alpaca/silk blend

Hi everyone,

Question for you: Has anyone had any experience using an alpaca and
silk blend yarn? I'm not sure what the percentages are but it's a
fingering weight, and I looked at it to knit EZ's Pi Shawl. I recall
a discussion that some people had experienced shedding when they've
used alpaca, so I'm concerned that if I use this yarn (which is quite
pricey) that I would be disappointed if it shed all over my clothes.

with thanks for your help...Linda D. in B.C., Canada

P.S. The yarn I purchased is this one in taupe
http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pa...41&prodID=3933

Linda D. wrote:
Hi everyone,

Question for you: Has anyone had any experience using an alpaca and
silk blend yarn? I'm not sure what the percentages are but it's a
fingering weight, and I looked at it to knit EZ's Pi Shawl. I recall
a discussion that some people had experienced shedding when they've
used alpaca, so I'm concerned that if I use this yarn (which is quite
pricey) that I would be disappointed if it shed all over my clothes.

with thanks for your help...Linda D. in B.C., Canada

P.S. The yarn I purchased is this one in taupe
http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pa...41&prodID=3933

I've used knitpick's Shimmer which is a laceweight baby alpaca and silk
and don't have a problem with shedding, either while knitting or
wearing. Not like the Bernat bulky alpaca acrylic blend, which is still
a nice yarn, but it did shed. I've heard that there's a point where they
quit shedding though.


sue

"Linda D." wrote in message
...
Hi everyone,

Question for you: Has anyone had any experience using an alpaca and
silk blend yarn? I'm not sure what the percentages are but it's a
fingering weight, and I looked at it to knit EZ's Pi Shawl. I recall
a discussion that some people had experienced shedding when they've
used alpaca, so I'm concerned that if I use this yarn (which is quite
pricey) that I would be disappointed if it shed all over my clothes.

with thanks for your help...Linda D. in B.C., Canada

P.S. The yarn I purchased is this one in taupe
http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pa...41&prodID=3933

Many years ago I knitted a sublime sweater for a teenage daughter (who's now
45) which had a fair-isle yoke. It was alpaca (no silk) and knitted like a
dream, I felt as though I were working a whisper.

She wore and wore it before and through her college years and for some years
afterwards, it kept its shape, its colour (shades of light brown) and it
never shed or pilled or shrank or did anything bad, it behaved beautifully.
She'd still be wearing it if she hadn't put on so much weight. Ideal for
sheep shearing and cleaning the hen houses :-)

At the time the yarn cost me £18 and that was VERY expensive In Those Days
but I never regretted it.

Mary

On Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:05:00 -0700 (PDT), "Linda D."
wrote:

Hi everyone,

Question for you: Has anyone had any experience using an alpaca and
silk blend yarn? I'm not sure what the percentages are but it's a
fingering weight, and I looked at it to knit EZ's Pi Shawl. I recall
a discussion that some people had experienced shedding when they've
used alpaca, so I'm concerned that if I use this yarn (which is quite
pricey) that I would be disappointed if it shed all over my clothes.

with thanks for your help...Linda D. in B.C., Canada

P.S. The yarn I purchased is this one in taupe
http://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pa...41&prodID=3933

I don't know about that particular yarn, but I've knit a number of
things in an alpaca-silk blend and had absolutely no shedding at all.
None.

If you don't like shedding, check mohair yarns very carefully. They
range from non-shedding to freely shedding, depending on how they're
spun and with what.

Mary "Next project is mohair-silk from Artyarns"
--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer
We didn't just do weird stuff at Dryden, we wrote reports about it.
or
Visit my blog at http://thedigitalknitter.blogspot.com/

I've used Blue Sky Alpaca Silk, and various other alpaca/alpaca
blends, I have nothing but wonderful things to report. I love alpaca
to the nth degree. On its own or mixed with silk, wool, anything
else, and I'll knit with it.

On Jul 25, 11:05*am, "Linda D." wrote:
Hi everyone,

Question for you: *Has anyone had any experience using an alpaca and
silk blend yarn? *I'm not sure what the percentages are but it's a
fingering weight, and I looked at it to knit EZ's Pi Shawl. *I recall
a discussion that some people had experienced shedding when they've
used alpaca, so I'm concerned that if I use this yarn (which is quite
pricey) that I would be disappointed if it shed all over my clothes.

with thanks for your help...Linda D. in B.C., Canada

P.S. *The yarn I purchased is this one in taupehttp://www.ramwools.com/index.cfm?pageID=3&section=141&prodID=3933

My first Alpaca knits are about 20 years old and still are WONDERFUL ,
i wash them like i do all my wools in Baby shampo... My last Alpaca is
a local [ made and grown here ] wool , and still it is lovely ,,
never had a blend with silk !!!!
mirjam

Thank you for all the posts in regard to knitting with alpaca or
alpaca and silk. I have decided to stay with the yarn I purchased
since this is a work shop, and the first time I've done any lace
knitting, plus the yarn I purchased is half the cost of the alpaca/
silk bland. There may be a fair bit of frogging done, so I would not
like to put the gorgeous alpaca & silk through that. But, if I decide
to knit the Pi Shawl a second time I will try the alpaca and silk
blend.

with thanks, Linda D. in B.C., Canada

Linda,

Our local group has done many prayer shawls in lighter weight yarn.

The nice thing about alpaca or alpaca silk as you have herd from several
here and I will repeat it is, the alpaca blends wear like iron. They
look beautiful for a very long time. Doe the second one in alpaca.
Don't worry about the frogging. The alpaca is very tough.

Hugs & God bless,
Dennis & Gail


Linda D. wrote:
Thank you for all the posts in regard to knitting with alpaca or
alpaca and silk. I have decided to stay with the yarn I purchased
since this is a work shop, and the first time I've done any lace
knitting, plus the yarn I purchased is half the cost of the alpaca/
silk bland. There may be a fair bit of frogging done, so I would not
like to put the gorgeous alpaca & silk through that. But, if I decide
to knit the Pi Shawl a second time I will try the alpaca and silk
blend.

with thanks, Linda D. in B.C., Canada

On Jul 26, 8:19*pm, Spike Driver wrote:
Linda,

Our local group has done many prayer shawls in lighter weight yarn.

The nice thing about alpaca or alpaca silk as you have herd from several
here and I will repeat it is, the alpaca blends wear like iron. *They
look beautiful for a very long time. *Doe the second one in alpaca.
Don't worry about the frogging. *The alpaca is very tough.

Hugs & God bless,
Dennis & Gail



Linda D. wrote:
Thank you for all the posts in regard to knitting with alpaca or
alpaca and silk. *I have decided to stay with the yarn I purchased
since this is a work shop, and the first time I've done any lace
knitting, plus the yarn I purchased is half the cost of the alpaca/
silk bland. *There may be a fair bit of frogging done, so I would not
like to put the gorgeous alpaca & silk through that. *But, if I decide
to knit the Pi Shawl a second time I will try the alpaca and silk
blend.

with thanks, Linda D. in B.C., Canada- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

PS none of us [i think] mentioned the BEST thing about Alpaca ,, it is
so light to wear , like a cloud around you , but it is warmer than
many heavier wools !!!!
mirjam