# Alpaca wool



## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

I've spun it and knitted it so what happens when you wash it? Will it relax? Get smaller? Or stay the same. 

This is in a knee sock which fits slightly loosely ( not enough to fall down right now but my sister is worried about after they are washed). I just want to make sure they aren't too tight and really I think the looseness she is complaining about is because he are not totally fitted to her calf and are lose in some places.

So before I knit the second sock what should I do?


----------



## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

Got her to pose for a photo. And had her jump up and down several times and it did slide just a little at the ankle. She wants them for warmth in the house and to go in her riding boots on long winter trail rides.


----------



## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Dunno about how it will change after it's washed, but pure alpaca doesn't have a lot of "spring" to it, which is why pure alpaca doesn't work all that well for socks that cling. Can you reknit the top edge of the sock with a strand of elastic thread alongside the alpaca yarn? Perhaps a couple strands of elastic thread could be sewn along the back of the stitches at the top of the sock?

I think you can felt alpaca, although that would make it smaller, I'm pretty sure.

Oh, the picture you posted just showed up. Nice sock! Lucky sister, even though you make her pose for pictures and jump up and down. The cuff is nice that should keep the socks up. Dunno about the washing bit, although I suppose you could try handwashing and see what happens? Don't do a lot of agitation in really hot water and don't let the water temperature go from really hot to cold all of a sudden and that should keep felting to a minimum.


----------



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Alpaca sucks up a lot of water,then it stretches out. So wash in a sink and squish the water out,then rinse. Don't pick up the item with water in it, you know like letting the sock hang down,keep it bunched.Squish then roll in towel and walk on rolled towel to get water out ,dry flat.


----------



## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

The top cuff is 6 inches of 2x2 ribbing that is folded over. And that didn't move just some of the leg that slid enough to make a slight wrinkle at the ankle. I asked her to really jump to try to make it slide down.


----------



## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

I recently crocheted several infinity scarves for my daughter's birthday, two wool and one alpaca. They were all the same size, and then I threw them in the washer and dryer (*giggles*) to "full" them. The alpaca fulled so much in the dryer that it was SUPER fluffy, closed up the gaps and shrank down to about 2/3 the size it started from! LOL 

This was from my own sheep and alpaca, but sent to a commercial processor for roving and then I spun and plied it myself. If you buy alpaca all ready to knit and crochet, I'm not sure what the results will be.


----------



## Wind in Her Hair (Jul 18, 2002)

as others stated- pure alpaca has NO memory so it doesn't spring back into place like wool does but it is warmmmmmm!!!!! Hot, even. 

Those will be awesome socks but alpaca also kind of wears quickly - it is rather tender - so tell her to wear them only when they are clean - sand and soil act like sandpaper on them. 

And tell her to inspect them from time to time to see if they are wearing thin so that you can repair them before they blow a hole competely.


----------



## romysbaskets (Aug 29, 2009)

I love them just the way they are...wow....so here is what I would do... I crochet and I would just reduce some stitches in the top row to make them more snug. I would bet you that you could just add a very small stitched row of crochet stitches in the top of the sock to make this work. I don't have a sock to show you but hope you understand what I am suggesting. If you need to make them 1/8 tighter, take the number of stitches you could crochet along the top and divide that by 8. Then pick up a stitch every that many stitches. So if the top of the sock had 40 stitches you could put in it...combine two stitches by picking up one, yarn over and pull only that loop thru but keep the first two loops and do once more to have three loops, yarn over and pull thru which combines two stitches into one and continue with 5 reg single crochet stitches more, then combine two more stitches etc...till you have the correct number 40-5=35 which is 1/8 less. Or if the size is even slighter then that..just figure out how much smaller and use the same type of suggestion. You have only to reduce some stitching across the top and you could do two rows for reinforcement. I would not take out any of your hard work! She is so lucky you worked so hard to make these! I like to make mine match and then if I have to tighten the top...it is as easy as can be....

Those that knit can suggest knitting reducement technique please?

Lovely socks and a great job!


----------



## JanetJ (Aug 19, 2002)

I work at an alpaca fiber mill, and DH and I make a lot of alpaca socks at home. 

The quality of alpaca fiber can be very variable. Suri alpaca, like mohair, has no spring and no memory. Use it for weaving. Huacaya alpaca can have some spring, or maybe not. White fiber is usually springier than black. Black fiber can be very slick and difficult to work with.

Oh, and yes. Alpaca fiber will felt. I inherit a lot of socks from DH that way.


----------

