Yarn Review - Viking Alpaca Silk

So as part of my blog posts, I've decided I'm going to provide reviews for yarns I've worked with, and happen to enjoy (and some maybe not so enjoy). I've searched the web for yarn reviews but they fail to provide all the information I require in a very succinct manner that's easy for knitters to understand. Also most of the yarns I've worked with, I haven't found reviews for. So I hope the knitters out there who have been in the same predicament as me, will find these little review's helpful. Disclaimer: I am in no way endorsing any particular yarns or am I a paid spokesperson for any of these companies. All costs are in Canadian dollars from either web or local resources (Toronto, Ontario) unless otherwise specified.

Remainder of the ball after constructing a pair of baby socks and fingerless mittens.



Brand: Viking Alpaca Silk / Viking of Norway
www.viking-garn.no
Blend: 50% alpaca - 50% silk
Made in Peru - No weight specified
Colour: #445
Care Instructions: Hand wash, light iron
Skein Size: 50gr/1.76oz or 133m / 147.7y
Cost: $8-11.00/ball

Review: Initially the hand of this yarn is much more rough/scratchy than I figured it would be since it is 50% silk, however this yarn was a pleasure to work with. The rich consistent colour caught my eye, and I saw it as a hip baby colour for the fall season, and as it turns out, it works very well with some small baby items I was able to quickly knit up.

One pair child size fingerless gloves and socks.

I find it worked better for the fingerless mittens then it did for the socks however since it didn't have the elasticity naturally required for knitting socks. But I had never tried these before so I thought this was a great little test subject. I adore the fingerless mittens for babies and I think one lucky baby will be very happy with these for fall.

 

One thing that was very good about this ball is the value. 133m goes a long way when knitting tiny baby items. I feel I could easily get another pair of mittens or socks out of what is left from this single ball. This yarn also knits up very easily on steel/metal/aluminum needles but not as well on bamboo or wooden hardware as I feel sticking and snagging could be a problem.

 

Recommendations: I would recommend using this yarn for fall/winter based garments such as shawls, mittens, or boot toppers. I would NOT recommend this for scarves, sweaters, or hats as the hand of the yarn is just a bit scratchy for these items and could potentially irritate sensitive bare skin.

 

 

 

 

Pattern(s) used in this post:

Half-Pint Fingerless Gloves by Théa Rosenburg free pattern available on Ravelry at:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/half-pint-fingerless-gloves

 

Super Quick Baby Socks by Dilys Sutherland free pattern available:

http://blossomknitwear.yolasite.com/super-quick-baby-socks.php