Mr. Knittle's Whimsies

sitting on my ass for extended periods of time

and

watching copious amounts of television.

So. I had probably the most stressful mornings of my life this morning. I broke my promise to myself and went out with friends and got drunk. (I Ubered it everywhere, so no drunk driving.) Another confession: I had the Uber driver go through Taco Bell at 2am. First time in 3 months that I’ve had it, and I used to eat there three times a week at least.

Anyhoo, to the main debacle. The asshat pictured above went completely missing this morning. He’s never more than three feet away from me at all times when I’m home. I called and looked for him all over the house and outside. He HATES outside, so I convinced myself of the worst. I thought he was dead somewhere in the house, but I could not find him anywhere. I did not want to find him in a few weeks by the smell. 

I was a fucking mess. A grown-ass man of 40 bawling all morning because I couldn’t find my idiot best friend.

I posted on petfbi, I had my neighbor post on the civic association facebook page. I even called my mom for emotional support. I was convinced he was dead.

About two hours after frantically looking for him, another neighbor across the street knocks on my door and says, “Is this yours?” 

It was Asshat. (His name’s actually Zachary, but in times like this, he is Asshat).

He had slipped past me when I came home last night, unnoticed, in my drunken, Taco Bell fueled state.

He was so happy to be home, that he wouldn’t quit talking about his adventures, until he finally curled up asleep on my lap.

I never really realized how much this fat, dumb little animal means to me. I honestly thought he was just gone.

Understanding Alpaca Fiber

I yoinked the picture from one of my breeder friends, the amazing Karen Champion, owner of Blazing Star Ranch.  If you’re in the Denver metro area, her little bitty shop is well worth the stop.  Seriously best selection of Noro that I’ve ever found.

I love working with alpaca.  I’ve been sitting on a true black alpaca fleece for a while now.  Eventually it’ll find the right project.  But no matter my love of it, I understand that like all other fibers, it’s got things it’s good at and things it’s not so good at.

Just like with sheep, there is a range of micron count with alpaca.  It goes from Royals which are under eighteen, all the way to strong which are over thirty.  And just like with sheep, the thicker the fiber, the more durable it is.  But unlike sheep, it’s all two breeds, Suri and Huacaya.  I suspect that eventually there will be more than two, as there is with sheep.  But alpacas are still relatively new to the global fiber market, instead of just in South America where they originate.

With alpaca, it’s all about the genetics and the age of the animal. Most pros at the fiber world keep careful records on the genetics of each of their animals  and micron test the fleeces on a regular basis.  However, regardless of the genetics, as they age, their fleeces get coarser.  It’s just a natural part of their aging process.  

Alpaca is twice as warm as wool.  This can be an outstanding feature.  It allows you to make incredibly warm things out of finer yarn, thus reducing the whole look from the kid in “A Christmas Story”.  But it does make it not a good choice for summer weight projects, even if you live in a cold place. It felts very quickly and very easily.  It’s another thing that has to be factored in.  I’ve heard of shawls felting from taking off and putting on a jacket over it.  It can lack elasticity.  If you need something to bounce back into a shape after it’s worn, this may not be a good choice.

Alpaca has a phenomenal drape.  Suri, in particular, has an amazing sheen to it.  If it’s Suri, it’s going to be labeled Suri.  Of the two breeds of alpaca, it is definitely the rarer of the two.  If it’s just labeled “Alpaca”, it’s Huacaya.  The above alpacas are all Huacayas.  Suri have a longer fleece that grows in locks and lacks crimp.