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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. 

The Magic Loop allows you to knit your socks 2-at-a-time in the round so you don't have the second sock syndrome.  In other words you finish both socks at the same time and they will match!  

Also, this method allow you to use one circular needle to make very small and very large items all on the same needle. You can complete much more quickly with this method once you learn it compared to using double pointed needles. 

The cable cast on is a great way to cast on in the middle of your knitting.  Here's a step by step video tutorial where Kelley shows you this handy knitting technique.

Great news! We're a yarn store near you, regardless of where you live! 

All you need is a smartphone or computer, laptop or tablet, and you can shop for yarn, needles, knitting and crochet patterns, and more, right from the comfort of your own home at Alpaca Direct. We ship to nearly anywhere in the United States in 2 to 3 days and have a hassle free return policy. We also have a shop in Hayden, Idaho, so if you live nearby or are visiting the Coeur d'Alene area, be sure to come by and see us in person! 

Garter tabs are used to knit shawls when you want your garter stitch edge to be continuous.  You start at the center of the shawl and you knit the garter stitch edge in both directions.  

Using the method in this video, I used the Judy's Magic Cast On then flipped my work over so that my purl bumps were showing, then began to knit flat on one side back and forth to create the garter stitch edge. 

The long-tail cast on method is one of the most popular cast on methods in knitting. 

The reason it is so popular is it easy to do and it adds structure to the edge of your project. 

Learn How To Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK). This decrease slants the stitches to the left on the knit side of the work.

Determining how much yarn you need for a project is a very common problem we see in our store and with our online customers.  You don't want to over buy but you also don't want to run short and not be able to match your dye lot or worse yet, find another skein if it is no longer available. 

Fortunately, most knit and crochet patterns include a list of materials, including how many skeins of yarn you will need to complete the project. However, sometimes we have to ask the question, How Much Yarn Do I Need?

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!