The Alpaca Sweater
Photo taken at month 2.5
In this photo, the sweater has been worn every night for 2.5 months and was washed + blocked + dried flat for the first time
Overview
Completed on December 7, 2021
Pattern: 220-16 Strawberry Mousse by DROPS Design
Yarn used: Garnstudio DROPS Air (20 Rosa); 65% Alpaca, 28% Nylon, 7% Merino
Yarn weight: Aran
Size: M
Cost (yarn only): ~ USD 40 (slightly under 6 skeins)
Construction
The sweater is knitted in separate four (4) separate pieces and seamed together (back, front, sleeves x2)
The front and back pieces are seamed together at the shoulders, then down the side to form the body
The sleeves are then seamed onto the body
The neck ribbing is then picked up and completed as the last step for completing the sweater
Wear
Without washing or blocking, Initial wear feels soft and fluffy with minimal scratchy feeling
Sweater feels amazingly warm but not hot - is just the perfect temperature for the body
Initially was going to use it as a daytime sweater but I ended up wearing this every night as a bedtime sweater
Is super cozy and comfortable to sleep in
After a week of wear, the sweater started pilling but it didn’t bother me since I’m only wearing it for sleep
The sweater does slowly stretches out over time - I noticed this from the neckline getting wider than when I first wore it
First Wash + Block
I waited to wash it since I was nervous about washing alpaca yarn - Looking up online, everyone has a different opinion on how to care for alpaca sweaters. Some mention to never wash it, some mention to only soak it for a minute and others just say, “hand wash cold”
I decided to wash it after 2.5 months (was feeling a little more confident about the research I had done)
Since it stretched out with wear, I did wonder if washing it would shrink it slightly again
For the first time wash, I used KnitIQ wool wash and here were the steps I took to wash the sweater:
1 gallon of cold water
3 pumps of KnitIQ wool wash
Soak sweater thoroughly for less than 5 mins - I pushed it slowly into the water until sweater was completely submerged
Removed and squeezed as much water out without twisting (like squeezing into a ball)
Laid it out flat on a towel, rolled the towel gently without making it too tight
Squeezed as much water as I could out of the water
Lay flat on blocking mat (in front of a fan at low speed)
Drying time: approximately 18 - 20 hours
After the wash, here’s what I observed from the sweater on the first wear after washing:
It wasn’t as fluffy as when I initially started wearing it
The garment did feel slightly softer and smoother
The sweater did feel a little more scratchy on the skin than usual - hoping this would go away with wear
Sweater did shrink a little / feels less stretched out - I can tell since the sleeves weren’t loose around the wrist and was back to fitting perfectly; neckline is still slightly stretched
Pilling isn’t as noticeable compared to before I washed it
KnitIQ wool wash gives the sweater a very natural wool scent (might be the lanolin it contains)
Care plan
Wash + block once a year
Will soak for 5 mins in 1 gallon of cold water + 3 pumps of KnitIQ wool wash
Fun Facts
The front and back were knitted about a year apart - I knitted the back first in 2021, lost my knitting mojo for over a year and decided to pick it back up again in 2022
When I started knitting the front panel again, I didn’t know what needle size I had used for the back panel - learned why it’s important to keep track of every little detail
The yarn over technique used for the back panel looked incorrect compared to the front - I could not remember what I did in the back to cause the pattern to look slightly funky
I started using it at night because it was getting unusually cold during nights and the sweater felt too warm and cozy to not wear for bedtime - after a very cold night, I have been wearing it every night since for sleeping. Waiting for it to dry after washing made me realize how spoiled I have become with the comfort provided by the alpaca wool.
If I could, this is the only thing I’d wear all day long - the only reason I don’t wear it during the day is because I’m afraid of getting it dirty and wouldn’t be able to wear it to sleep
