Saturday, January 29, 2011

Misti Alpaca Chunky 100% Baby Alpaca

I just couldn't wait to rave about this yarn. I was recently Yarn Stormed (details here, though the Ravelry group is more informative), so I have a box full of truly luxurious yarns. Even among merinos and 100% peruvian wool, this one stood out.



I've spotted this Misti Alpaca in the local yarn store (LYS) before. It's always in a loose skein that I just love to dig my fingers in, and then rub all over my face. I'm sure that the LYS employees are probably grumpy about that, but I just can't resist. It's like nuzzling a cloud. Except a cloud would be wet and cold, and this is just fluffy as all get-out. Even though it's chunky, it's not heavy like the bulky Jo-Ann Sumptuous I got for my last log cabin blanket. It's like air, and each individual strand is squooshy to the maximum.

Is there a downside to a yarn like this? That depends on what you want to do. It's a 100% animal product so it's going to felt if you try to machine wash it. That makes using it for a child's blanket or toy prohibitive. A single skein has 100g/108 yards and costs ~$14.00 (for my LYS, anyway), so if you wanted to make a cardigan, you'd need 5-10 skeins and then the cost really gets up there.



in the words of the great Despicable Me, "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die!"



I'm thinking that mittens or a scarf would be ideal for this yarn. A lot of different mitten patterns need only 100g, and then the soft richness of this fluffy yarn will be always at your fingertips. And of course since it's so fluffy it should be amply sufficient to keep you warm even in the chilly climes. On the other hand, this Robin's Egg Blue pattern would be really cute and warm, especially with a giant and colorful button. If dpns are too much bother for you, then a garter stitch scarf or a quick cowl like Susan Chang's Wham Bam Thank You Lamb! neckwarmer (which you can find on Ravelry) would be great as well, because then you can have this luscious yarn nuzzled into your neck.

Used this yarn? words of praise or scorn? leave me a note!

Welcome to YarnPorn

Every knitter knows the feeling--the glorious luxury of excellent yarn. Even if you use acrylic because it's cheap as heck, you can't stop yourself from fingering the pure wool, the silk-and-bamboo mixes, the stiff cottons.

This blog is dedicated to that feeling. Once a week I'll post a picture of a new yarn that I've acquired, talk about it, recommend a few patterns, and comment on what it's like to knit with. So if you love yarn, or if you're just learning about new types, come by and see me.

Not me, but clearly someone who loves their yarn:












Image reference: craftzine, accessed 01/28/2011, http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/01/checking_in_with_the_worlds_la.html