PLY article index

With the range of alpaca colors available, what happens when you dye alpaca fiber? This article uses natural dyeing techniques to dye white, medium fawn (light brown), medium silver gray, and medium brown alpaca fiber. Dyes used include cochineal, madder, logwood, fustic, indigo, and weld.

How to spin the yarn used to make the Andean Inspired Vest (pattern in this issue), using both natural-colored alpaca and dyed alpaca.

This vest pattern is a love note from the designer to the Andes mountains. The earthy alpaca yarn and the colorwork design pay homage to her travels through Peru, Bolivia, and Uruguay.

Discusses similarities and differences between the two types of alpaca fiber and wool. Like wool, alpaca fiber is warm, soft, and resistant to flame, and it holds moisture away from the body. However, there are significant differences — both between alpaca and wool and between Suri and Huacaya. These differences are largely due to the fiber and lock structure. The article ends with a section on what all of this means for spinners working with alpaca fiber.

Suri alpaca is a gorgeous option for lockspinning; however, because it is such a fine, slippery fiber, the method used for lockspinning needs to account for the nature of Suri to get the to attach easily and securely. The author works through preparing the fiber, setting up your wheel, what to do while spinning, and some other options for working with these locks.

This article compares several different ways to spin alpaca and includes four preps: combed top, carded sliver, batts attenuated through a diz into roving, and rolags. Each preparation is spun short forward draw and long draw to compare the effect each drafting method had on the yarn.

Using alpaca processed into pin-drafted roving, the author spun all of the yarns for this article worsted and created a knitted and woven sample for each one, focusing on the size and grist to create the sample yarns. The yarns spun for this article were 2500 YPP, cabled 1200 YPP, 1090 YPP, 572 YPP, and 240 YPP. The article shows the stats and comments on each yarn and swatches made from that yarn.

For this article, the author used a handspun alpaca yarn for the effect yarn while creating boucle, trying out three different variations: a thin combed Suri top, a cloud of Huacaya, and a carded alpaca roving. Article includes some helpful tips for spinning these boucle yarns and explains how to spin each one: a cabled boucle with a commercial binder and two versions of a class 3-part boucle.

Explains how to spin the yarn for the Alpaca Amigurumi pattern (in this issue). One yarn is a boucle and the other two yarns are worsted-style 2-ply yarns.

Pattern to crochet an alpaca amigurumi, including an optional saddle.

Article explores the qualities of alpaca and how it interacts with other fibers in a blend. The blends include alpaca and Merino, alpaca and silk, alpaca and cashmere, alpaca and angora, and alpaca and flax.

Author tests various types of spindles with alpaca fiber and compares the results. The spindles include a tahkli, pocket Russian, ebony bead spindle, lightweight drop spindle, 3D-printed Turkish spindle, top whorl drop spindle, kick spindle, and a large clay support spindle. Along with the written results, charts are included which show the stats of each spindle as well as the results of the yarns spun on each spindle as well as the resulting knitted swatches.

Describes how to spin the yarn — alpaca singles plied with silk hankies — to make the Zia Licia Scarf (pattern in this issue).

Knit pattern for a scarf that uses a textured lightweight yarn made of Suri alpaca plied with silk hankies. This simple lace pattern with a 4-row repeat makes it easy for the spinner to use all the yarn they spun, with minimal waste.

Described how the author prepped some short-staple cria (the first clip from an alpaca) to be used for the earrings project (in this issue). She blended the alpaca fiber with other short-stapled luxury fibers and explains how to blend these short fibers using a drum carder.

Explains how to spin the fiber used for the earring project (in this issue), a short-stapled alpaca blended with other luxury fibers. Also contains discussion of some other blending experiments the author tried with the alpaca fiber.

Weaving pattern to create a pair of earrings using a basic log cabin design.

The author describes his experience of learning about Andean spinning, including the mismiy technique, which is used to make ropes in the Andes. He explains about the history of sling braiding and describes his own experience with it.

This article discusses the author’s experience with “backyard alpacas” — those owned by small farms or hobbyists who aren’t planning to make a living with their animals. It describes the basic care and medical care the animals will need as well as some questions to ask if you are considering getting some alpacas of your own.

Discusses both Huacaya alpacas and Suri alpacas, including history, personality, fiber colors, pattern genes, fiber characteristics, alpaca grades (prime/blanket fiber, second grade fiber, and thirds).

This article provides details about the staple length, micron count, and qualities of 20 sheep breeds, including short and fine breeds (Merino, Cormo, Rambouillet, Polypay, Targhee), medium all-purpose breeds (Corriedale, Columbia, CVM/Romeldale), long wool breeds (Bluefaced Leicester [BFL], Coopwroth, Leicester Longwool, Lincoln, Teeswater, Wensleydale), Down and down-like breeds (Cheviot, Oxford, Shropshire, Southdown), and double-coated breeds (Shetland, Icelandic, Navajo-Churro).

Article lists details about a number of plant fibers with a brief description and some suggested uses. Fibers include cotton, coconut coir, kapok, milkweek, bombax cotton, akhund floss, pina (pineapple silk), abaca (banana silk), sisal/agave, flax, hemp, ramie/nettle, jute, and kenaf (hibiscus).

Article provides a basic rundown of what you need to scour (clean) a fleece including some simple steps for scouring. There’s also a section on what to look for when buying a raw fleece.

Article explains the process and descriptions used for grading fleece, which is how the fleece is classified into different categories based on the fineness of the wool fibers. It discusses the main categories of fleece: fine, medium, long wool, down, and multicoated.