Introducing Estelle Alpaca Merino Fine

Even though this may be the the first official week of Summer, in the yarn industry, we always have to be one step ahead of Mother Nature- which means that we are already welcoming tonnes of new yarns for Fall 2016 into the Estelle warehouse! This season we have put a strong focus on creating classic, staple yarns of the highest quality, that will produce exceptional garments and accessories to be worn for years to come!
One new yarn that we are particularly excited about this Fall is our Alpaca Merino Fine, a blend of 55% Merino Wool, 25% Nylon and 20% Alpaca. Made in Bolivia, this fingering weight yarn is warm, breathable, hard-wearing, and it only gets softer, the more it gets washed, worn and loved.

Being that this yarn is so new, we haven’t yet had a chance to publish any new patterns for it. But fortunately for us, the World Wide Web provides us with plenty of pattern ideas, options, and inspiration. So without further ado, allow us to share with you a few patterns that we think would be simply stunning knit in our new Alpaca Merino Fine. 

The nice thing about fingering weight yarn is that it has absolutely incredible yardage. One skein often will get you a very generous sized scarf! Which is why we thought that the Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronique Avery would be beautiful knit in the Alpaca Merino Fine. With a gentle lace pattern that zigs and zags throughout the entire length of the scarf, this project is compact enough to take anywhere with you, easy enough to work on while socializing, but challenging enough to satisfy your inner lace knitter. Want to make it longer? Or wider? No problem! Just be sure to pick up an extra skein (or two!)

And while we are on the topic of one-skein-projects, this hat is perfect if you’re new to knitting in the round- or if you are new to knitting generally! Using only one skein of Estelle’s Alpaca Merino Fine, the Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure is the absolute perfect “cottage knit”. Pick up an extra skein in a contrasting colour and knit some stripes! Or maybe even use up those pesky little balls of left over sock yarn to throw in a few pops of colour along the way.

For those of you who really like knitting with the finer gauge yarns, then the Boxy Sweater by Joji Locatelli is just the project for you. While it is not overly challenging as far as sweater patterns go, it could be considered a bit time consuming due to the thinner nature of this yarn. However, this sweater (much like the yarn) is a classic, and you will be able to wear it for years to come. Since the majority of this project is stocking stitch, it will make for an ideal Summer project- perfect for knitting on your porch with a drink! And by the time you are about ready to cast off, it will be just the time of year that you will find yourself wanting to wear it.

Since so many knitters automatically think “socks” when they see a 100 gram skein of fingering weight yarn (especially one with a dash of nylon thrown into the mix!), it would be remiss of us not to share our sock pattern with you once again. One skein of the Estelle Alpaca Merino Fine would knit you a pair of the warmest socks imaginable. Know someone who works outside in work boots all winter long? Then what are you waiting for? Cast a pair on! Absolutely nothing will keep their feet warmer. With that 25% nylon thrown in for good measure, these socks will withstand some pretty heavy duty wear and tear before they find themselves in need of a mending job. To get your hands on our sock pattern, click the link below.

Estelle Sock Pattern

And of course, we would not (and could not!) forget the crocheters in the crowd, so here is a pattern for all of you that are keen to get hooking. Purl Soho’s Granny Stripe Blanket is simple, classic and irresistibly snuggly. This project would make the perfect wedding gift, cuddly Christmas present, or addition to your very own corner of the couch. While many of us don’t tend to think of working on big blankets in the warmer weather, the lightweight nature of the fingering weight yarn won’t bog you down during those warm weather crochet sessions.

Should you be on the hunt for even more ideas and inspiration for our new Alpaca Merino Fine yarn, then be sure to sign up for a Ravelry account (if you haven’t already), click on the ‘Patterns’ tab, and search through fingering weight pattern ideas. But watch out! Doing so will severely impact the amount of time left that you actually have to knit.

To view the full range of Alpaca Merino Fine shades, please click here. And to find a yarn store near you that stocks this yarn, click here.

Happy knitting and crocheting everyone!

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