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Here's the latest news from Alpaca Direct
Like many of you, I was researching various masks to make for my friends and family and wanted one that could be made quickly, had a nice fit around the nose, and provided an option for a replaceable filter to provide a little more protection for myself and others nearby. So I fired up my sewing machine and started experimenting!
I finally came up with a mask that I was happy with, so I thought I'd share it.
Handknit gloves are so special, and Kelley has whipped up a great free pattern for an easy pair, knit from our exclusive Bravo yarn. These gloves are soft and luxurious but also very practical. Alpaca is warm and light, so these gloves will be light as air.
One of the challenges of knitting gloves is avoiding the holes that inevitably appear between the fingers, usually because enough stitches weren't picked up or they were picked up too loosely. Kelley has solved that problem!
Sometimes you just need an easy project to work on, and Kelley's new free pattern, the Simple Ribbed Hat, is the perfect cast-on for times like these.
We debuted this pattern on a recent Technique Tuesday on Facebook Live, and Kelley used it to demonstrated how to fix a few common mistakes knitters make all the time (even a pro-level knitter like Kelley!).
You'll learn how to fix dropped stitches, turn purls into knits, and fix incorrectly oriented stitches.
Have you heard of Izzy Dolls? They're darling little toys that are included in aid packages, and are sometimes a child's first toy. Designer Esther Braithwaite has developed many patterns for Izzy Dolls, sometimes called Comfort Dolls, and they're available free in her Ravelry store.
Kelley fell in love with them and decided to feature Izzy Dolls on her weekly Facebook Live broadcast, Technique Tuesday.
After a lot of careful consideration, we are temporarily closing our store due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Customers who have questions that they’d normally ask in our store can get answers through our online VIP community on Facebook. You can also email or call us with questions. In the meantime, thank you for your understanding, your patience, and most of all, for being a part of our local community.
Sometimes you want a little pretty at the end of a project, and the picot cast-off is just the ticket. It makes a lovely edging as you cast off, perfect for baby items or anything, really.
There are a few decorative cast-offs worth knowing, and Kelley demonstrated two of them, the picot cast-off and the Channel Island cast-off, on this week's Technique Tuesday on Facebook Live.
Shop owner Kelley's favorite fiber is alpaca. It's one of the warmest fibers to work with, and so soft—why wouldn't you want it for your baby?
Kelley has developed a free alpaca baby hat, Claire's Baby Hat, and she's following up with a pair of baby socks, Claire's Baby Boot Socks. (If you're wondering who Claire is, she's Kelley and Jim's second granddaughter, due in May.)
Learn how to work a German short-row heel and the Icelandic bind-off!
Alpaca Direct is excited to participate in the upcoming Malabrigo Dos Tierras Knit-Along, beginning on April 1, 2020. We have a fresh supply of Dos Tierras yarn to help you plan your project!
Kelley, our shop owner is getting ready for a new grand baby in May, and her latest project is the Chevron Baby Blanket by Melissa Clulow, a free pattern on Ravelry.
This is a really easy pattern—just a 2-row repeat for the entire thing! So perfect for knit night or TV knitting. It's knit with a worsted-weight yarn, so that makes it quick, too. Kelley used HiKoo CoBaSi Plus for her blanket. It's a blend of cotton, bamboo, silk, and nylon that's perfect for kids; it's machine washable!
A new baby is something to be celebrated, and this coming May, shop owner Kelley is going to welcome her second granddaughter. So exciting! I don't know about you, but I still have some of my own baby clothes saved carefully in my hope chest. These include a receiving blanket and a couple of handmade dresses; they're such wonderful keepsakes.
Kelley designed a future keepsake for her new grand baby, Claire—a hat fittingly named Clair's Baby Hat. It's knit with our new luxury yarn, Bravo, a 100-percent baby alpaca yarn, so it'll be warm, cozy, and beautiful. We are so proud of this luscious yarn!
I just finished repairing a baby blanket that had a hole in it. The owner was anxious to get it back, so it was a rush job. Oh, and the owner of the blanket is 14 years old! Isn't that great? It shows how important these blankies can be for children of all ages.
Shop owners Kelley and Jim are expecting their second grandchild, and Kelley has baby blankets on her mind. I thought I'd share a few options for those of you who need a shower gift or are expecting a baby of your own.
Our shop owner Kelley recently finished Ambah O'Brien's Adventurer Cowl, and during our weekly Technique Tuesday broadcasts on Facebook Live, she demonstrated a few techniques used in the project.
This project is really gorgeous, no matter if you choose a bunch of mini-skeins to work with, or just two colors like Kelley did.
And with so many techniques to practice, it's a great pattern for stretching your skills. Ambah wrote the Adventurer Cowl for advanced beginners and beyond, and if you're a beginning chart reader, the pattern includes both written and charted instructions for the lace.
