i think i’m allergic to alpaca. i said, I THINK I’M ALLERGIC TO ALPACA!!!.
you see, i really wanted to knit a beautiful lace sweater. i found a gorgeous pattern (from vogue holiday /05 issue) in a somewhat simple stitch. i picked out and purchased my yarn…..then i cast on for my swatch. now. i’m really not a lace kind-a gal. it takes too much concentration and i really only have snippets of time to knit (hence, i’m a sock knitter), but i really wanted to make this sweater. i was miserable. the yarn was impossibly small for the giant needles the pattern called for (at least for me). but i trudged on….and knit my swatch. the guage was off but it was pretty…man-o-man. my eyes were watering, my throat was scratchy and i was sniffling up a storm.
i thought it was impossible since i own and wear an alpaca scarf….so i trudged on….and re-knit my swatch on bigger needles (#9′s – ack!!). i could feel the little fibers tickling my nose and throat. i had to stop mid-swatch. entirely disgusted, i pulled the half-finished swatch off the needles and threw the lot of yarn into a zip-lock. maybe it’s the knit picks brand of alpaca that bothers me….but then again, i do remember feeling under the weather when i was knitting the fetching’s out of the alpaca/merino stuff, too! that’s it. i’m selling it off…(ugh! stash reduction page [right] is now under construction)
after days like that you want your brain to rest. it’s on those days that you pull out your trusty needles and a gorgeous hank of sock yarn and knit. i pulled out the happy blues and greens of cth! i love this yarn. in fact…i just bought some more (sandra singh is having a sale on cth….it’s my first transaction with this company, but i’m impressed so far!). i kitchenered up the toe last night pulled them on and haven’t taken them off since (i went to bed late, give me a break).
simple sock in cth blues/greens
my own pattern
started: december 16, 2006
finished: december 26, 2006
needles: #2 lantern moon ebony dpn’s
notes: 56 stitches cast on, short row toe/heel, 2×2 ribbed cuff
these were knit on trips to visit family over the holidays. much of these were finished in the car. at night. butter (K) drove everywhere. and i happily sat in the heated passenger seat. i was able to steal borrow my step-daughter’s book light. it’s a perfect task light for knitting…i just turned it over, hooked it into the seatbelt and knitted away!! if you are looking to get one for yourself, make sure the lighting is adjustable so that you can point the light toward your project instead of adjusting yourself to light your work. 
Well, poopoo on the alpaca. How annoying! I have only knit one thing with alpaca so far, but it’s a bit soft and drapey for my tastes.
BTW, in regards to your comment on my blog, what I did wrong to my butt is obviously to fatten it up too much over the holidays! Heh.
Oh, how sad! I love alpaca, but I’m also in a bit of denial because I don’t want to admit that the alpaca hat I made makes my forehead itch (quite a bit).
Those socks are a super lovely. What colors! They look like quite a consolation. Who needs an annoying lace alpaca sweater? Not you! You have happy blue and green socks!
Oh no! How annoying! But, at least there are TONS of other fibers out there to choose from these days.
What a beautiful color of CTH! It looks like the sea on a sunny day….
Fabulous socks! they look quite warm and toasty. I’m so sorry about the Alpaca “incident”. At least there’s a multitude of fibers to select from! Don’t ya just love a good book light?! The gagetry makes it all more fun!
The socks look great! Love the colours!
I wonder if you were to take an allergy pill a little while (long enough in advance for it to kick in) before knitting the alpaca, if that would help?
I knit an entire scarf with alpaca and didnt really realize i was allergic until i wore it for the first time. haha. my fiance now wears the scarf, so it wasnt a complete waste!