Paca-Blog

We've moved!

2011-07-06T13:29:00.003-04:00

We have a new shiny blog HERE.
Please stop by and visit for updates, events, contests and more! Things look a little plain for now, but we will be updating the look to match our new style soon.

What's New??

2011-01-11T14:21:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a while since the last post and things here have been crazy busy!! I have been dyeing up a storm and am just now getting caught up but I still have a little way to go. We did a custom color for the Loopy Ewe sock club this year and that was tons of fun!!

What else is new on the home front you ask? Let's see.....we are introducing 3 new colors in our Halo line. They are lighter shades of our current colors and we are starting with a light blue, light green and light purple. They just arrived at the warehouse today and they are super yummy!! I am already trying to decide which one I will try out first :) As soon as we get some pics I will be sure to put them up here for your viewing pleasure. For now you will just have to use your imagination ;)

Beth has been out in sunny California for TNNA and will be returning tomorrow. Let's hope she had a good show :)

Now let me think....is there anything else new that I need to tell you?? Oh! We will also be introducing a new pattern that Beth designed using Halo and Paca Paints!! I can't believe I almost forgot about that, it's simply beautiful!! I will also post pics of that as soon as she gets back. You will definitely want to be knitting that, trust me, I've seen it and it is LOVELY!!

Well, that's all for today. Just wanted to bring you up to speed since it's been so long. Check back in the next few days for the pics of the new Halo colors and the new pattern using Halo and Paints!!

Until then....bye!!

Alpaca Yarn Company Surprise #3!!

2010-11-19T14:55:00.003-05:00

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.

Alpaca Yarn Company's Surprise #2

2010-11-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

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.

Busier than ever!!

2010-11-05T14:27:00.007-04:00

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.

September FREE PATTERN: Summer Twilight Shawlette

2010-09-14T12:06:00.000-04:00

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!

download now

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.

Interested? Join us in our current Ravelry Crochet Along!

download now

Slanting Plaid Stole

2010-08-13T10:53:00.003-04:00

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!

Warehouse Tour

2010-08-04T11:22:00.001-04:00

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!

Perilous Peds Predicament & a FREE Shawl Pattern!

2010-07-12T09:55:00.004-04:00

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!

download now

Desert Rose Shawl

2010-05-28T10:05:00.005-04:00

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!

New Paca-Paints name revealed!!!

2010-05-17T12:51:00.004-04:00

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!

2010-05-17T10:30:00.001-04:00

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!!!

Last but not least

2010-05-14T13:32:00.002-04:00

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!

I will apologize in advance

2010-05-12T13:23:00.000-04:00

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.

Not to be outdone

2010-05-10T13:18:00.002-04:00

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.

Tasha's Favorite

2010-05-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

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.

Beth's Favorite

2010-05-04T09:10:00.000-04:00

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!

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

2010-04-28T12:07:00.008-04:00

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!!!

WINNER: March Contest

2010-04-08T10:56:00.003-04:00

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!

You know you would if you could...

2010-03-22T08:14:00.000-04:00

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

Wearing O' the Green

2010-03-17T09:34:00.001-04:00

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

All of these & lots more available on our website or at a retailer near you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Knit & Crochet 'n Style

2010-03-15T12:19:00.002-04:00

How exciting to open up the April 2010 issue of Knit 'n Style magazine and see not one but TWO patterns featuring Classic Alpaca. Our friend Melissa Leapman has outdone herself with the 'Everyday Cardigan' pattern, a cute and springy pattern featuring a bit of openwork in the skirt. I love the crochet version, personally. It's always nice to see designers incorporating both styles into similar designs. Let us know if you cast on -- we would love to see your version!

Knitting Daily TV

2010-03-12T15:13:00.006-05:00

I have DirecTV and generally, I adore all things about it, most specifically my DVR. One of the only sad things is that I can't watch Knitting Daily TV. So when the fine folks over at KDTV offered up the opportunity to download ALL of the patterns they have featured I squealed a little, opened up a fresh pack of paper for the laser printer and I was off to the races.

When I got to Se ason 3 I saw a familiar name. Lo and behold, our very own superstar, Beth and her fantastic Felted Mitt pattern was hot off the presses of my printer! A little digging and I was able to find this photo from Episode 304, All About Alpaca!

If you haven't had a chance yet, be sure to check out Beth's Felted Alpaca Mitts made from our Classic Alpaca and all the other free patterns available at the Knitting Daily TV site.

FREE: Downloads of our newest patterns

2010-03-11T10:05:00.006-05:00

We are thrilled to announce for a very limited time you can get FREE downloads of some of our newest patterns!

As a way to introduce you to our new downloadable .pdfs for patterns, for the next few weeks we will be offering a select few patterns absolutely free! As our pattern catalog continues to expand we will be making new patterns available either in the traditional paper format we have always offered or via instant gratification method. Try it out today!

Here are a few samples to whet your appetite:

When Cowls Fly

Bobble Beret

Winterberry Lace Cowl & Infinity Scarf

Patterns are free through March 31, 2010. You can also find lots more patterns on our Ravelry page or on our website. Enjoy!

CONTEST: Where do you do what you do?

2010-03-10T11:54:00.001-05:00

Beth & Tasha & I were discussing our favorite places to knit & crochet. For me it is in the car. I really don't like driving at all, actually, I find the whole car thing a colossal waste of time. If it were up to me we would all have transporters and I could just whisk from place to place. But, since I can't do that, I use my car time to get seriously busy with the needles or hook. My favorite car project is socks. I mean really, they are completely portable, easy to pick up & put down & I usually have at least one (or two) on the needles at any given moment.

Tasha's current obsession is shawls. Have you seen that girl's ravelry page lately? I convinced her to join the 10 shawls in 2010 group and she has been putting me to shame with her productivity. Tasha is one of those lucky crafters who has a studio & that is her favorite place to sit & knit. That is of course if she isn't weaving, which is her newest hobby. She might be just a little bit dangerous!

Beth is a bona fide sweater knitter. She gets all giddy with the idea of a good set in sleeve or a colorful bit of fair isle. You can find her most evenings curled up on the sofa, near the fireplace with the knitting basket next to her and the needles clicking away.

Three different crafters, three different favorite projects and three different ideal spots to do the knitting. That got us thinking, what are your favorite places to knit or crochet and what do you like create? Hit up the comments below and tell us what you like to craft and where you like to do it. We will read all the submissions and one lucky entrant will get a fantastic kit of Alpaca Yarn Company pattern and coordinating yarn custom created for them based on their preferences.

Hurry, contest ends March 31st!

Panicked Purling, Frantic Finishing & Crazy Cast-ons

2009-12-11T09:08:00.005-05:00

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

2009-12-09T11:41:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-11-26T00:50:00.001-05:00

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

2009-08-20T14:09:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-18T08:50:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-04T14:34:00.006-04:00

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!

2009-07-14T14:50:00.012-04:00

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!

Spring Contest!!!

2009-05-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

Show us your style! What's the most creative thing you've made with Alpaca Yarn Company products? A lace toilet paper roll cozy? A halloween wig? A felted keychain? We want to see them! Post in the comments here with a link to your creations. You may enter more then one item, but be sure to post each item as a separate comment. All entries must be made with products from The Alpaca Yarn Company. A winner will be selected at random from all entries on June 15th. The selected entry will receive some fabulous yarny goodness. So hurry and finish those WIPs or get some photos posted to ravelry, flickr or your blog. We can't wait to see what you've done!

Customer Corner: Snuggle Cable Scarf

2009-05-05T13:23:00.005-04:00

Today we share another example of our amazing customers and the fun things they are creating with Alpaca Yarn Company yarns. Meet Robin, who wanted to make her husband a nice smooshy scarf. She took a class at The Taming of the Ewe in Jacksonville, Alabama and knitted the Reversible Cable Scarf designed by shop owner Pat Miller. We love the way the Tan Heather Snuggle just makes the cables pop, and we heart the doggie model too! Thanks for sharing, Robin and keep up the great work!!!

Free Pattern: Tye Dye Kids Cardi

2009-04-24T10:08:00.004-04:00

Our dear friend, Judy Head decided it was time to do something other than socks with the Paca-Peds. She created this adorable Tye Dye Kids Cardi that is sized from 6 months to 4 years and only takes 1 or 2 skeins of Paca-Peds HT. We are offering the pattern FREE via pdf so that you can knit with Paca-Peds HT in a new way.

See Judy's other fun designs at http://www.judykits.com/

PATTERN LINK

RAVELRY LINK

Finished Pioneer and fun new patterns!

2009-04-21T16:12:00.004-04:00

Here it is! Our finished Pioneer sweater from Knitty, made from our newest yarn, Swizzle. Modeled by our AYC's Top Model, Tasha, you can see what a great match this yarn was for this pattern.

I love the crocheted scalloped edging around the neckline. This little touch only took a few minutes but adds miles of smiles to the finished product.

The single stitch cable is subtle and yet adds just enough spice to the back to keep it interesting (both in the wearing and in the knitting). The directions asked us to "Bind off loosely". I discovered that my version of "loosely" and the designer's interpretation of it were probably a bit different, as mine was waaaaay loose, but that all seemed to work its way out in the blocking of the finished sweater.

As you can see by the last shot, Tasha is having fun wearing the Pioneer and I had a ball knitting it. It's practically instant gratification knitting, even though it is on relatively small needles. I did get queried, did we measure the bust across the chest or under the bust. We based our sizing on an across the chest measurement. The size small knitted up to 28" inches across after blocking on size 5 needles, but there is quite a 'give' when worn, due to the low neckline.

The best part of all, we only used two and a half skeins of swizzle, approximately 550 yards to do the entire sweater! This is significantly less then the pattern suggests, which is a nice budget saver. We used the Academy Blue colorway, but I think it would also be stunning in Camo, Goldenrod or any of the colors offered. Be sure to let us know if you decide to cast on your Pioneer in Swizzle; we would love to follow your progress!

We have several fun new patterns being added to the collection this week.

Our newest design, the Surf Sock is worked in Paca Peds HT and incorporates instruction to use the separate HT skein. The repetitive design across the leg and upper foot looks like a cable stitch but is really a simple combination of increases and decreases. This sock can be knit with either the Paca Peds HT or the regular Paca Peds.

And get ready to get your cute on with the Little Jailbird Kimono!

All little girls will steal your heart if they are wearing this adorable kimono sweater. Knit in Classic Alpaca, the simple stripe design is eye catching and the lacy sleeves add interest without being too fussy. Sized for 9-12 months through 6 years, the sweater takes 3- 9 balls of Classic Alpaca. Shown here in the 18-24 month size in colors 2081 & 1430.

Be sure to check in later this week when we share our newest FREE pattern, from our dear friend Judy Head of http://www.judykits.com/. Till then, happy crafting!

Don't overthink the pattern!

2009-04-17T11:14:00.002-04:00

We continue with this week's installment of "Angela's Adventures in Lace"....

Ahhh, the joy of the Flit + Float Scarf! The beauty, the elegance, the simple lace pattern, the..... ack! The dreaded Provisional Cast-On!!! Yes, we have discussed this in the past. And yes, I got through it with flying colors. Or at least I thought I did. I got to the end of the ruffle, I picked up the provisional cast on and I started away on the lace portion of the scarf. But wait, something was wrong! I somehow managed to do it backwards. Yes indeed, there was a nice seam where I picked up my cast on edge. Well, we couldn't have that now, could we? So I laboriously picked out every stitch, twisted them around the proper direction and put them back on the needle. I restarted the lace pattern. Ahhh, much better. So much better, I took pictures to share with you. See how pretty they are? See the pretty sparklies in the yarn? See that nice pretty edge where I picked up the provisional cast on? Let me toddle off to Ravelry to upload the photos to my projects page so everyone can see how lovely this is going. Wait! What is this!!! My ruffle doesn't look like the other ruffles. My ruffle is... gasp... BACKWARDS! Yes, dear friends, I have taken a perfectly good provisional cast on, convinced myself it was wrong, undone it, and managed to put it on backwards. Sigh. Beth & Tasha have assured me that no one will know, well, except for everyone reading this, of course. And no, I am now almost finished Chart B, so I am not going back and frogging it at this point. It's still beautiful. It still flits & floats. It just does it to it's own tune now. So, what have we learned? You would think after years of knitting Elizabeth Zimmermann and Cat Bordhi patterns I would know by now to not overthink the pattern! Trust the designer; trust your knitting, trust that maybe, just maybe, you finally have that cursed provisional cast-on nailed and don't overthink the pattern!

Beginning the Flit + Float

2009-04-09T10:19:00.004-04:00

Ahhh, it's time for The Masters. To me The Masters is always the unofficial kick-off of spring. Even though it may still be cold and blustery here, the azaleas are blooming in Augusta and I can vicariously celebrate the spring via my tv and some good knitting. Golf is the perfect sport for knitting. Lots of long stretches of nothing happening and you can always tell when you should look up at the tv to see a spectacular shot or horrible miss.

With that in mind, I am getting ready to settle in for four days of blissful golf & knitting. Yesterday I cast on for my Flit + Float scarf. I read the directions a few times and it occured to me that it might be easier to knit the scarf differently then written. My thought was to knit the body of the scarf first and then knit both ruffles at the end. But then after looking at the photos of the other projects on ravelry, I realized that the money shot is the ruffle and I am excited to she how it flutters in the new Mint Kiss Glimmer. So I sucked it up and did the provisional cast on called for. Provisional Cast-on. Ugh. I got through it, although it did take me a time or two. I'm not sure where my mental block is with that one, but it's been the bane of my exsistance for my entire knitting life, so why should this week be any different.

At any rate, the cast on has been conquered, and the first eleven rows have been knitted. I'm using a size 5 Addi Lace Turbo circular needle for the knitting. The pattern calls for a 4, but I'm a rebel and I'm doing it on the 5. It's interesting to me that this is the same needle that I used for the Pioneer and even with the vast difference in the weights of the yarn both are making a pleasing fabric.

Here is a first wip photo. No, it's not much and I think I photographed the wrong side -- it's hard to tell at this point which is which -- but it's a start. More in progress photos to come as I get my golf on and do my on version of hitting the sticks. Oh, and in case you wondered, "Go Phil Mickelson!!!"

Westward Ho! Pioneer Completion!

2009-04-08T10:16:00.008-04:00

So I didn't get the Knitty's Pioneer finished in a week, like I thought I might (bragged I might?), but I did get it finished in practically no time at all. What struck me the most by this knit was how little yardage I used compared to what the pattern led me to believe I would. I had set aside four balls of Swizzle, but only used 2.5 balls. Just about 550 yards, not the 800 predicted for a size small. What a great bonus! I drug Tasha away from the dyepots long enough to get a quick photo of it being modeled, then it was off to be blocked. I'll get some real photos of the completed, blocked, amazing sweater up later this week, but I was just so thrilled by the finished product I just had to share!

We have an gorgeous new color of Glimmer to share as well. It's called "Mint Kiss" and it is the perfect color for your springtime knitting and crocheting projects. Glimmer is a super soft baby alpaca enhanced with a hint of golden iridescent holographic fiber. It is a fingering weight and perfectly suited for shawls and scarves with it's beautiful drape and sparkle.

I was so excited by this newest color, I couldn't wait to cast on something with it as soon as I got the Pioneer off the needles. I decided that the Flit + Float scarf from the Spring '09 Knitty would be the perfect project. Stay tuned for WIP photos soon! And remember, if you want to stay up to date with lots of photos and chat, follow us on Plurk or Twitter!

Phat Knits

2009-04-01T10:36:00.005-04:00

Wow, and I thought Snuggle was bulky!

Netherlands based artist Bauke Knottnerus approaches design on a macro level using large threads to create large scale woven objects. “PHAT KNITS” is a series of giant threads used to create, knitted or not, interior products.

Can you imagine how great a rug or bath matt would be made out of this stuff?

Pioneer Update

2009-03-23T07:34:00.004-04:00

What a great weekend we had here in SouthCentral PA. Absolutely beautiful, spring weather, perfect wear a cute little sweater and take your knitting along with you type of days. In fact, I did just that over the past two days as I continued to work on the Pioneer sweater in Swizzle as I was out and about.

The pattern is easy to memorize. Terribly easy, which makes it perfect take-along knitting. I got lots of ooohs and aaahs from my family and friends as my Pioneer made the rounds. Since Swizzle is a relatively new yarn for us, this is the first time I've spent any serious quality time working with it on an actual garment. Let me tell you, it's a lovely yarn. Lots of good drape and a serious amount of squishy touch me factor. I'm knitting on size 5 needles and I'm one of those annoying knitters who doesn't knit tight or loose. Pioneer is primarily stockinette with some columns of a two stitch cable worked along the sides and down the back. Several others have made the modification of adding a column of cables down the front middle. I did not do this, but seriously considered adding one as well.

I am making the 'small' size and right now I am over halfway done and I'm only about half through my second ball of yarn. The pattern called for four balls of Swizzle, about 800 yards needed, but I'm not sure I'm believing that. I'll keep you updated!

New Knitty thoughts

2009-03-18T14:00:00.005-04:00

We always get little-kid excited when a new issue of Knitty is published. Everyone has their favorites, of course. Beth is especially fond of Hanne, Tasha likes Pioneer and Angela is drooling over Decimal. And of course, we are all swooning over the two lace projects, Shipwreck and Aeolian.

We've decided that we want to take some of our favorites and show you how they will look worked up in our yarns. This should be a fun task each issue pairing up Knitty genius with alpaca yumminess. We are going to start with Pioneer, done in Academy Blue Swizzle. We think it will be a delightful pairing and we will be sure to keep you updated with regular progress photos.

Here's a sneak peek to get your creativity flowing. You can check out more photos on the Ravelry project page. Be sure to comment us if you have any suggestions which AYC yarns might work well with the newest Knitty. We always love to hear your thoughts!

Pumpkin Patch Cozy Stole

2009-02-25T10:50:00.010-05:00

I've had a long standing love affair with the Cozy Stole from the fall 2004 issue of Knitty. With it's elegant simplicity, I've always thought it would be a perfect toss over your shoulders wrap. Simple enough in it's stitch pattern, an eight row repeat with all the wrong side rows purled (I'm a sucker for the purl stitch; I purl faster then I knit). I never quite understood why the masses weren't falling all over themselves in love with this stole as I was. Then after a bit more consideration, I realized that this same issue of Knitty, Fall 2004, was the unveiling of that other wrap pattern, the most famous Knitty pattern ever, the Clapotis. How can a humble acoustic guitar player compete when there is a full blown orchestra bringing down the house right next door?
Just look at the numbers; Clapotis has 10,132 different project entries on ravelry, the humble Cozy only 572 and yet, I think it is just as lovely, if not moreso then the Clapotis. Ravely user, badknitter agrees. Don't let her username fool you, she's actually a sweetheart who used our Paca-Peds yarn in the colorway Harvest to make her Pumpkin Patch Stole.

So, I make a case for the Cozy. Step out from behind those dropped stitches and give it a whirl. It's obviously beautiful in Paca-Peds but would also look lovely in Classic or Paca-Paints.

Okay, and for some serious cute overdose, you have to check out this sign. If you are traveling along Route 30 in western York County, PA you will be greeted by this adorable face. Who could possibly resist some of that? If you are in the area, be sure to make plans to visit Beth's farm, Painted Spring. Beth, Neal & the fur babies would love to have you!

Bella's Mittens

2009-02-23T09:41:00.004-05:00

We've been bitten by the Bella's Mitten bug here at The Alpaca Yarn Company. Tasha made a pair in Malabrigo. They were so squishy & yummy, immediate mitten-envy set in and I knew I had to make a pair for myself. The yarn selection was easy, Snuggle is a 55% Alpaca, 15% Wool, 30% Acrylic Bulky blend and was the perfect yarn for this pair of mittens, knitted on size 8 needles. The hard part came in deciding upon the color. I scoured ravelry, trying to decide which color among our 15 choices would best represent the spirit of Bella while maybe having a bit of Angela tossed in as well. I kept going back to our hand dyed colorway "A Knot of Naturals". There was some trepidation as that little voice in my head yelled, "Cables! You can't do a hand dyed with cables! You'll ruin the look of both the yarn and the mittens!" However, the other, louder voice said, "Want! Want! Want!". I am so glad I listened to the greedy voice.

The free pattern is clearly written, and written for magic loop no less, my absolute favorite way in the world to knit. I grabbed a set of bamboo circulars and cast on. I will admit, I'm not a huge fan of k1, p1 ribbing, but it flowed quickly as it was only half of the stitches on the cuff. As I was working the pattern, the cables began to just come to life. They seemed to pop off the mitten and I was quickly & deeply in love. I knitted frantically, wanting to get the first one done in time to take it to my Tuesday morning knitting group at Uncommon Threads, our LYS.

Rather than obscure the cables, as I had feared, the slight variations in the Snuggle set off the cables perfectly, giving them an interest and depth. I got to my knitting group with only the thumb of the first mitten remaining. I wasn't quite sure why the designer had asked me to switch to dpns at this point. I mean my magic loop and I had been humming along quite nicely. I decided to throw caution to the wind and continue with my looping. Okay, truth be told, I don't own size 8 dpns and I wasn't about to go buy a pair just for a thumb. I picked up my thumb stitches. I picked them up quite deeply into the row below, actually, because I feel that this usually gives a bit more substantial thumb and I hate holes in my thumbs, or anywhere, really.

The mittens were immediately declared a success with the entire knitting group trying them on and several folks threatening to kidnap the first while I made the second. There is a slight halo to the mittens which gives them that soft, smooshy, dreamy quality. I am now plugging away at the second mitten, admittedly without as much fervor as the first, but I am determined to get them done before winter is truly over. Looked for finished photos here on the blog soon.

Lace in Interweave Knits, Spring 2009

2009-02-18T15:39:00.001-05:00

There are two beautiful new wraps featured in the new Interweave Knits made from Suri Elegance.

The first one, is the Sweet Lily Shawl by Kristin Omdahl.
Here’s your sneak peek…

Done in one skein of Blue Blood Red, this stunning shawl features wedge sections worked in a semi-circle with a Lily of the Valley border and sawtooth edging. Lots more bonus photos can be found on Interweave’s website.

The second is the Float Stole by Melinda C. Hunt.

from the magazine…

From open lace eyelets to horizontal welting, different textures create a surprisingly complex effect with simple patterns.

More photos can be found here.

For these great patterns and more, be sure to grab your copy of IK Spring 2009 when it hits the newstands next week.

Striped Ribbed Pullover

2009-02-12T10:58:00.009-05:00

Have you ever seen one of those patterns in Vogue knitting that make you say, "Yeah, but it would never look that good on me." You know the ones; the impossibly beautiful models, with the perfect hair and the tiny waists wearing a belted sweater with horizontal stripes. Perhaps one similar to the Striped Ribbed Pullover. A free pattern from the Vogue Knitting Alpaca Collection, the Stripped Ribbed Pullover is knit from Paca de Seda. And seriously, who doesn't look good in alpaca & silk? Both our sweet friend Ali (right) and ravelry user Tare (below) prove that you don't have to be a vogue model to totally rock this sweater. Maybe you're thinking, yes, but I don't like purple and green? (wait, you don't like purple & green? are you feeling okay? we practically breathe purple & green around here!) Well, if you're in that boat, we've made it super easy for you to have this same look, but in other color palettes as well. For a limited time only we are offering kits on our site! In addition to the original purple & green there is a blue/brass/brown, a collection of naturals and one of blues & greens. Find your favorite and unleash your inner super-model!

Norwegian Mittens in Paca de Seda

2009-02-09T14:22:00.004-05:00

Hellllloooooooo! I've missed you, my bloggy friends! I was so sick for the past few weeks, too sick to compose entertaining, informative blog posts, too sick to take care of my home/family/life, heck, even too sick to knit (gasp!)

I was not too sick to browse ravelry though. Wow! We've got some talented members of our Alpaca Yarn Company circle out there! I want to introduce you to some of my new friends & share with you the projects they've made. I've been inspired to queue a stole out of sock yarn, a lace shawl in crimson (I so would have gone with a pastel normally), a fitted sweater and many, many more things.

My current favorite lovely is a pair of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Norwegian Mittens from the book Knitting Around. Made by our friend Amy in the Limeade and Purple Passion colorways of Paca de Seda, our Alpaca/Silk blend. Aren't they stunning! Amy reports that they are soft & smooshy, possibly not the most practical things in the world, but we think they are way up there on the WOW factor scale.

If you would like to share your projects with us, be sure to give us a shout here or on ravelry. We would love to see them!

Spinner - Winners!

2009-01-19T16:34:00.009-05:00

Big fuzzy congratulations right off the bat to Beth & her group of York County 4-H spinners, The Fast and the Fibrous!

They garnered second place honors at this year's Fleece to Shawl contest at the PA Farm Show!!! Not only were they the first off the loom, but their shawl sold for $500 at auction! What a wonderful accomplishment -- we are so proud of all of you!

(Beth would be the one without the hat)

Our friend, YarniMarni once again did an amazing job of live blogging during the competition. Visit her site to find out exactly why are girls are in sailor suits & be sure to go give her some comment-love and see the loads of fantastic photos from both the youth Fleece-to-Shawl competition and the open-age Sheep-to-Shawl competition including the pics of the shawl that brought an amazing $3400 at auction! Hats off to all the competitors, team captains, parents and judges for making it such wonderful day. (Angela inserts a special shout-out to her friend, judge Susan Withnell & wants to know how Susan is coming along with her inner-wonky)

If you want to unleash a little of your inner-wonky, you can spin, knit or crochet a piece for an upcoming art exhibit called The Milkweed Project. Visit Stitches and Sticks for more information. I'm thinking of sending in some test crochet & knit samples that I've done over the past few months. And maybe some handspun Paca-Puf in the white color with a little fawn heather blended in as well. Yummy!

Forest Path KAL

2009-01-07T11:23:00.003-05:00

Here in South-Central PA we woke up this morning to another of our lovely snow/sleet/freezing rain days. Most of the country gets snow or rain. We seem to live along the perfect "rain-snow" line, where the term "wintery mix" is something we hear weekly from December till March. The bright side of this is that it makes for some lovely pictures. This was what greeted me this morning:I don't know a lot about plants, so I'm not 100% sure, but I think that's one of my azalea bushes. I do know a fair amount about pretty though and these icy days sure do provide us with plenty of pretty.

Days like this are perfect for snuggling in and not moving except to go get more tea and to maybe put another log on the fire. This is also the perfect time for lace knitting. The outside world in on hold and you can devote yourself to a few hours of dedicated knitting time. With that in mind, we thought it would be the perfect time to tell you about a Knit-a-Long going on for the Forest Path Stole.

This is one of our most stunning lace patterns. Its unique construction and varied sections will keep you interested throughout the process. Joining in the KAL will give you support and encouragement plus there are loads of lace knitting experts who can hold your hand along the way. Originally featured in the Interweave Knits Summer 2003 issue, this stole was also selected to be part of the book "Best of Interweave Knits: Our Favorite Designs from the First Ten Years". The pattern can also be purchased online.

So, if (like me) you've always wanted to knit this stole but were afraid to jump in, the start of 2009 seems like a perfect time to warm up those needles and join in the fun.

Sharing the good stuff

2009-01-05T10:30:00.006-05:00

Okay, so it's the first Monday of the new year and the time for slacking off is officially over. Not that Tasha & Beth have been slacking -- they've been working like maniacs getting ready for TNNA and The PA Farm Show, both coming up in the next two weeks. I however have been slacking just a little bit from my bloggy-type duties. However, rest assured, I will make it up to you this week with all sorts of fun and informative postings.

It occurred to me that I never even shared with you our favorite fibery Christmas gifts. Mine was such an easy decision for Beth, I may as well just have grabbed a sharpie and written "I want this della q bag for Christmas" on my forehead. When we went to Stitches East with our LYS, Uncommon Threads, I just kept going on and on (and on) about the della q bags we had brought with us to sell. I especially fell in love with this one and wouldn't you know, Beth was so smart, she managed to sneak it out of the 'return' pile after the show and it magically appeared under the Christmas tree for me. I LOVE it!!! It's the perfect size for a pair of socks or the Suri Chic Jabot that I am getting ready to cast on using some Suri Elegance yarn that Santa brought. Uncommon Threads has lots of other fantastic della q bags in stock, along with those nifty new interchangeable needle cases that everyone is raving about. Give them a call and they will be happy to hook you up with the best goodies.

Tasha had an excellent Christmas. For starters she got the hottest spinning wheel on the market today, the Schacht Ladybug. I'll admit it, I might have a tiny bit of wheel envy (just don't tell my Lendrum DT, I wouldn't want her to get jealous). Tasha says the ladybug spins like a dream. All I know is that it has the cute factor down pat. I love the idea of the built in lazy-kate. That's the one feature that my Lendrum doesn't have. Maybe I can convince Tasha to bring it into the warehouse for some show & tell next week.

When I asked Beth about her best fibery Christmas gift she laughed and told me that her family seems convinced that she needs to spend more time in the kitchen. Her gifts were all kitchen related. Nice gifts, but yeah, they are still not fibery fun. Beth did however get to play Santa in the best kind of way. Remember how I said Tasha had an excellent Christmas? You haven't even heard the most awesome part. Tasha's husband made arrangements to have Beth deliver a new alpaca on Christmas morning. No, he did NOT go under the tree, but Beth said the look on Tasha's face was priceless when she was drug out to the barn by her family to see her newest pet, Justin Time. Justin is quite the handsome man & is the perfect addition to Tasha's family.

We hope you had the most wonderful of holidays and we look forward to an exciting 2009!

2008 Year End Thoughts

2008-12-31T11:34:00.006-05:00

We hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and are enjoying this perfect crafting weather that has swept across the US & Canada. We realize the blog has been a bit quiet; we were struck by the sickies and the hustle and bustle of the holidays last week. This week we are in full-fledged TNNA & PA Farm Show prep mode. Tasha has been dyeing up a storm for the farm show. Angela has been working on the TNNA displays. Beth's mom has been working the skein winder and making up the new Paca-Peds color cards. And Beth has been working on some new patterns, new garments for display, new advertising, cool new Swizzle stuff and lots more -- it's all new-new-new! This has been a big year for us at The Alpaca Yarn Company. We added new yarns and some new colorways for our old favorites. We added Angela, our new marketing person. We've started playing on ravelry, plurk & twitter. We've made a ton of friends here on our new blog. See, all new-new-new; and it's only going to get better in 2009!

Look for us on Facebook & MySpace soon. Be sure to stay tuned to the blog for more features, more free patterns, more fun contests and more exciting new product updates. And whether your passion is spinning, crocheting or knitting, we look forward to you sharing your stories with us throughout the new year.

Name That Yarn Contest comes to a close

2008-12-22T17:54:00.004-05:00

We want to start by sincerely thanking each and every one of you who posted color suggestions to the paca-blog over the past two weeks. It has been so much fun for us, getting to know you, reading your blogs, seeing your raverly projects and in some cases seeing how those minds of your work. Frankly, a few of you frighten us, but we suppose since you are yarn fans we will look the other way.

So, without further ado, I give you our final two winners!!!

Color number 9 will heretofore be know as.... Kaleidosock! What a colorful, expressive and all around great name! Congrats to Dana! p.s. we love your citrus peel scarf! How fun!!!

And last, but certainly not least, our final winner is OneSheep with the name My Darkest Secrets. What a deliciously naughty sounding name. That just makes me want to take a skein of paca-peds and knit up a very long, very luxurious set of lace stockings. Yowza!

Again, thank you all so much for playing. Be sure to stay tuned for more fun contests coming up after the new year as well as more patterns, profiles and general frivolity. We appreciate you!!!

FREE PATTERN: Ridged Handwarmers

2008-12-22T10:48:00.004-05:00

Here it is, part two of our special holiday free pattern, Tasha's Ridged Handwarmers. Just perfect for the breezy office or when you need your fingers free. And when you use Swizzle, you will need just one skein to make both these and the beanie. Yay!!!

Ridged Handwarmers

LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE
Advanced Beginner

SIZE
Handwarmers: 6” wide

MATERIALS

SWIZZLE by The Alpaca Yarn Company 100% hand dyed alpaca 3.5 oz (100g) hank = approx 215 yds per 50 gm ball Shown in #03 Sugar Rose – 1 hank

Needles: US #5 (3.75 mm) 16” circular and double point needles

Notions: Stitch Markers, Tapestry Needle

Gauge: 6 st per inch in Ridge pattern

Techniques & Special Stitch Instructions:

Ridge Pattern

Round 1: * [P1, K2], repeat from * around.

Round 2: Repeat round 1.

Round 3: Repeat round 1.

Round 4: Purl every stitch.

Handwarmers:

Cast on 45 sts on DP needles. Divide evenly onto 3 needles. Join into a round. Work in Ridge pattern for 5”.

Thumb Opening

Work in pattern for 20 sts. BO next 5 sts, continue in pattern to the end of the round. Work next row in pattern until thumb opening (20 sts). Cast on 5 sts and continue in pattern until end of round. Continue working in pattern until 3-4” from thumb opening or desired length. BO all sts. Weave in ends.

New Free Pattern - Swizzle Beanie & Handwarmer Set

2008-12-21T13:24:00.004-05:00

As our early holiday gift to you, our wonderful customers, we wanted to give you a fun new pattern. Our fantastic color artist, Tasha Poe has come up with an adorable winter set made out of our newest yarn, Swizzle. Swizzle is a beautiful tonal alpaca that is handdyed by Tasha herself. Now I will be the first to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of yellow yarn. I'm not sure why, but yellow scares me just a little bit. But when I saw the colorway Goldenrod I think I may have swooned. It is so deep and rich with shades ranging from honey to tobacco to the warm golden shades of Glenfiddich that is sitting right here beside me as I type this. As usual, all the colors are amazing, but my favorites are Goldenrod and Sugar Rose. Tasha's set is made in Sugar Rose and knits up quickly enough that you can still whip a set up in time for holiday gift giving. One skein of Swizzle is enough for both the beanie & the wristwarmers.

Today we will post the Beanie pattern and tomorrow will finish off with the wrist warmers. And be sure to send us pics of your FOs -- we love to see them!

Ridged Beanie

LEVEL OF EXPERIENCE
Advanced Beginner

SIZE
Beanie: 16” circumference – un-stretched

MATERIALS
SWIZZLE by The Alpaca Yarn Company 100% hand dyed alpaca 3.5 oz (100g) hank = approx 215 yds per 50 gm ball Shown in #03 Sugar Rose – 1 hank

Needles: US #5 (3.75 mm) 16” circular and double point needles

Notions: Stitch Markers, Tapestry Needle

Gauge: 6 st per inch in Ridge pattern

Techniques & Special Stitch Instructions:
Ridge Pattern
Round 1: * [P1, K2], repeat from * around.
Round 2: Repeat round 1.
Round 3: Repeat round 1.
Round 4: Purl every stitch.

Beanie
Cast on 96 sts on circular needles. Place marker and join into a round. Work in Ridge pattern for 5”, ending after round 4. Change to DP needles when necessary.

Decreases
Round 1: *[P1, K2tog, P1, K2], repeat from * around. (80 sts)
Round 2: *[P1, K1, P1, K2], repeat from * around.
Round 3: *[P1, K1, P1, K2tog], repeat from * around. (64 sts)
Round 4: Purl every stitch.
Round 5: *[K1, P1, K2tog], repeat from * around. (48 sts)
Round 6: *K1, P1, K1], repeat from * around.
Round 7: *[K1, K2tog], repeat from * around. (32 sts)
Round 8: Purl every stitch.
Round 9: *[K2tog], repeat from * around. (16 sts)
Round 10: Knit every stitch.
Round 11: *[K2tog], repeat from * around. (8 sts)

Cut a tail approximately 8” long. Thread yarn on tapestry needle and draw through stitches still on needles and pull tight. Bring yarn to inside and fasten. Weave in ends.

And for those of you wondering about the last two winners of the Name that Yarn contest, worry not, winning names will be revealed on Monday. That means if you haven't gotten your entries (up to 3 per person, please) submitted yet, you still have a little more time to dazzle us with your creativity. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the winners as well as for the wrist warmer pattern.

More winners!!!

2008-12-18T15:27:00.004-05:00

There is nothing more fun then making people happy (well, at least not here in blog-land) and I am lucky enough that I get to make two more people a little more gleeful today.

Our winners for Color #7 in the Name That Yarn contest was Carla with her suggestion of Peony Patch. I'll admit, I was secretly rooting for this one. When I was a little girl my grams had peony bushes (although she called them "pineys" -- I never understood that one) anyway, I thought they were the most beautiful, wonderfully scented flowers in the world and I desperately wanted a bouquet of them when I grew up and got married. It was only later that I discovered that they were opened by ants (ick!). And that you can't really get them in the Caribbean (where I tied the knot), so I was out of luck. But I've never stopped loving the flower and someday I'll get around to planting some in my flower beds. Congrats Carla for the great color name! We love it!!!

Not to be outdone, BlackCatYarnThief submitted the name Mermaids Go Walking. What a beautiful image this conjures up in my mind. It is absolutely perfect for this colorway, perfect for sock yarn and somehow it makes me love it just a little bit more.

If you are one of our winners and we haven't contacted you yet about where to send your prize, be sure to shoot us a quick email with your address to info@thealpacayarnco.com. Congratulations to our winners and be sure to get your entries in for the last two colors before Saturday! Good Luck!!!

Cynthia's Snuggle Bunny

2008-12-18T13:19:00.004-05:00

From time to time we want to feature you, our customers and the awesome finished objects you are making using Alpaca Yarn Company patterns and yarns. This week we want to introduce you to Cynthia, owner of Nightingale Fibers. We fell in love with Cynthia's Blanket Buddy made from Snuggle when we saw it on Ravelry. The pattern is by Mary Anne Thompson and can be found in 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. When I asked Cynthia to tell us a little bit more about herself & her adventures, here's what she had to say:

I am a nurse midwife who has been knitting since about the age of 7. My company, Nightingale Fibers, grew out of my love of knitting and alpacas. I hope one day to not only have a small alpaca farm but a “bricks and morter” store. Right now I am continuing to work full time as a midwife and to develop my business. I hope to add more products, especially more yarns and local crafts of interest to knitters and spinners.
I love Snuggle for baby/childrens things. It knits up fast and is super soft. I actually love all of The Alpaca Yarn Co yarns. Have knitted lots with Classic (I am making a Log Cabin Blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting with Classic now). I just received my first order of Swizzle that I am anxious to knit something with (as soon as we get power back on in NH!)

No power in New Hampshire! Yikes!!! Obviously Cynthia is made of that hearty New England stock. If our power went out I'd be whining for days. Wait, now that I think about it, no power would mean guilt-free knitting & crocheting time though, wouldn't it? Hmmmm, let me think about this a bit longer. No, on second thought I believe I deal with the guilt in exchange for heat & light. But more power to you, Cynthia (no pun intended) -- we can't wait to see that Log Cabin Blanket!

If you would like to have your FOs featured, be sure to give us a shout! We love seeing what you're making!

Color #10 NAMED: My Darkest Secrets

2008-12-17T13:14:00.005-05:00

Wow, I can't believe this is it -- the tenth and final colorway in our Name That Yarn contest. I'm almost a little sad, because we've had so much fun with this over the last two weeks. This is another one of my personal favorites, although seriously, there isn't a bad colorway in the bunch, if you ask me. I'm sure you know all the rules by now, but if you are new to the blog or need a refresher, you can find them here.

So get those suggestions in to us and be sure to subscribe to our blog via our RSS feed if you haven't already (easy to do using the links on the right side of this page). Just because this contest is coming to a close doesn't mean the fun is going to stop. We will be having other great contests and giving away more free stuff. Plus later this week we will have our first customer profile, our first free pattern featuring our favorite new hand dyed yarn, Swizzle and lots more great reasons to stick around.

But for now, you've got work to do! We can't wait to see your suggestions!

Color #9 NAMED: Kaleidosock

2008-12-17T13:06:00.005-05:00

Here we go Paca-Peds fans, colorway #9 in the Name That Yarn contest. Looking out my window the only three colors I can see are green (pine trees), brown (other trees) and white (snow & sky). Then I get to look at this pretty color burst on my monitor and I can't help but be a bit more cheerful. Just like before, tell us up to three suggestions for what you would like to see this colorway named and if we select yours, a skein of this yumminess will be coming your way. Official contest end date is 12/20, although I'll be honest, with it being the last weekend before Christmas we might cut you a little slack and push that deadline out a bit. We'll be sure to give you a heads-up on Plurk & Twitter before closing the contest out, so if you aren't following us yet, be sure to add us to your friends.

Have fun naming & GOOD LUCK!!!

But wait, there's more!

2008-12-15T12:20:00.004-05:00

More winners! Woo-hoo for winners!!! Big congrats go out to Munkiknits and KnittingDodo for their Paca-Peds winning entries.

Munkiknits came up with Pacaccino, the perfect name for the creamy brown color that I just want to dive into. Of course, now I want to name the next alpaca that's born Al Pacaccino. Something tells me I'm going to get overridden on that one.

KnittingDodo came up with the adorable (if slightly edited) name Frog & Piggy. You can't help but smile when you think of those two. Hmmm, I wonder if instead of Al Pacaccino I could get away with naming one of the alpacas Kermit or Miss Piggy??? Yeah, I know, probably not.

Thanks to all who submitted entries they were all fabulous and this job is not getting any easier. I just took a peek at the suggestions for colors 7 & 8 and you guys are an inspiration. Keep them coming and congrats again to our winners!!!

Color #8 NAMED: Mermaids Go Walking

2008-12-14T14:27:00.006-05:00

This is another one of my very favorite new colors of Paca-Peds. I can't wait to knit this one up -- I'm thinking little boy socks and mittens. Although a nice pair of mommy socks would look pretty good too. Hit us with your best skein names between now and Wednesday.

I don't know about you guys, but I can't believe we on have one more set of colors after these two. This contest has been so much fun and we have loved getting to know so many new friends. And for those who have asked, the new colorways are shipping out to your LYSs next week. If they haven't gotten them in yet or if your LYS doesn't carry Alpaca Yarn Company yarns (gasp!), let us know and we will be sure to contact them. You can always reach us by email, info@thealpacayarnco.com or here on the blog. Happy naming!!!

Color #7 NAMED: Peony Patch

2008-12-14T14:13:00.008-05:00

Okay, as much as the big haired 80s girl in me wants us to name this one "Raspberry Beret" and roll with a whole Prince theme, I'm sure one of you crafty-creative types can come up with something sensational. You have until Wednesday, December 17th to post your entries in the comments section of this post. Remember, up to three suggestions per person and the first one to post it gets the win in case of a tie. Winners will be announced either late Wednesday or (more likely) Thursday afternoon.

Have fun and GOOD LUCK!!!

We have more winners!!!

2008-12-12T14:20:00.002-05:00

Big time fibery love goes out to Kitten With A Whiplash and MsKnottyKnits, the winners of this round of the Name That Yarn contest!!!

Kitten came up with "Teal for Two", which we thought was cute and fun and worked perfectly because there is enough yarn in one skein of Paca-Peds for two socks. And for the record, Kitten had our second favorite name, "Let's Make a Teal" as well! Wow, what a great namer!!!

MsKnottyKnits entry of "Purple Rain, Purple Rain" had Tasha singing pretty much all afternoon and has insured that I will now have that earworm every time I type it, for the rest of my natural life. I'm convinced that the four straight days of rain that we have just lived through here in SouthCentral PA might have influenced the decision just a little bit.

If you haven't won yet, don't give up! We've got six more colors to name and we're counting on you guys to keep the creativity flowing. If you've already submitted names for colors #5 & #6 be sure to check back on Sunday when our next two colorways are posted. If you want to be in the know before anyone else, be sure to add us as your friend on Plurk! We will be sure give a shout out there when we do stuff here.

Until then, I'm going to do dig up my Prince CDs, put on a headband and some shoulder pads and sing shamelessly (at least until my teenager gets home from school!)

Color #6 NAMED: Frog & Piggy

2008-12-11T14:07:00.006-05:00

I will now freely admit, this is my favorite of our ten new colorways, so I am counting on you guys to do an extra-special good job of naming this one. I'm a certified pink & green junkie. If you don't believe me, check out my personal ravelry about me page. See there where it says "Favorite Colors" yeah, see, I told you! So when I first saw the new colors, this is the one that made me go, "Ooooohhhh!"

I can't wait to finish my holiday knitting commitments so I can get some of this on the needles. I'm thinking a lace shawlette, but maybe socks. Or maybe another pair of wristwarmers, since I always seem to be giving mine away. I'm not sure yet, but I do know that it is destined to be added to my knitted wardrobe in the very near future.

So, have at it -- up to three suggestions per person, added to the comments of this post. See below for the rest of the rules and most important of all, have fun!

Color #5 NAMED: Pacaccino

2008-12-11T13:53:00.005-05:00

I know I keep saying this, but dang, we've got some amazing participants in this contest! Not only have you made us laugh with your puns -- those teal names were AWESOME -- but you've thrilled us with all of your creative suggestions. And we've been checking out your blogs & ravelry projects pages and not only are you guys killing it in the naming department, but we are loving the things you are knitting and crocheting as well.

Winners for colors #3 & #4 probably won't be announced until tomorrow but we wanted to let you get started with this new set of colors. This first one is one of my favorites. I've had a passion lately for the subtle semi-solid sock yarns because I've been a bit cable crazed. This one is perfect for cable socks for him or a gorgeous lacy pair for her. Naming for this colorway will close on Sunday, December 14th. All the same rules apply. Have fun & good luck!!!

Our first two winners!!!

2008-12-09T15:37:00.003-05:00

Big huge congratulations go out to our first two winners, Cdnbull and Yarnpiggy!

Cdnbull came up with Color #1, Vampire Kiss; we thought it was the perfect mix of black vampire cape, pale white skin, succulent red... oh, ah, oh my, okay, I better just stop there. Suffice it to say we really, really liked the name.

Yarnpiggy submitted the winning name for Color #2, Spring in my Step; we felt it was a great blend of highlighting the springtime color palette and since it is sock yarn, the 'step' part seemed just perfect.

Again, please know how much we loved so many of your suggestions. And we are already feeling the pressure reading the great names you have suggested for colors #3 & #4. You have until Thursday to let us know your thoughts and sometime Thursday afternoon colors #5 & #6 will be posted. I don't want to promise an announcement time (we all saw how I missed the mark with round one) but as soon as we know, you'll know.

Have fun, good luck & happy naming!!!

Too close to call

2008-12-08T19:07:00.004-05:00

I know, I know, I promised...

Remember when I said you can't imagine how tough it is get those alpacas to agree on anything, well, little did I know that rival factions would spring up, that the vote would go down along party lines and that the chair of the ways & means committee would start a filibuster!

Okay, seriously, you guys just hit us with way too many amazing choices and a decision couldn't be reached before it was time to go home from the office to feed the fur-babies, the teenagers and maybe even a husband or two. We have the list narrowed, but we need just a little more time before naming our winners. We will NOT be accepting any further entries for yarns #1 an #2, so your odds of winning have not decreased, we just need you to bear with us a little bit longer. And, as an extra thank you for your patience, the winners from this round will get a special little surprise from me along with their prize yarn.

So, be sure to check back tomorrow and again, I can't thank you all enough for making this such a tough decision.

Color #4 NAMED: Purple Rain, Purple Rain

2008-12-08T14:04:00.004-05:00

Isn't this one just perfectly purple? Hey wait, maybe that would be a good colorway name! Just kidding -- I'm not going to take away your fun. Same rules as listed below -- I trust you guys to have read them at this point, so I'm not going to bore you with them again. Go forth and have fun!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! Winners for colorways 3 & 4 will be announced on Thursday, December 11th, so you have until then to get those great suggestions posted.

Winners for colorways 1 & 2 will be announced later today, I promise! (really, you can't imagine how hard it is to get those alpacas to agree on anything!)

I'll be back soon with the news you been waiting for, until then, have fun naming!

Color #3 NAMED: Teal for Two

2008-12-08T13:52:00.004-05:00

Get your creativity caps on... here we go! Same rules as before. Be sure to post your suggestions in the comments section of this post. Up to three suggestions per person, in case of a tie the first person to suggest is the winner. Don't forget, in addition to fame, your prize is a skein of this completely gorgeous colorway of Paca-Peds.

Good luck!

You've knocked off our socks!!!

2008-12-08T13:33:00.008-05:00

Wow! Just wow!!! You are amazing! Thank you so much for the fantastic entries in the first round of the "Name that Yarn" contest. We were thinking maybe a few dozen entries, but you guys have outdone yourselves. We have hundreds of wonderful suggestions and the fun is just beginning. Thank you ALL for your input. Beth & Tasha are discussing it with the alpacas now (because you know, they get a vote too) and we should have an announcement on the winner very soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would answer some of the questions that have come up over the past three days.

Q: What exactly is Paca-Peds made from?
A: Paca-Peds is a blend of 20% Alpaca, 65% Superwash Wool and 15% Nylon for a little extra durability.

Q: Will it felt?
A: Although Paca-Peds consists of a majority of Superwash wool & Nylon, we recommend hand washing or washing in a zippered bag on a delicate cycle.

Q: When will the new colors be available?

A: All the newly named colors will be available for purchase in January, 2009, although they are available for pre-order right now!

Q: Are any of the old colors going to be retired?

A: We have no plans to retire any of the original ten colors of Paca-Peds.

Q: Will the new colors be available in the Paca-Peds Heels & Toes?

A: Yes! They will be available the same time as the traditional Paca-Peds are released.

Q: Where can I buy Paca-Peds?

A: We partner with Local Yarn Shops in your area to bring all of our yarns & patterns right to your door. Visit our online shop and your order will be filled quickly and efficiently by one of our retail partners. You can also find our yarns at many fine online retailers including your favorites like The Loopy Ewe, My Knitch, Uncommon Threads and many others. Visit our retailers page for more info.

Okay, so I know you guys are dying to know who the winners are, but until the votes from the herd are counted, I figured I would let you start thinking about the next two colorways up for naming. Look for a new post in few moments where you can begin putting in your contest entries for colors 3 & 4. Thank you & GOOD LUCK!!!

We be Raveling

2008-12-06T11:30:00.005-05:00

So we know that you all know about Ravelry, one of the coolest things to happen in the fiber world since drum carders. Well, now not only are we a proud member of the Ravelry community, we even have a new group for our fans & friends! We hope you will come join us.

Color #2 NAMED: Vampire Kiss

2008-12-05T14:23:00.003-05:00

Okay, so now you know the drill. Have fun with colorway #2. Suggestions for this colorway must be posted in the comments for this blog entry only! Don't make me crazy by putting suggestions for this one in the other thread, please, I'm not sure my over-taxed brain could handle that!

Official rules and other gobbledygook can be found in here.

Have fun -- we can't wait to see what you guys come up with! GOOD LUCK!!!

Color #1 NAMED: Spring in my Step

2008-12-05T14:08:00.006-05:00

Okay yarn-fans, here it is, put on your thinking caps and help us come up with a name for our first of ten new Paca-Peds colorways.

Just comment to this thread with up to 3 suggestions. The winner for this colorway will be announced on Monday, December 8th and two new colorways will be unveiled and the fun will start all over again.

I'm going to toss in some 'fine print' now, so bear with me.

You can win more than once (we aren't going to penalize you for having mad-yarn-naming-skillz); all prizes will be shipped by January 9, 2009; The Alpaca Yarn Company withholds the right to discontinue this contest at any time; TAYC is not responsible for any technical issues that blogger or blogspot may have with your ability to comment; in the event that two people suggest the same name, the person who suggested first will be declared the winner; Winning names become the property of TAYC to use and distribute as they see fit. Scheduled contest end date, December 20, 2008.

Okay, that's it, have fun, name lots, tell your friends & be sure to check back here often for updates!

Name That Yarn Contest!!!

2008-12-05T11:30:00.004-05:00

We are so excited about our ten (yes, I said TEN) new colors of Paca Peds sock yarn we can hardly stand it any longer. We've been dying to show you the yummy new sock-tacular stuff that Tasha has been whipping up for you, but we had a little problem here at Paca-Central. None of the new colors had names yet, and as scrumptious as it is, I just don't think you are going to be blown away by the name "Color #611". Tasha is up to her elbows in the dye kettles, I've been getting to all the fun things like blogging and ravelry-ing and plurking and Beth has been busy getting our newest patterns ready, feeding the fuzzy babies and the 10,000 and 2 other things that Beth juggles on a daily basis. At any rate, none of us has had a spare second to sit down and come up with names that could do these colors justice. So, dear blog-readers, we are foisting off the responsibility on you --- um, I mean, um --- we are giving you a chance to win socky goodness in exchange for using a tiny fraction of your considerable brain power.

Welcome to our Name That Yarn Contest!!!

It's simple really, we'll post a photo of a colorway, you'll comment back with what you think is a good name (limit 3 per person, please) and if your suggestion is selected, you get a free skein of the Paca-Peds that YOU named! How cool is that?!?!!! You get to go to your knitting group, whip out your socks-in-progress and casually drop, "oh yes, I came up with the name for this particular colorway" and then watch them drool.

We will be posting two new colorways every 3 days and the contest will wrap-up on December 20th. Our first colors of Paca-Peds will be posted in just a few minutes and our first two winning names will be announced on Monday, December 8th when we will post the next two colorways. To get an idea of our current color names, be sure to visit the Paca-Peds page on our website.

Remember to say who you are in your comments and be sure to link your blog too -- we would love to get to know you better. Oh, feel free to post this contest on your blog and tell your friends (unless you don't want the competition, we understand the overwhelming desire to keep all the good stuff for yourself, imagine how we feel everytime we walk into the warehouse!)

Check back soon for our first two colorways & GOOD LUCK!!!

Introducing our newest yarn - Swizzle

2008-12-03T11:06:00.004-05:00

Swizzle is our newest yarn for the 2009 season. Swizzle is a hand dyed 100% alpaca. The colors are very tonal and very pleasing when knit. Not too much variation, but enough to keep it interesting.
Swizzle comes in 100g hanks of approximately 215 yds. Currently it is offered in 6 colors. Available on line at
http://www.thealpacayarnco.com/Swizzle.htm or at your favorite LYS.

Entering the Bloggy type world

2008-11-25T14:10:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to Paca-Blog! This is Angela & I work for The Alpaca Yarn Company. We've decided to start a blog to share all the new & exciting things we have going on here. You'll get some behind the scenes sneak peeks, fun ideas, patterns, tips & tricks. Plus lots of cuddly alpaca photos, pictures of our customer's finished objects and lots of other fun stuff.

We invite your input. Tell us what you want to see, share your thoughts on our products, send us photos -- we love photos -- or just leave us a comment. We look forward to hearing from you!