusing term. Many people think that it is given the name baby as it is taken from very young animals but this is not the case. In face the term comes from the fine feel of the wool. There are three categories that classify how fine the fibre is and these are listed below.

The variety that is mostly used in the fashion industry is called Royal. You can only get the natural shade of white in the Royal category and this is mostly dyed. You can find these colours anywhere but you might want to think about the way it is dyed, especially if you are worried about chemicals that are being used. Look for those who dye using natural products for the more environmentally friendly wools.

Baby yarn is available in all of the natural colours that you would see in the fields in the country side. There are lots of different shades including different tones of grey, brown, white and beige. As white is the more popular colour you will see far more white alpacas. This is causing problems as they are being bred more than the other colours.

Super fine is the lowest quality out of the three categories but many people get confused thinking this is the finest. You may think of it the same of super fine merino wool but it is not the same. The fibre is still very fine and soft and feels like silk it is just the lowest quality out of the three.

When you have found your ideal yarn you will need to decide what you want to make with it. There are many different designs and patterns that can be found online that have been created with this type of wool in mind so you have plenty of choice from gloves to cardigans. If you have animals in the home you will need to keep them away from the finished product as they will want it for themselves.

Baby alpaca yarn is suitable for making babies clothes as it is so soft and gentle on their skin. It makes the most beautiful booties and hats, perfect for new-borns.




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