Knitting New Yarn

I am knitting new yarns this week and I’ve been experimenting. The first 2 are from a shop and Alpaca Farm that I discovered. The Yarn Shop at Alma Park is within driving distance and was a lovely ride. I was thrilled to see the alpaca and visit the shop.

Alma Park Yarn

I purchased a 22 yard skein of Hand Spun that is 65% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, 5% Sparkle. I knit it on U.S. Size 8 needles using my favorite garter stitch dishcloth pattern. This is similar to the pattern that I use to knit this Bulky Yarn Pillow Cover. The yardage is knit into a 5 inch square.

I’m going to knit a cotton back and make it into a sachet pillow.

Another purchase is this lovely hand dyed 100% SW Merino. This is a 218 yard skein in a color named Snow Cat.

I’ve started knitting a large swatch to see how the colors knit up.

I’m knitting garter stitch first, then I’ll stitch a few inches of stockinette stitch and then try a few stitch patterns before deciding what to design with this lovely yarn.

Neighborhood Fiber Co Yarn

I also ordered and received a very special yarn this week. I knit Tracks on the Field Scarf with Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Worsted. After the Parkland School shooting, they announced a special colorway named Parkland with the proceeds being donated to the March for our Lives movement. You can read about their efforts and order the yarn through March 24th here.

This colorway is beautiful and I’ll be knitting the Tracks on the Field scarf with it. I need to wind it this weekend and get started.

Finished Socks

I justified starting these new yarns with the fact that I finished these socks last weekend. I always use the same knitting pattern and let the yarn do the work. This is Heritage Prints yarn by Cascade and the pattern is Yankee Knitter Designs #29 Classic Socks for the Family. If you enjoy sock knitting, I highly recommend this pattern.