Alpaca: Wooly Warmth without the Itch Factor

If you‘re drawing up a list of projects to weave this winter, may we suggest including something using alpaca? The fiber is both luxurious and easy to work with, and an alpaca scarf or throw will keep you warmer than wool (without the prickles).

Baby alpaca, from an animal‘s first shearing, is very soft and fine; alpaca, from subsequent shearings, is slightly coarser but more durable. When it comes to color, natural alpaca comes in a range of shades, and dyed fiber is also easy to find.

Pure alpaca fiber doesn‘t have much memory, which means that it is not elastic. Look for an alpaca–wool blend if you‘d like a bit of stretch in your project. If you‘re looking to combine pure alpaca with wool in a project, you can use narrow stripes of each for a fairly consistent end result, or wider stripes for areas of differential shrinkage.

And for the best drape, watch your beat and sett as you weave—leave a little space for the fiber to bloom into at finishing.

Curious about what it‘s like to raise alpaca? Alipio Melo, a young Quechua man from a community high in the Andes, describes the joys and challenges of working with his beloved alpaca in the Peruvian highlands.

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Yarn Lab Testing

Yarn Labs in recent issues of Handwoven have put two types of alpaca to the test: Gist Yarn‘s Ode Alpaca, and Heather Prime Alpaca. The reviewers tried out a range of structures on a variety of loom types.

Ode Alpaca shows great potential for deflected weaves, such as this honeycomb. Photo by Matt Graves

Here‘s a peek at what Christine Jablonski had to say about Gist Yarn‘s Ode Alpaca:

“I have used Ode as both warp and weft on multi-shaft, rigid-heddle, and rising- and sinking-shed looms, and with steel, wire, and Texsolv heddles. Not once have I experienced a broken warp end, fraying selvedge, or errant knot in the middle of a cone. Ode is at once luxurious and stalwart. I describe it as the golden retriever of yarns—steady, soft, and comforting.“

Read the rest and see all the samples here.

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Heather Prime Alpaca woven as twill blocks would work for a scarf or stylish vest, depending on its sett. Photo by Matt Graves

Here‘s what Handwoven‘s own Angela K. Schneider concluded after testing Heather Prime Alpaca:

“Heather Prime Alpaca is an excellent choice for soft and warm wearables and comforting household décor such as blankets, pillows, or even rugs. Easy handling and a rich color range add to this yarn’s appeal for designing a variety of projects.“

You can read the entire piece in the Winter 2024 issue.

Projects to Make

Designer Jeff Smith‘s Alpaca in Your Lap Blanket will keep you warm this winter. Photo by Matt Graves

Inspired by the alpacas he and his wife met on a trip to Peru, Jeff Smith used lofty alpaca knitting yarns for his Alpaca in Your Lap Blanket. It keeps his wife cozy during the cold winter as she sits by the window in their 60th floor apartment overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.

You can find project directions in the Winter 2024 issue of Handwoven.

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The January/February 2013 issue of Handwoven includes two scarf projects woven in alpaca: Norma Smayda‘s North Light Scarves (luminous stripes in extended point twill), and Beverly Jones‘s A Scarf Designed with the Guy in Mind (a handsome plaid in twill).

They‘re both well worth getting on your loom!