Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

The mitten design has gone much more smoothly than the cloche hat! No ripping at all, got it right the first time out, how unusual!

I'll try and get to scanning and uploading some pics later today.

I never read of many knitters using this yarn, and I wonder why. It's light, it doesn't split, it's mostly a natural fiber (90% alpaca) and at a reasonable price, considering that it is both alpaca, which is more costly than wool, and a special spinning process to make the bouclé, which is found in some trendy yarns.

That's one of the things I love about this yarn - is that it's a *natural fiber* trendy yarn - how unusual is that!

It may not come in a huge range of colors, but that's never stopped knitters from using a yarn. It does come in several neutrals and some fascinating brights.

I am using 3 shades for the designs for this collection, #10, the natural white, #15, a light and dark grey mix, and #18, a luminous blend of a hott-ish pink (though I think its leaning towards purple) and orange. It sounds funky, but the colors are closely blended in the bouclé, so that, from a distance, it looks like a hot magenta - it really has entranced me!

There's one other color that is a fabulous blend - #20, a purple and turquoise mix.

#19 is a mix of 2 pinks, more subtle, and #17 is 2 oranges blended - subtle like the pink mix, as the colors in the mix are closer in hue.

Add to this a black and 7 other natural mixes.

At the bulky gauge (DO ignore tha ballband gauge - unless you want a gauzey fabric) fair isle or stranded colorwork isn't really an option, particularly as alpaca is so warm, unless you're designing a coat, which I think could be wonderful. But, intarsia, or color blocked garments or accessories would be great in this yarn, and yet I see so few designs available for it. Well, I am *working* on fixing that!

See the Alpaca Boucle and other Plymouth yarns here.
Dawn