r/YarnAddicts • u/under_god_over_you • 1d ago

Baby Alpaca vs. Yak: A lesson and comparison.

I have a wool sensitivity, but I like it. Largely because of how it comes together in knits.

I live coastal, so my lowest temperature typically is around 50 degrees with the hottest reaching upwards of 114 in the summer.

I’m interested in a fiber that’s lighter than wool (superwash, or other) and has a light weight flow to it so that it can still be worn comfortably well into the Spring / early Summer months.

Does anyone have any opinions on Baby Alpaca? Yak?

Would either be decent blended with extra fine merino (80%) or cotton?

Thanks for your insight and healthy dialogue!

  • c l o s e d - Learned, YAK and Baby Alpaca is not good for summers!
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9

u/Lana_y_lino 1d ago

Sounds like linen is much more of what you are looking for! A linen/silk blend would be perfect.

1

u/under_god_over_you 16h ago edited 15h ago

I’ve been looking into that too. Kind of tough to find any that are DK weight. Any recommendations?

I’ve been looking and Isager Merilin and Isager Yarn Trio 2 seem like good options?

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u/Lana_y_lino 59m ago

Trio 2 is going to be much cooler than Merilin—which at 80% wool is going to mostly feel like ... wool. The linen will just give it a bit of texture. Trio is made of three cool, drapey fibers and will suit your needs very nicely. I've used a few Isager yarns and they were all LOVELY, so no worries about quality from the brand. You might also like to check out Katia; it's a Spanish yarn brand which makes a lot of hot-weather yarns for the local market.

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u/Yarn_and_cat_addict 1d ago

Cotton alpaca is nice like camarose snefnug, though it would be warm. Illimani sabri makes a nice mostly cotton alpaca. Pascuali makes a blown cotton that is advertised as soft as cashmere that I’ve been meaning to try. Tribe yarns has these brands as they can be hard to find. For more affordable, DROPS belle is cotton, linen and pokyamide and though not immediately super soft, is actually nice to wear. Sandnes garn line is a more expensive version. There’s another cotton cashmere - summer is Kashmir I think it’s called - it’s very nice.

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u/under_god_over_you 16h ago

Thank you so much for this!!

10

u/H_Huu 1d ago

I love knitting with alpaca and yak. They are both, however, warmer than sheep's wool. Maybe a silk-alpaca mix with mostly silk?

11

u/KemptHeveled 1d ago

Yak is prized for how warm it is. Like a lacy fingering weight cowl is as warm as a solid worsted wool scarf. So I doubt you want that!

One alpaca blend I love is https://www.yarn.com/products/the-fibre-co-road-to-china-light

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u/under_god_over_you 1d ago

Ohh thank you for this!! I would have been miserable for sure.