Inspiration: Baby Alpaca 100% as a trailing thread - a soft alternative
Baby Alpaca 100% from Smuksak is for you who love a soft, light and luxurious look in your knitwear - but would like an alternative to mohair. The yarn is spun from 100% baby alpaca and has a thin, airy thread, which is particularly suitable as a trailing thread.
It can be used with everything from merino and wool to cotton and cashmere blends, where it adds softness, warmth and a light, woolly look. Perfect when you want to give your knitting project a little extra volume and a more exclusive feel - without necessarily using mohair.
In this blog post, you will get facts about Baby Alpaca 100%, how the yarn feels when knitted, and inspiration for how you can use it in your projects.
Briefly about Baby Alpaca 100%
Baby Alpaca 100% is a thin alpaca thread from Smuksak.
Material: 100% baby alpaca
Weight & running length: 25 g / 200 m
Application: Follower thread
Expression: Soft, light, warm and slightly fuzzy
Good alternative to: Silk Mohair
What is a baby alpaca?
Baby alpaca is not alpaca from a baby alpaca, but denotes the finest and softest alpaca fibers. The fibers are known to be very comfortable against the skin, while also being comfortable. Our Baby Alpaca is spun in Peru from the finest fibers available for hand knitting.
Alpaca has a natural warmth and lightness, which makes the fiber an obvious choice for knitwear, which should feel soft and luxurious without being heavy. At the same time, Baby Alpaca 100% has a more subdued and calm expression than classic mohair, which makes it easy to use in many different types of projects.
Hvordan føles Baby Alpaca 100% i strik?
Baby Alpaca 100% provides a soft, warm and slightly waxed surface. When knitted together with another yarn, it adds fullness and a more fluffy structure, but without taking over the expression completely.
It is especially good if you would like to:
- make a yarn softer and more comfortable
- add warmth without making the project heavy
- create a light, fluffy expression
- substitute Silk Mohair in a recipe
- give the elastic a more luxurious and soft fall
Compared to Silk Mohair, you get a slightly more woolly and subdued look. This makes Baby Alpaca 100% a really fine choice for those who want a soft trailing thread without the classic mohair look.
What can you knit with Baby Alpaca 100%?
Baby Alpaca 100% can be used in many of the same projects where you would otherwise use a trailing thread. It works both in small accessories and larger clothing items, where it provides extra softness, warmth and fullness.
It is particularly suitable for:
- sweaters and cardigans with a soft, slightly woolly look
- scarves, shawls and neck warmers
- hats, headbands and mittens
- baby and children's knitwear
- recipes where you knit with one thread of wool/merino + one follower thread
- projects where you want an alternative to Silk Mohair
You can also knit with several threads Baby Alpaca 100% alone if you want a completely light, soft and airy alpaca project. It gives a very simple and exclusive look, especially in scarves, light blouses and small accessories.
Baby Alpaca as an alternative to Silk Mohair
Many recipes use Silk Mohair as a thread, but Baby Alpaca 100% can in many cases be used as a soft alternative.
Choose Baby Alpaca 100% if you would like:
- a trailing thread without mohair
- a soft and warm expression
- a more calm and woolly surface
- a yarn that feels comfortable against the skin
- a slightly fluffy result without too much "hair"
It is especially a good choice for those of you who think mohair can scratch, shed or feel too "flying" in expression.
Yarn: 1 thread Silk Mohair Lux (fv. 6023) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca 100% (fv. 0175)
Consumption:
XS - 4 ngl Baby Alpaca + 3-4 ngl Silk Mohair Lux
S-M - 4 ngl Baby Alpaca + 4 ngl Silk Mohair Lux
L - 5 ngl Baby Alpaca + 4 ngl Silk Mohair Lux
XL-2XL - 5 ngl Baby Alpaca + 5 ngl Silk Mohair Lux
3XL-4XL - 6 ngl Baby Alpaca + 5 ngl Silk Mohair Lux
5XL - 6 ngl Baby Alpaca + 6 ngl Silk Mohair Lux
TIP: Silk Mohair Lux can be replaced by Silk Mohair or Kimsa
Find the recipe here.
2) Maria Blouse from LeKnit
Yarn: 1 thread Baby Alpaca 100% (formerly CA03) + 1 thread Silk Mohair (fv. 30792) +
Consumption (short sleeves):
XXS-XS - 4 ngl Baby Alpaca + 4 ngl Silk Mohair
S - 4-5 ngl Baby Alpaca + 4-5 ngl Silk Mohair
M - 5 ngl Baby Alpaca + 5 ngl Silk Mohair
L-XL - 6 ngl Baby Alpaca + 6 ngl Silk Mohair
2XL - 6-7 ngl Baby Alpaca + 6 ngl Silk Mohair
3XL - 7 ngl Baby Alpaca + 6 ngl Silk Mohair
4XL - 7 ngl Baby Alpaca + 7 ngl Silk Mohair
5XL - 7-8 ngl Baby Alpaca + 7 ngl Silk Mohair
3) Poppy Tee from PetiteKnit
Yarn: 1 thread Eco Soft Cashmere (fv. 2745) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca 100% (formerly SFN61)
Consumption :
XS - 7 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 5 ngl Baby Alpaca
S - 8 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 5 ngl Baby Alpaca
M - 8-9 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 5-6 ngl Baby Alpaca
L-XL - 9 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 6 ngl Baby Alpaca
2XL - 10 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 6 ngl Baby Alpaca
3XL - 11 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 7 ngl Baby Alpaca
4XL - 12 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 7 ngl Baby Alpaca
5XL - 13 ngl Eco Soft Cashmere + 8 ngl Baby Alpaca
Find the recipe here.
4) No Dikkedarer Sweater from PetiteKnit
Yarn: 1 thread Reloved Merino (fv. S014) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca 100% (fv. C838)
Consumption:
XS - 5 skeins Reloved Merino + 5 skeins Baby Alpaca
S - 5 skeins Reloved Merino + 6 skeins Baby Alpaca
M-L - 6 skeins Reloved Merino + 7 skeins Baby Alpaca
XL-2XL - 7 skeins Reloved Merino + 8 skeins Baby Alpaca
3XL - 7-8 skeins Reloved Merino + 8 skeins Baby Alpaca
Find recipe here.
5) Lyra Blouse from AegyoKnit
Yarn: 1 thread True Silk (formerly SM32) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca 100% (formerly C970)
Consumption:
Str. 1 - 4 ngl True Silk + 5 ngl Baby Alpaca
Str. 2-4 - 5 ngl True Silk + 6 ngl Baby Alpaca
Str. 5-6 ngl True Silk + 7-8 ngl Baby Alpaca
Str. 6-7 - 7 ngl True Silk + 8-9 ngl Baby Alpaca
Find recipe here.
6) Birch Cardigan from Mille Fryd Knitwear
Yarn: 1 thread Shetland Wool (formerly SL120) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca 100% (f. C866)
Consumption: As in the recipe.
Find recipe here.
7) Sophie Scarf from PetiteKnit
Yarn: 1 thread VIP (fv. 14393) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca (fv. 2412)
Consumption: 1 key VIP + 1 key Baby Alpaca for both sizes
Find the recipe here.
7) Smuksak Tee from Butik Smuksak
Yarn: 1 thread Kimsa (fv. 6488) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca (fv. 4559)
Consumption:
XS-S - 4 ngl Baby Alpaca + 4 ngl Kimsa
M-L - 5 ngl Baby Alpaca + 5 ngl Kimsa
XL - 5-6 ngl Baby Alpaca + 5-6 ngl Kimsa
2XL-3XL - 6 ngl Baby Alpaca + 6 ngl Kimsa
Find the recipe here.
8) Light_Loop_Sweater from Other Loops
Yarn: 1 thread Kimsa (fv. 1395) + 1 thread Baby Alpaca (formerly B118)
Consumption:
XS-S - 3 ngl Baby Alpaca + 3 ngl Kimsa
M-XXL - 4 ngl Baby Alpaca + 4 ngl Kimsa
Find the recipe here.
9) Floralia Scarf from Knitamore
Yarn: 2 threads Baby Alpaca 100% (formerly SFN61 + SFN63)
Consumption: As in the recipe.
Find recipe here.
