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Meet the Alpaca that produce the yarn...

These are just a few of the Alpaca at Chas Brooke & Rachel Hedbditch's farm in Devon. Alpaca are a herd animal with a natural curiosity and become anxious if separated from the herd.

Even a visit to the vet becomes a family affair as seen in a recent TV vet programme, where a sick alpaca had to be  accompanied by his mother and grandmother!

Shade Card

Our shade card has samples of the current shade range of luxury designer UK Alpaca wool -  double knit yarn for hand knitting.

UK Alpaca super fine alpaca yarn double knit wool 100g balls and UK Alpaca super fine alpaca yarn double knit wool 50g balls are blended with Blue-Faced Leicester sheep's  wool. 

All of the alpaca wool that we sell comes from British herds and is available in natural and dyed shades.

We also have a range of baby grade alpaca blended with organic merino wool and baby grade alpaca with unbleached Tussah silk. Our baby grade alpaca is also 100% British and is available in natural and dyed shades.

Black is 100% pure alpaca, all other shades are at least 70% alpaca.

Yarn Information

UK Alpaca yarns are double knit and supplied in conditioned 50g or 100g balls. A 50g ball is approximately 132m of yarn and 100g is approximately 265m. The super fine quality of UK Alpaca means that there is more length in a ball of our yarn compared to other brand, making UK Alpaca excellent value for money.


UK Alpaca can be used for patterns requiring double knit yarn.

Tension Information

To achieve a tension square of 10.2cm x 10.2cm using UK Alpaca yarn.
Needles Sizes:

US
UK
      
7 4.5mm
21 sts
 x 27 rows
6 4.0mm 24 sts x 33 rows
5 3.75mm
25 sts x 34 rows
4 3.0mm 28 sts x 38 rows

About UK Alpaca Yarn

Where does UK Alpaca yarn come from?

Alpaca yarn is spun from the fleece of alpacas, which are closely related to the llama. The animals do not suffer to produce the yarn - they are sheared in the same way that sheep are.

Alpacas are natives of South America, mainly Peru, but they are now successfully bred in North America, Australia, Europe and Britain. There are approximately 10,000 alpaca in Britain. All of the alpaca yarn for sale on this site comes from the fleece of alpaca reared in Britain.

UK Alpaca-100% British

UK Alpaca breeders Chas Brooke & Rachel Hebditch, use the fleeces from their own alpaca and also buy fleece from breeders throughout Britain. It is graded by hand at their farm in Devon and processed in the traditional way in the North of England. The yarns are spun using the worsted process as this exploits the natural properties of alpaca fibre giving a smooth, strong yarn that shows off the natural brightness of the fibre.

What makes UK Alpaca yarn so special?

Alpaca is a highly desired, luxury fibre. Its special properties are:
  • very strong natural fibre - high durability
  • hypo-allergenic – alpaca does not contain lanolin and so it is perfect for knitting for babies and for anyone with a wool allergy.
  • soft and silky - nice to wear next to the skin and nice to work with
  • a high lustre - gives items an attractive natural sheen
  • washes very well.
  • quite fire resistent.
  • easy to work with.

What can I use UK Alpaca yarn for?

UK Alpaca yarn is perfect for hand knitting and spinning. UK Alpaca is silky smooth and is very easy to handle and pleasurable to work with. There are 22 natural colours including true black but UK Alpaca can be dyed to produce a wide range of colours. UK Alpaca can be used for hand knitting:
  • cardigans
  • sweaters
  • waistcoasts
  • hats, scarves, gloves
  • baby clothes,bootees & mittens
  • baby blankets
  • cushion covers, tea cosies
and many more garments, accessories and soft furnishings.
Alpaca yarn is hypoallergenic: it does not contain lanolin, and it is suitable for knitters and anyone who wants to wear hand knit garments but suffer from a wool allergy. It is also perfect for babies' sensitive skin.

Alpaca can also be felted successfully to create felted garments, accessories and soft furnishings.

Meet our Alpaca...

uk_alpaca_shade_card