Fulling Your Alpaca Knitting Projects

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.