Alpaca Direct Blog

It's summertime, and the knitting is breezy. Here are 5 great patterns to cast on (and wear!) during the summer months.

Never stop knitting, regardless of the heat!

Kelley debuted these summer wash cloth and soap sack patterns on her Facebook Live show, Technique Tuesday. Join her every Tuesday at 9:30 am Pacific on our Facebook feed. If you're not a fan yet, we'd love to have you!

I'm going through my closet, getting rid of things that don't fit or I no longer like. I have a huge pile of sweaters that need to be stored for the winter, and I decided I'd do the knitterly thing and get them all tidy so I can wear them right away come fall.

Here are my 5 steps for getting sweaters ready for summer hibernation.

Many of us knit garments and accessories, but not home decor pieces. Kelley is working on her Cable Channel Knit-Along project, which is a pillow cover, and it got me thinking about all of the cool projects you can knit to bring your love of fiber into your home. Get your knit decor on with six of my favorite patterns from Alpaca Direct!

Kelley shows you how to knit the Left Twist.  This is a nice complementary stitch to regular cabling, plus you can add these twists without the extra work of using a cable needle. This stitch looks good as a border on the edge of regular cables.

Learn How to Knit the Right Twist Knitting Stitch Kelley shows you how to knit the Right Twist. This is a nice complementary stitch to regular cabling, plus you can add these twists without the extra work of using a cable needle. This stitch looks good as a border on the edge of regular cables.

I use circular needles pretty much exclusively, and all my knitting friends do, too. There are a few reasons for this, not the least of which is that circular needles are more readily available these days than straight needles. They're also easier to knit with than straight needles because they don't hit the table or your lap while you're knitting (does this happen to anyone else?) and you won't lose one of them!

There are many things to consider when choosing circular needles, and I'm going to compare materials and brands like Addi, Chiaogoo, Knitter's Pride and more, as well as talk a little about the interchangeable sets we offer. Whether you prefer metal, wood, or bamboo, we've got circular needles for you.

In this video, Kelley shows you how to cast on using the Crochet Cast On Technique.  This Cast On allows you to seam your edges more easily.  This is an unstructured cast on that uses your actual working yarn vs. a regular provisional cast on that uses scrap yarn to complete the technique.

Kelley shows you how to insert a lifeline in your knitting. This is a great technique to use in case you make a mistake and need to go back to a previous row. You will have a secure line to rip back to where the stitches are correctly oriented and can be easily put back on your needles. It is also a great to use when lace knitting and complex cable knitting.

Did your needles fall off your work? No worries! Kelley Hobart from Alpaca Direct shows you how to get your stitches back onto the needles quickly and easily.

I knit the Entrechat shrug for our granddaughter, Evie, for Easter. If you're a beginning sweater knitter, a baby sweater is perfect to practice with, and this little shrug is so darling, with lots of fun features.

One our employees (Doug) was recently married and he and his wife will be having their first baby in May.  I wanted to make something special for them and their baby so I decided to create a vintage style baby blanket that looks nice on both sides and is machine washable.