Matching Alpaca

Due to today's weather, I am wearing:

a) an alpaca pullover
b) an alpaca scarf
c) alpaca mitts

They're all different colors, but since it's all alpaca wool, it must match, right? :-)

FO: Reversible Plaited Scarf

Normally, most scarf knitting bores me as it's a continuous seemingly never-ending line of knits / purls. Even Elizabeth Zimmerman mentions in her book, "Knitting without Tears", that to make a scarf you continue until, "you can't stand it anymore".

I found this pattern, Reversible Plaited Scarf, on Ravelry that promised to be a relatively quick knit and was interesting. I wanted a "skinny" scarf that was warm enough for our cold weather but that I could wear indoors w/o looking like I was bundled up for the snow. (Our office A/C is sometimes over-aggressive.)

This project became my "extra" in-between-project for whenever I couldn't work on my primary project (for whatever reason) when I was on-the-road. Consequently, it lived in my purse and took a bit longer to complete than if I was actually working on it on a consistent basis, BUT it proved to be a relatively quick knit, even with worsted weight yarn.

It's made out of Cascade Eco Alpaca (undyed baby alpaca), and only took 1-skein to complete. Plus since it's alpaca, I'm sure it'll stretch out a little bit longer.

And it's one step towards solving my scarf-dilemma.

Spinner's Study: Low Twist Singles

I got this wonderful roving from the Morro Fleeceworks at the Retzlaff Winery Spinning Event.

And I very much wanted to spin it, because it looks so yummy! But, how?

I took 2 ounces of the roving, and spun it thin, intending to see how it'd look 2-ply (like my Targhee). I didn't like it. You couldn't really see the red & silver mixing together, although it was a bit more apparent in the 2-ply.

From experience I know that both Romney & the Alpaca have a long staple length. And the roving itself was pretty lustrous (characteristic of long staple length fibers -- see Fiber Information Below) and I wanted to maintain that luster. So, I thought that this might be a good candidate for a low-twist single, which I haven't spun before.

After consulting a few spinning books, I set up my Nona to have a low ratio with a fast uptake. And, after a few yards, I had something that I was extremely happy spinning.

I was so happy, in fact, that I managed to spin the rest of the 5 ounces of roving within two sittings. Then, the finished yarn was washed & fulled; dunked in both hot & cold water baths to help ensure a bit stability in the yarn.

I love the finished yarn. It's well-balanced, and is light & airy.

Now, the only question is...what to knit it into?!

Yarn Details:
Weight: Sport
Skein 1: 113 yards (52g)
Skein 2: 188 yards (94g)

Fiber Information:

Romney:
* wool type: long wool
* staple length 4-8 inches
* crimp: well defined
* coarser fleeces used for carpets

However, the Romney in this roving was luxuriously soft, and most likely from a lamb.

Alpaca:
* staple length: 4-7 inches
* crimp: depends on the breeder, but generally, alpaca isn't considered to have crimp

Spinner's Study: Alpaca & Merino

Alpaca

So, for Ravelympics, I was continuing my spinning study, on alpaca. Needless to say, I'm *STILL* working on finishing that 2 oz of alpaca. This is being spun on a Greensleeves 1.6 oz spindle. I'm not sure if what I have is suri or huacaya, but I had gotten it as part of my original box from Spunky Eclectic. It's a natural tan color.



Notes:
- the alpaca is oh-so-buttery soft. It's very well prepared roving.
- the staple length is very *long* = 5-8"
- there's very little crimp in a given lock, so it's not very elastic.

I'm currently spinning it at about a heavy fingering or sport weight, as it seems to lend itself better to that weight. And I'm really really enjoying spinning this fiber.

However, I definitely would like to ply this with merino to give it a little bit of elasticity. I have some pure alpaca yarns, and while I love the drape and the feel, I think it would be better (for me) to mix this in with wool.

Merino
From my Spinner Study box, I have 2 oz of white merino, which is being spun on a Deborah Doyle (Asciano) spindle (1.25 oz).



Can I just say that I am *really* liking merino?

Notes:
- lots and lots of crimp, which means that it's.....
- very very elastic. There is definite "sproing" in the spun yarn. I can easily see this being over spun.
- I am currently spinning this at a fingering weight because I want to ply it with the above alpaca, but I can definitely see spinning this a lot thinner (laceweight) just because of the fiber properties.

Some personal notes:
While I like merino, I'm not sure if this will become my "Go-To" fiber (or Desert Island fiber). I find that I'm preferring a little bit of a longer staple length for spinning purposes. This isn't to say that I won't spin merino, but I can easily see this being blended with other fiber types (like alpaca) just to mix things around a little bit.