Alpaca Direct News and Perspectives

You Can Now Follow Us On Twitter

As part of providing you another tool to communicate and connect with us, we've set up a special Twitter account so you can follow us, hear about specials and provide us feedback on how we're doing.   You'll find us on twitter as alpacadirect.  

We lost a baby Alpaca yesterday...

Annabelle was a little over a month overdue with her Cria from Guns'N'Roses a famous herdsire on the west coast.  We were looking forward to welcoming him to the world.  Unfortunately he was breached in the womb and we were unable to save him.  My cousin from New York was out visiting our ranch with her cute little 7 year old daughter.  We were so much hoping to have a  cute little baby alpaca waiting for her when she arrived but things didn't turn out as planned.  Later that night she drew this imressive drawing (especially for 7 year old!) with Pocohantas asking her daughter Annabelle if she was alright and a tear coming from Annie's eye to show the sadness of her loss.  I think this drawing from little Lison says it all...

Is it time for you to visit Peru?

I just found this link on CNN.com where people have posted photos and stories of their travels to Peru.Our travels to Peru reflect the words and feeling mentioned in the photos (as well as bring in wonderful memories).  Most of our products on Alpaca Direct originate in this wonderful country since this is were a vast majority of the world's Alpacas live. The people of Peru are kind and gracious. The diversity of the terrain and culture is incredible.  Many of the native skills (like weaving and knitting) are still handed down between generations as a part of the unique Peruvian culture.  Many of our products are hand-made in small villages throughout Peru and provide sustainable incomes and help to keep alive the traditions of knitting and fiber arts among the Peruvian people. We hope you enjoy the photos and someday have the opportunities we've had to visit this country and spend time with its people. 

Customer Reviews Gets National Coverage in Internet Retailer Magazine

We were recently interviewed by Internet Retailer Magazine regarding our recent implementation of Customer Reviews.  We know our customers love our products and now with our reviews, our customers can tell each other.  It's a been a big success for everyone.  Here's the  magazine article posted online today. 

Creating Lace with Addi Turbo Lace Needles

I am very blessed to be in a great group of knitters. We are always sharing ideas, patterns, and techniques. We are there for each other when one of us has to rip a sweater out and start over (that is usually me) or just plain frustrated with how something is not coming out right.

 I always know who to go to for specific advice, such as, who specializes in what…the Lace Lady, the Sweater Siren, the Sock Superstar, the Fiber Fanatic, the Gossamer Goddess, and the Felted Bag Bigwig.

 So when it came a starting a KAL (Knit Along) for lace…I knew just who to find. She pulled out these amazing bronze needles, sharp as a finely honed knife (well, maybe not that sharp, but compared to the needles I was using at the time; it was like comparing a Henckels and a old Gin-su knife that I found at the Dollar Store.) I could not believe the difference! I went with a 4; it seems that most of the patterns called for that size.

 Ever since, I have quite the Addi Turbo Lace collection. I have been somewhat spoiled with them. The cord is amazingly flexible and relaxed. I have come to hate the needles that require a good soaking in warm water to loosen up their seemingly permanent shape…something that resembles a tangled ball of nasty yarn. I end up spending more time trying to smooth out the needle cord than starting my casting on!

 I have gone on to use the needles for other projects than just my lace work. They are wonderful at socks, scarves, and I have even put a few sweaters on them.

 Thank you Lace Lady, I will forever be in your debt. 

Fulling Your Alpaca Knitting Projects

Tips from Jody Moody (One of our expert knitters featured in our knitting and spinning videos)

Since alpaca differs in structure than wool from a sheep or cotton from a plant, it behaves differently in the fulling process. I would recommend fulling any of your projects done in alpaca with a moist steam to bring out the beauty of the yarn and your stitch work. I use either a steamer or a steam iron with a somewhat thin towel over the work and then carefully set it with pins if necessary. Be careful not to stretch your work out too much since it will keep stretching as the garment is worn. This can turn a lovely item that fits beautifully off the needles into a over-sized mess. For cleaning, only hand washing and gentle steam; I would not throw this in either the washer or dryer! I like the product Eucalan for cleaning since it does not require rinsing and is environmentally friendly. I once tried that with a baby alpaca yarn that I had mixed in wool stripes and the alpaca stretched while the wool felted!! Never, never throw your mixed yarns together such as a wool and alpaca or silk, in a machine! A seersucker result may emerge, this is a when the wools shrink and the alpacas stretches. Handle those projects with the utmost care…think of all the hours and investment you put into your work, then you will have a garment that you can wear or give away with the greatest of pride.

Knitting on Gauge…or Making Sweaters That Would Fit a Great Dane?

Thoughts from Jody Moody...

Well, I have been working with fiber since I was in the third grade. A classmate, Toni, taught me how to crochet granny squares with acrylic yarns in the funkiest colors imaginable. Then ten years ago, I ended up under the tutelage of a great master spinner, knitter, weaver, and all around fiber craftsperson. By the way, there was a lot of time between the first mentor and my current one. During that time I never heard anything about ‘gauge’. I just thought that all those little boxes on the side of the patterns were for those who needed extra help, perhaps those who did not have my ‘eye’ for estimating what needles should be used.

My new mentor, Teresa, mmmm… interesting I attract mentors that have names that begin with T, told me about the importance of ‘staying on gauge’ and watching my stitches per inch. But not until I had thrown my last tantrum because I had to give ANOTHER sweater away since it would not fit me, did I realize its utmost importance. Knitting by gauge should be the first and foremost lesson all new knitters should learn (right after choosing the correct needles, yarn, and pattern). I have a closet filled with innumerable odd knitted things that did not work because I was NOT on gauge. I usually start out fine on ‘gauge’, but something happens somewhere along the line and there I am knitting stitches so out of range it is as if another person was doing my project with different needles, blindfolded, and perhaps under the influence of some sort of tranquilizer. My last sweater…true labor of love…I was planning for these cool days on the horizon, beautiful silk/soy, with alpaca in gorgeous burgundy, cotton candy pink, variegated vibrant reds/browns, and a cool neutral taupe…ended up at least six sizes too big. I imagined that in the night some sort of evil elf came and worked on the sweater with giant tree limbs for needles, then tried it on his pet elephant to see if it would fit. It would grow inches over night…where do these elves come from? Instead of blaming the gnome of oversized garments, I had to look in the mirror and see the truth staring back at me and hearing my mentor’s voice, “Are you checking your gauge as you knit?” OH, I hate to admit, but she was ever so right. Good mentors are always right! So when I balk her voice, I only need to blame myself for creating just more sweater that would fit my sisters’ pet Great Dane, Woodson, who looks more like a horse that a dog. By the way, the remnants of my beautiful sweater are all balled up and waiting for me to try again, this time I will check the gauge in the beginning, in the middle, and towards the end…and perhaps everywhere in between!

12 New Knitting and Spinning Videos

We've been busy creating some informative videos to help our customers extend their knowledge of knitting and spinning with a drop spindle.  So far, we have posted 12 new free videos for your enjoyment!

Free knitting videos

Alpaca Fleece is Golden Due to Demand from Europe

NBC just posted this article talking about how Alpaca fleece exports from Peru have doubled over the last 4 years.  There is a very strong and growing demand for Alpaca on the world market as many nations in Asia and Europe embrace this luxury fiber in lieu of synthetics.

Choosing An Alpaca Yarn Video

We're happy to let you know we'll be posting videos throughout our website to help educate you about your alpaca yarns, needles and and accessories.  As you may now, we now carry thousands of choices in luxury yarn and not just Alpaca!  We'll be featuring our merino and cotton sock yarns along with our large selection of quality knitting needles from Addi and circular sets from Denise Knitting needles. Stay tuned as Alpaca Direct videos are launched over the coming weeks!