Yarns
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All woollens are made from hand spun yarns, either Alpaca or fine Merino (17 or 19 microns), or blended with other fibres.
Alpaca fibre is strong, warm and soft, with less elasticity than wool. I use Suri Alpaca with long straight fibres which are silky, very fine, very soft and lustrous. They are mainly sourced from local growers. Alpacas produce a lovely variety of natural colours in their fleeces; white, cream, light and dark beige, grey, light and dark browns, and black. They are ideal spun and made up without dyeing. Merino is a very soft wool. The lower the micron number, the finer the wool. I use either 17 (superfine) or 19 micron wool to ensure the softest yarn. Wool has elasticity which makes it durable and wrinkle resistant. Superfine merino grown without fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides can be sourced from White Gum Wools in Tasmania. Most wool is white so it lends itself to dyeing. Blends: Whilst both Alpaca and fine Merino are beautiful fibres, they can be made even more luxurious by blending with silk. This of course makes the end yarn more expensive due to the significantly higher cost of the silk content. Alternatively, contact me to discuss other types of blends eg angora, cashmere. Silk is very fine and highly lustrous. As well as its natural sheen, it is strong and resistant to pilling. It produces a fine, soft yarn that is very special and magical. |
From raw fleece to Spun 100% Alpaca yarn - Light Beige
From raw fleece to Spun 100% Alpaca yarn – Brown
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Raw Alpaca Fleece (75%) and died Silk (25%) spun into luxury yarn
Knitting Wools
Yarn Prices:
Natural (undyed) 100% Alpaca $18.00 per 100 grams (approximately 8 ply and 200 metres)
Natural (undyed) 100% fine Merino $19.00 per 100 grams (approximately 8 ply and 200 metres)
Dyeing – all yarns add $30.00 per batch (up to 1 kg)
Blends:
Natural (undyed) 75% Alpaca 25% plain silk $22.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
Natural (undyed) 75% fine Merino 25% plain silk $23.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
Natural (undyed) Alpaca or Merino
Blended with hand dyed variegated silk alpaca $26.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
Blended with hand dyed variegated silk merino $27.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
Natural (undyed) 100% Alpaca $18.00 per 100 grams (approximately 8 ply and 200 metres)
Natural (undyed) 100% fine Merino $19.00 per 100 grams (approximately 8 ply and 200 metres)
Dyeing – all yarns add $30.00 per batch (up to 1 kg)
Blends:
Natural (undyed) 75% Alpaca 25% plain silk $22.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
Natural (undyed) 75% fine Merino 25% plain silk $23.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
Natural (undyed) Alpaca or Merino
Blended with hand dyed variegated silk alpaca $26.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
Blended with hand dyed variegated silk merino $27.00 per 100 grams (approximately 3 ply and about 300 metres)
From raw fleece to Spun 100% Alpaca yarn – Grey
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From raw fleece to Spun 100% Alpaca yarn – Black
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Blending - 3 different effects using the same fibres
All four are spun from superfine (15 micron) alpaca (75%) and dyed silk (25%)
Top Left: Mid shade lavender silk well blended with alpaca before spinning
Top Right: Alpaca and silk spun then dyed lavender
Bottom Left: Dyed (indigo) silk and alpaca lightly blended before spinning
Bottom Right: Dyed (teal) silk and alpaca lightly blended before spinning
Top Left: Mid shade lavender silk well blended with alpaca before spinning
Top Right: Alpaca and silk spun then dyed lavender
Bottom Left: Dyed (indigo) silk and alpaca lightly blended before spinning
Bottom Right: Dyed (teal) silk and alpaca lightly blended before spinning
Colours
Whilst Alpaca does not require dyeing due to the lovely range of natural colours available, the wool is mainly white and lends itself to dyeing, I use Gaywool dyes. Contact me to discuss your colour requirements.
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Raw unwashed superfine merino wool spun and dyed Pimular Pink.