Friday, November 19, 2010

Alpaca Yarn Company Surprise #3!!



Well here is another one, I told you we've been busy!! I have developed some new colors in our Paca Cinta line, our yummy ribbon yarn.

These colors go great with our many choices of Classic Alpaca and in our new Thrummed Mitten Kit. They are also fantastic in our Interlace Scarf Kit which is super cute to make and would make a wonderful Christmas gift for that special someone : )

The first picture you see is color #506 Citrus Cooler, next is #507 Winter Wind, and lastly #508 Spring Blooms. Aren't they so pretty? You will love them, I promise : )

To take a look at all the great colors, check our website, or to order kits.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Alpaca Yarn Company's Surprise #2


Here is surprise number 2!! We have added three new colors to our Astral line; Shooting Star, Copper Penny, and Gold Rush. They are just as gorgeous as the other colors in that line and perfect for your holiday knitting and gift giving.


With lots of projects that use just one skein Astral is perfect for quick holiday gift giving!


Go on, you know you want to try them out!! Happy knitting :) Take a look at all our colors on our website.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Busier than ever!!



Well we have been busier than ever here at AYC!! We have lots of new things to tell you about over the next few weeks to get you ready for your holiday knitting and gift giving.

Our first new surprise will get you ready for winter. It's our new Easy Thrummed Mitten Kits. This kit uses just one skein of Snuggle (our bulky yarn) and one skein of Paca Cinta (our hand-dyed ribbon). They work up quickly and easily and would be perfect for all your gift giving! Aren't they super cute? We know you will love them : )

Contact us at info@thealpacayarnco.com for ordering information.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

September FREE PATTERN: Summer Twilight Shawlette

As summer comes to a close it's nice to have a little something to chase the chills away.  We can't think of anything better than this adorable shawlette, designed by our very own Tasha Poe!







Tasha & Beth have finished theirs and Angela is working on hers right now.  Join the fun & let us see your photos if you start hooking. 





This wrap will work up quickly in sport or DK weight yarn and a size H crochet hook.  And best part of all, this pattern is FREE through September 30, 2010.  After that you can download or purchase for just $4.00.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Slanting Plaid Stole

Did you happen to notice that amazingly pretty stole in the new issue of Interweave Knits?  You know, that one page 81, the scrumptious cordovan color one with the slanting plaid blocks? Yes, this one...




Slanting Plaid Stole - Interweave Knits Magazine, Fall 2010
Designer Rachel Erin

Finished Size 22" wide and 78" long, excluding fringe.
Yarn The Alpaca Yarn Company Suri Elegance (100% alpaca; 875 yd [800 m]/100 g): #2008 cordovan, 3 skeins.
Needles Size 5 (3.75 mm). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.
Notions Blocking wires or cotton crochet thread; 7" piece of cardboard for making fringe; tapestry needle.
Gauge 18 sts and 26 rows = 4" in lace patt with yarn doubled, after blocking.
Ravelry Link

Let us know if you make one -- we would love to swoon over it!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Warehouse Tour

We are so lucky to work in an amazing building in downtown York, PA.  We share our space with a catering company & all sorts of city development suit & tie types.  It is indeed nice to breeze in to work in our capris & tank tops as they are all suffering in "business attire" in the heat.   I thought today maybe you would like to see a little tour of our facility.
This is the view from the entryway.  First yarn you will see when you walk in the door is Astral.  Not a bad way to start off your day.


Here is the view from the dyeroom looking out into the warehouse.  The boxes on the shelves in the middle are full of Swizzle, Halo, Paca-Paints and a few other goodies.  On the wall is the extra classic alpaca we stock.



And here is Tasha, or at least Tasha's backside, hard at work at the dye sink, in the dyeroom.
disclaimer: it was first thing in the morning, that's why you don't see any yarn in the picture; it's all either in the dyepots to the left or in the sink to the right; don't worry --- it's there!
 
 This is the view going up the stairs to Beth's office and the office that Tasha & Angela share.  To the left are the last few balls of the retired Joya, directly in front is Classic Alpaca & cones are on top of the shelves.

And this is the view from the offices looking down onto the warehouse floor.

This is a peek at the office Tasha & Angela share; the boxes are full of Paca-Peds.

And here is Beth working hard at her desk.

And last but not least, the view from my desk's to Beth's, which is usually how I see her & how we communicate throughout the day.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Perilous Peds Predicament & a FREE Shawl Pattern!

It has been a bit tense here at the warehouse for the last few weeks. We didn't want you to know, because we didn't want to worry you, but we had a perilous peds predicament(tm Tasha)! Due to a tiny snafu with ordering we were completely out of stock of peds. Since May. Yeah, I know, scary, right? But woo-hoo!!! The peds have entered the building! All the backorders have been filled and new stock is being dyed even as I type. We are even playing with some exciting new colorways! Stay tuned for details.

And speaking of new colors, we have a fantastic new crochet pattern featuring one of our favorite new colors of Paca-Paints, The Recherche Shawl. It is available for a limited time as a FREE ravelry download. Using just two skeins of Paca-Paints, the Recherche shows off the delicate handpainted beauty of the yarn and works up in just a few hours.

Don't miss out on this beauty, it won't be free for long!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Desert Rose Shawl

This one is definitely going into the queue.





The incomparable Renee Leverington of Goddess Knits fame has done it again! This time she dazzles with the Desert Rose, designed exclusively for SandraSingh.com.



The pattern is available as a .pdf download and also available as a kit that includes a skein of sumptuous Suri Elegance lace yarn.

Shown here in one of my personal favorite flavors, Carmel Latte, I think the simple yet elegant lace pattern would be stunning in one of our handpainted colors as well. Perfect to throw over your shoulders to ward off the evening chill that seems to find us even on the warmest of summer days. Let us know if you cast-on -- we would love to see your version!






Monday, May 17, 2010

New Paca-Paints name revealed!!!

paintsnew2010names

Yay! What awesome new names!!!

One disclaimer, the votes for "Spiked Punch" were a few fewer than "Cherry Blossom", but thanks to you guys we realized that some other clever yarnies had already come up with that name and we didn't want to step on their toes (or squash their fruit). So, Angela gets to do her happy dance as we select her nominee, "Spiked Punch", for the pink flavor!

However, not all is happiness here in AYC land. We are all terribly disappointed that "Fer Doods" did not make the cut. Come on! We love & respect you all but really -- a landslide with only ONE vote for Fer Doods??? Sigh. I guess that's why we let you guys decide. But just so you know, around the warehouse we are totally still calling it "Fer Doods".

Congrats to our winners:
Neejess- Wisteria Way
StephCat - Seahorse Parade
Squiggi - Spiked Punch
Katerina - Deep in the Pines
Courtney - Mardi Gras
Emily - Emerald Isle

All the winners have been emailed or rav mailed and prize skeins will be shipping out this week. Thanks again to EVERYONE who submitted a vote. We love you guys!

Hold your breath!

I am officially closing the contest voting threads now. Results of the namings & winners of the yumminess to be posted here in just a few minutes. Yay!!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Last but not least

We have had so much fun with this contest, but sadly, we are at our final new colorway for Paca-Paints. It occurred to us as we were coming up with the new colors that we didn't have a really good green. I mean a dig your toes in the grass, fresh steamed veggies kind of green. A green so green it almost hurts. Well, we have one now...
Help us name our final pretty. Choices are:

1) Emerald Isle
2) Princess & The Pea

All comments have an equal chance of winning, one comment per person, please. We will announce this & all the winners soon. Thanks for playing & we hope you enjoyed getting to see all the new lovelies!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

I will apologize in advance

Why am I apologizing? Because I know by the time you are finished reading this blog post you will have a song stuck in your head. So I am sorry. If it is any consolation, I have the same song stuck in my head too. The worst part is, this song really requires whistling and I am hopelessly inept at whistling.

What? Did you stumble onto the wrong blog? Isn't there supposed to be some sort of yarn naming contest type thing going on here???

No, you are indeed at the right place. Here is your yarn:

And here are your choices:

1) Mardi Gras
2) Bewitched

hangs head in shame as she fruitlessly pushes air out her mouth in a lame attempt to whistle

So, post your favorite, one comment per person please & a randomly drawn winner will get a skein of the good stuff. Meanwhile, I'm off to invest in whistling lessons.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Not to be outdone

Lest you think that women rule the roost around here (okay, we do, but.....)
We did come up with some less frilly shades in the new flavors of Paca-Paints as well.

Choices for this batch are
1) Deep in the Pines
2) Fer Doods

Yes, some days we amuse ourselves. Post in the comments and join in the fun! Don't forget to hit us with your blog link, ravelry ID or email addy so we can track you down.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Tasha's Favorite

Okay, this isn't exactly Tasha's favorite. Sadly, her favorite didn't make the cut. It is however tattooed onto her left forearm, but that's a blog post for another day. This is her second favorite, and actually quite close to her body art.


Tell us what you think...
1) Spiked Punch
2) Cherry Blossom

Remember, everyone has a equal chance to win & just one comment per person, please.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Beth's Favorite

We thought since we started off the festivities with Angela's favorite new colorway, we would follow with Beth's.

Same rules as before, leave us a comment on the blog letting us know which name you prefer and all entries are eligible to win a skein of our newest lovely (assuming Beth doesn't hoard them all for herself!)

Your choices are:

1) Misty Harbor
2) Seahorse Parade

Have fun!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Prize Patrol: Vote for your favorite New Color Name!!!

It's Spring!!! Nothing makes us happier then seeing the alpacas playing in the fields, being able to wear a cute shawl instead of a big bulky parka and sitting and knitting in the sunshine.

To celebrate the warming of the weather we want to enlist your help to name our new colorways of Paca-Paints. Yes, surprise! Our rock star dyer, Tasha, has been madly swirling the dyepots and she has created six new shades of our favorite DK yarn.
All you need to do is look at the photo and choose your favorite of the two names listed. Everyone who posts a comment on the blog is eligible to win a skein of that specific colorway. Be sure to give us your blog link, email or ravelry ID so we can get in contact with you when you win!



We are going to kick off the festivities with Angela's favorite new blend, which up until now has been named the ever-so-glamorous "color #407".
Your choices are:

1) Springtime in Paris
2) Wisteria Way

Leave us a comment and we will tally up the votes. Please only comment once. All comments are eligible for our randomly drawn prize. Thanks for your input!!!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

WINNER: March Contest

Wow! What great responses to our March contest question, "What do you do & Where do you do it?"

Our favorite answer came from Sylvia. Her response can be seen below...


I'm old - like 90+ old. I've knit and crocheted forever, but mostly knit. I taught my daughters and granddaughters to also (no sons or grandsons or they would have learned too - I believe in equal-opportunity knitting!)

I have to say that the only place I've ever knit was in my own home. I marvel that my daughter takes her knitting everywhere and knits in public places. Somehow it seems ... unseemly to me, but then I used to wear gloves when I dressed up :-)

I knit socks before they were fashionable, and shawls when they were and then later not, and then fashionable again (oh how fashion cycles). I've knit every accessory you can imagine and during the Great Depression I would knit things and rip it out and reknit it since I could not afford more yarn, but loved to knit.

My favorite thing to knit is definitely sweaters still. I do it much more slowly than I used to, and my daughter sews them together for me since that is harder for me now. But it is what gives me most pleasure.

I am constantly amazed by the new varieties of yarns. I grew up knitting with solid color wool that was not necessarily soft. It came in 3 weights - fingering, sport and worsted.

I would love to win a kit to try out your yarn. My daughter has some of your beautiful paca peds. I just looked at all of the different yarns you have and each one I've looked at is more beautiful than the last. A very tough decision for the winner.

I will be 95 in early April. Winning would be a great present! And a gentle hint to my daughter and granddaughter - if I don't win, you'll have time to order some for me anyway :-)

And I'm now on Ravelry. Aren't I with it!


Love, love, LOVE that answer! How could we not select that one? I frog and reknit constantly too, but not out of frugality. That is indeed some knitting dedication. We are working with Sylvia to pick out her prize package. We will let you know what she decides.

Our April Contest will be another fan favorite, "Name that Yarn" contest, but this time it will have a twist! Be sure to check in tomorrow for details... yes, I am a tease! See you tomorrow!

Monday, March 22, 2010

You know you would if you could...


Tasha. Covered in Paca-Peds.  'Nuff said.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Wearing O' the Green

To spread a little St. Patrick's Day cheer we thought we would dazzle you with a display of our favorite green yumminess.  Enjoy!

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All of these & lots more available on our website or at a retailer near you.
  Happy St. Patrick's Day!