Panicked Purling, Frantic Finishing & Crazy Cast-ons

The countdown clock to Christmas is ticking louder & louder with every passing hour. If you are like us, you are now carrying your knitting or crocheting with you everywhere you go, forgoing family meals for pizza delivery and making last minute trips to the LYS and crossing your fingers that there is another ball in your dye lot available because you are afraid that you might run out and Aunt Gwen will get a beautiful Aran sweater with 3/4 length sleeves.

Ahhhh yes, the joys of the holiday giving season. We do this to ourselves every year. We make big ambitious lists in September, or even earlier, of all the knitted items we will be wrapping lovingly, with plenty of time to spare, of course. And we do in earnest begin working on the list. But we get distracted by new magazines, new issues of Twist Collective, new yarns coming into our LYS, new patterns on Ravelry and all of our good intentions vanish quicker then the drumsticks on our Thanksgiving turkey.

Fear not, panicked crafters. There are loads of last minute quick gift patterns out there. Here are a few of our favorites:




The Knitted Interlace Scarf creates a mesh for our ribbon yarn Paca Cinta to be woven through. Using only 3 balls of Classic Alpaca and 1 hank of Paca Cinta, the scarf is a quick project that is suitable for an advanced beginner. Bonus! This is also available in a crochet version.

The Snuggle Shortie Vest knits up fast in Snuggle or Snuggle Hand Dyed. The cropped length vest has a cabled rib that graduates higher and higher in the front. The pattern is written for chest sizes 36 to 48. Yarn requirements: 36" 4 - skeins, 39" 5 - skeins , 43"- 5 skeins, 48"- 6 skeins.

Simple stitch patterns make the Glimmer Evening Bag a great beginner project. Create a drawstring top with I-cord and you have a perfect little evening purse adorned with beaded strands. Only 2 skeins of Glimmer are required to complete this cute purse.

The Intertwined Ballerina Top looks challenging but is deceptively simple to create. Using 550 -1100 yards of fingering weight such as Glimmer or Classic Light the easy rhythm of stockinette stitch will have this one flying off the needles in no time.

Using size 5 needles and just one skein of Swizzle, the Ridged Handwarmers and Beanie are the perfect last minute knitted gift. Best of all the pattern is available free!

Now I know what you are thinking, "What if my LYS doesn't have the pattern in stock? There is no way I can order it and have it in time for Christmas!" Well, we have more exciting news to share here at AYC. Coming very soon, our patterns will be available for purchase as downloadable .pdf files! That's right, you will be able to buy our fantastic patterns from the comfort of your home and have them delivered direct to your pc for your personal use. As new patterns are released they will be immediately available and we will begin making the entire catalog available soon, starting with your favorites like the Forest Path Stole, Firefly Shawl and the adorable Rose Cardigan. Check back often for updates of what patterns are available.

Hope you all have a very Happy Hanukkah and a wonderful, warm and most of all productive weekend!

Sock Tease

We are just about to burst with excitement here at AYC. It's almost time to open those holiday gifts and we can't wait any longer to show you what we've made!

Introducing our new Paca Peds Semi Solid Sock

Available in five delicious colors, look for both PPSS and the pattern you see above, Cabled Rosebud Socks, coming soon to a retailer near you!

Full of Thanks...

Those of you in the US know today is Thanksgiving here, so we wanted to take a moment to think about the things for which we are grateful.

Obviously, we are all thankful for our health. We had a few scares lately, either among ourselves or the people we love and we have been lucky that everyone has come out on the other side okay. Some a little more tender then others, but ultimately, everyone will be fine.

We are thankful for our alpacas and our other fur-babies. They bring us mostly joy and an endless supply of squishy love.

We are grateful for the amazing designers who are out there who help us breathe life into our yarns. As pretty as they are to sit in a ball and pet, we like to see them alive, out in the wild, being worn and enjoyed.

We are thrilled to have some of the best yarn shops and farms as our retailers. You guys make it easy to pick up the phone with a smile.

We are grateful for the professional associations that help promote our arts.

One word. Ravelry.

And don't forget the publications! We love our magazines! There are so many good ones out there and we are glad to be a part of their families.

Of course, our families, who put up with us when we are tired or cranky, when we need to go out of town, when we come home covered in purple dye, when we are awake until 1am working on a new pattern or frogging a test knit for the tenth time. They love us regardless and we are indeed very, very lucky.

We are grateful for each other. Although there are just three of us, we know and appreciate how rare it is to work with people with whom you truly connect with and love. People who will hug you when you are down and make you laugh when you need to smile. When your co-workers make it a true joy to come to work, you know you have found something special.

And last but not least, we appreciate YOU, our customers. We wouldn't be here without you. We enjoy hearing your feedback, seeing your FOs and even helping you work out your problems. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU and we wish you a joyful Thanksgiving holiday.

What to do with all that pretty new yarn

Earlier we got your drooling, this time we want to get you planning. Not only did we unveil our two beautiful new yarns at TNNA, we also released a whole slew of new patterns. First, let's talk about Astral. Astral knits up as a light worsted weight and works on everything from a size 4 to an 8 needle. Our sweet friend Shelley knitted the Decimal Sweater from Knitty using a size 4. Her fabric is rich, dense and feels silken to the touch.


Beth then knit the Firefly Shawl, designed by the amazing Kristin Omdahl on size 8 needles. The shawl fabric has a beautiful almost liquid like flow and drape. We were thrilled to see it walking on stage at the TNNA Fashion Show.

Truth be told, I sort of felt like I was in an episode of Ugly Betty, you know, without quite as much drama. No one came out on stage and admitted to murder or treachery, but it was like Mode in all the good ways. The Firefly shawl continued to wow throughout the show and more then one person jokingly threatened to walk away with it -- at least I *think* they were joking. Knitted from 4 skeins of Astral, the Firefly is constructed from the bottom up, thus avoiding that dreaded billion-stitch cast on. After the main body is completed, a complimentary edging is added. The shawl works up quickly and is 'intermediate' level of experience. If you've been wanting a lace shawl but the idea of knitting with skinny string is intimidating, this might be just the pattern for you.

If shawls aren't your speed or you want to whip up a quick one-skin wonderment, might we suggest one of our two fun new hat patterns. One is knit & one is crochet and both are adorable. The Bobble Beret, designed by Beth, is knit from the top down on size 5 & 6 double point needles or with a magic loop. The Road Trip Crochet Beret, designed by Angela, uses a size G hook has a unique band-up construction. In addition to being totally adorable, both are considered intermediate skill level and can be completed in a weekend. Keep watching this space, the Road Trip Beret pattern will be available soon!

Next time we'll talk about the new Halo patterns and what else is on the menu for fall. Till then, happy crafting!

Summer crafting

Hooray Summer! Okay, I tried to sound cheerful about that, but really, isn't August the dregs of summer, at least from a fibery perspective? Depending on where you live in the country, it's hot, it's humid, it rains nearly every afternoon and it's just downright miserable. Of course, if you have air conditioning this might not be so bad, but even then no one wants to sit under a blanket while working on an edging or deal with complicated lace charts under a ceiling fan.

August is great though for working on two things, socks & hats. It's also a fantastic time to get a jump start on all that holiday knitting & crocheting that you know you need to start on, but just can't quite seem to find the motivation.

We have an adorable kit that is sure to spice up your needles and take your mind off the heat, while getting you in the spirit for cooler weather.

The Baltic Ski Hat kit includes the colors seen in the picture and enough Classic Alpaca yarn to complete a 16"/small or 20"/med hat. The large kit includes enough yarn to complete a 22"/large hat. Purchase the kit and the pattern is included at no extra charge! Cost for the Small/Medium kit is $28, for the Large is $35.

My plan is to, pop in "A Christmas Story" and cast 0n!

Twilly Neckerchief

The insanely talented Lisa Shroyer has not one, but TWO patterns in the Fall, 2009 Interweave Knits. First, the terribly cute (if slightly intimidating) Bandelier Socks as well as the totally rockin' Twilly Neckerchief. The Twilly features three complimentary shades of Classic Alpaca. It's unique shape is worked in a honeycomb brioche stitch in two-row stripes and creates the look of woven twill fabric. Framing the pattern with bands of garter stitch breaks up the allover patterning. A simple shawl in a smaller-than-usual size makes for a great kerchief-style neck-warmer. Shaped like a "wonky square" you fold it in half to make a triangle. I've been imagining it done in shades of green & teal. Yummy! Best of all, this pattern is available as a FREE .pdf download from Lisa & the fantastic folks at Interweave Knits. Yay!!!

The drooling shall now commence!

Big, giant congratulations go out to Margaret W, the random winner of our Spring Contest!

Margaret shared her Lliclla, by Helen Hamann from the book Andean Inspired Knits. Using 13 skeins of Classic Alpaca, in browns and oranges, Margaret made this stunning wrap in the Fall of 2007.

Be sure to swing by her Ravelry Project Page and give her some love. We can't wait to see what she makes with her prize!

Thanks to everyone who entered! We adored seeing your projects and are so glad you shared them.


We have so many exciting new things happening here at The Alpaca Yarn Company! New yarns! New patterns! And even some spiffying up on our website!

This season we introduce not one but TWO new yarns! Astral & Halo.


* * * Astral * * *
Combine 50% Tencel, 30% Alpaca & 20% Wool and you get a little bit of heaven.








Astral knits at 20-22 sts/4". This dk weight yarn has 197 yds in every 100g hank. There are currently 6 rich shades of Astral.


* * * Halo * * *
Halo is a lace weight brushed Suri Alpaca. While it looks like mohair, it has an amazing softness with none of the itchy-ness that you might find in mohair.



Suri alpaca is very rare and very lustrous and is perfect for lacy projects. Each 50g ball contains an amazing 514 yards. You can achieve a wide range of gauges on a US #4-8 needle and beyond.

We debuted these two new yarns at TNNA in June and the response has been overwhelming. So much good feedback & so many designers excited to be working with these new gems. Be sure to look for them in your favorite yarn shop and magazines soon! Can't wait? Order now!