New Yarn: Shepherdess Alpaca
Purl Soho’s new Shepherdess Alpaca roams across the imagination, wild and free. One hundred percent undyed, handspun alpaca, it is straight from the grassy highlands of Peru and the artisans who live there.
Each skein of this extraordinary yarn expresses the spirit of the women who created it. Their hands are on every aspect of every skein, from raising the Huacaya alpaca who are the source of this fiber, to sheering, washing, and carding the fibers, to spinning and winding the yarn. It is their deep knowledge and passionate energy that makes Shepherdess Alpaca so incredibly special.
Shepherdess Alpaca comes in a natural palette of four undyed colors: Heirloom White, a warm and creamy ivory; Wood Thrush, a toasty mix of browns; Starling, a moody black with hints of light; and Bantam Hen, a little something of everything!
For us, keeping this yarn off the needles is impossible! A nice and bulky 2 1/4 to 3 stitches to the inch on US 10 to 13 needles, we love Shepherdess Alpaca for quick sweaters and warm accessories. We started off our collection with four free patterns, each a simple ode to the beauty of the yarn itself.
Top Row: Brindle Scarf and Mountain Capelet
Bottom Row: Syncopated Cowl and Drift Vest
Shepherdess Alpaca thrills us with its surprises, depth, and integrity, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome it into our collection!
How do you care for this yarn?
Hi Silvia,
Thanks for writing in and for your interest! We recommend hand washing Shepherdess! All of the information about care, gauge, recommended needle sizes, etc. can be found on the Product Details tab on the product page!
Please let us know if you have any further questions!
Cassy
Could we get more information about this yarn?
Where is it from? Where was it spun?
What length and weight is a skein?
Thanks!
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for writing in and for your interest in our newest yarn! Shepherdess comes in 100 gram skeins that measure 123 yarns and yield 2.25 – 3 stitches per inch on US 10-13 needles. It is undyed alpaca harvested and spun in Peru. All the particulars for each of yarns can be found on their product pages on the Product Details tab. Shepherdess can be found here: https://www.purlsoho.com/yarn/shepherdess-alpaca.html
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Another lovely yarn! Is it soft? Am working with flax down and
Loving it.
Hi Sally,
Thanks for the lovely comment! The Shepherdess Alpaca is super soft and silky, much like the Flax Down. I think you’ll enjoy it!
-Adam
Can you knit the brindle scarf with single pointed needles? Would it work if instead of sliding I transfer the stitches without knitting them?
Thank you
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for writing in.
If you really wanted to use straight, single pointed needles you could slip all of the stitches without knitting them to get to the tail of yarn on the opposite side. You would have to do this every other row, but it should work out fine. I’ve personally never tried this technique but I don’t see why not.
If you do this you want to make sure you slip all the stitches purl wise while transferring them or you will have some twisted stitches.
Good luck and Happy knitting!
Jake
Thank you for your reply. I knit with a needle under my arm and I cannot get use to do it any other way, unfortunately, since most patterns are for knitting in the round,
Laura
Nice scarfs.
Are you still carrying the Shepherdess Alpaca yarn? I wanted to buy more of the Bantam Hen but I can’t locate it on your website.
Thanks!
Hi Melinda,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately Shepherdess Alpaca has been discontinued and we do not have any left in stock – I am so sorry about that! I would suggest substituting either Super Soft Alpaca or Jade Sapphire Genghis.
Best,
Julianna
Do you not sell the Shepherdess Alpaca yarn to make the capelet anymore? If not, what yarn would I use? Thanks!
Hello Jennifer,
Thank you for reaching out! Super Soft Merino or Brooklyn Tweed Quarry would both be beautiful substitutions in my opinion – as always, when substituting a different yarn, you should knit a gauge swatch, but both of these yarns should knit up to the same gauge as Shepherdess Alpaca!
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Is this yarn only available in kits?
Hello Roxanne,
Thank you for reaching out! This yarn has been discontinued so it is sadly no longer available.
Let us know if you have any further questions and happy knitting!
-Marilla
How many yards of the Super Soft Merino or Brooklyn Tweed Quarry are needed for the Mountain Caplet and for the Drift Vest?
Hello Deborah,
Great question! This project takes 295 (335, 385, 440) yards.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Do you ever plan on bringing back Shepherdess marled alpaca?
Hi Karen,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately, Shepherdess Alpaca has been discontinued and will not be coming back. In its place, I would suggest using our lovely Lovebird!
I hope this helps!
Gianna
Hi. Do you not selv the shepdess Alpaca enymore.
Hi Alice,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m so sorry to say that we’ve discontinued Shepherdess Alpaca! While we loved this yarn, not everybody else felt the same way, so we’ve had to make the sad decision to stop producing it. We hope you can understand!
Apologies for the disappointing news, but please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.
All the best,
Lili