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Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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Andean Sun Baby Alpaca Yarn Review & Giveaway

March 6, 2019 Leave a Comment

Yarn was provided for review & giveaway by Andean Sun. Opinions are my own.

100% Baby Alpaca Yarn from Andean Sun is so soft! Get the specs on this cuddly yarn and enter to win two balls for your next knit or crochet project.

Today we’re going to take a look at a delightfully soft yarn that works up quickly into cozy projects! Andean Sun’s 100% Baby Alpaca yarn is a bulky weight yarn perfect for winter accessories. Getting to knit or crochet with alpaca yarn is a treat for makers who love a soft yarn made from natural, cruelty-free fiber. Alpaca fiber is naturally soft, but also warm. A new fiber is a great way to mix things up if you’re feeling stuck in a crafting rut!

100% Baby Alpaca Yarn from Andean Sun is so soft! Get the specs on this cuddly yarn and enter to win two balls for your next knit or crochet project.
100% Baby Alpaca Yarn from Andean Sun is so soft! Get the specs on this cuddly yarn and enter to win two balls for your next knit or crochet project.

THE YARN: Andean Sun 100% Baby Alpaca

Colorway pictured: Denim Heather
Skein details:
 Approx. 163.5 yds (150 m), 54.5 yards/50 meters per skein // 1.75 ounces/50 grams per skein // 100% baby alpaca
Knitting needles: US 10, 6 mm / 12 stitches & 17 rows over 4 inches (10 cm)
Crochet hook: US K, 6.5 mm / 13 sc & 16 rows over 4 inches (10 cm)
Cons: As with all yarns that come in smaller skeins, you ‘ll work through a 50g ball of this yarn fairly quickly. I used just about all of one ball for the two swatches pictured. Luckily, it’s easy to order a 3-pack of this yarn, and it retails at ~$31 for a 3 pack, so it’s well priced.
Pros: It’s SO soft and works up quickly! It was so hard to resist the urge to whip up an entire soft cowl to wear this winter when I was swatching for this review. I think this yarn is going to be in the mix for holiday gift giving later this year!
Pattern Ideas: With the softness, anything that is worn close to the skin is great, particularly hats and neckwear. For knitters, I’d recommend trying the Long John Cowl with this Andean Sun yarn. And for crocheters, a chunkier take on the Moss Stitch Cowl would be super fun in 2 colors of this yarn!

100% Baby Alpaca Yarn from Andean Sun is so soft! Get the specs on this cuddly yarn and enter to win two balls for your next knit or crochet project.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner will get 2 skeins of 100% Baby Alpaca in Denim Heather! Giveaway is open to U.S. only. Enter in the box provided below or here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
100% Baby Alpaca Yarn from Andean Sun is so soft! Get the specs on this cuddly yarn and enter to win two balls for your next knit or crochet project.

Yarn was provided for review & giveaway by Andean Sun. Opinions are my own.


Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored Tagged With: alpaca, andean sun, giveaway, yarn review

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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