A sneak preview

Since I love our readers and think the world of you guys and gals, I thought I'd give you guys a sneak preview of some patterns that are in the works (not done yet, but we'll let you know when they are!). We'd love to know what you think- so leave us a message in the comments below!

* A big thanks to Don at XOInd Studios for the fabulous images and cutting out my messy hair in the white dress/black shawl picture, and to our model Rachel who makes holding the same pose for an hour look so easy.

It's a bird! It's a plane! Oh snap- it's Kettle-dyed Fino and Socrates!

For everyone who came out to see Jennifer at Stitches East a couple weeks ago, a huge thank you! For those who didn't- that's okay. She brought back some of the kettle-dyed Fino and Socrates she had made up for Stitches!

Here's a few quick shots of the dreamy new colors done by dyer Pat from Yarn Daze.See something you need? Ask for it as your local AWAT retailer or drop me a note at paige@alpacawithatwist.com so I can help you get your alpaca fix.

Enjoy and have a wonderful Halloween weekend! This is quite possibly my new favorite blue ever. It's been whispering sweet nothings to me since we met on Tuesday. I'm not normally a pink person, but this pink and purple blend is so dreamy, it makes me want to fill up a swimming pool with it and dive off the deep end.

For your inner Chocoholic-Sockoholic

mmmm.....Fino....

Some people call this "granny smith". I call it "my new tablecloth"

You can almost smell the lilacs! Actually, our dyer is also a soap maker, so I'm pretty sure this one does smell like lilac soap.

Isn't this great? It's like Salmon and red made a yarn baby.

New Fino Colors

Bright and early Wednesday morning, I went out to the warehouse and saw a bunch of very large boxes. It was my old friend, Fino, and she brought 5 new friends with her! I am thrilled to introduce to you Camel, Aster, Foxglove, Paprika, and Wintergreen.

I also took a few quick pictures (I said quick, not good) of the new colors with some of the old colors in the same family so you can see how the new ones compare to your favorites. You might even have a new favorite- I know I do (I'm talking to you, Aster baby).

From left to right: Rose Petal, Foxglove (new) and Royal VelvetFrom top to bottom: Duchess Blue, Aster (new) and Twilight. The color shown in the first picture is more true to the blue.
From left to right: Evergreen, Wintergreen (new) and Sea Glass.
From top to bottom: Coral Gables, Paprika (new) and Ruby Slippers.

Mojito Mitten Knit-Along!

Hey there Alpaca Lovers! After my last post I got to thinking...and I think that you should join me on our big October Mitten Knit-along! We will be knitting our mittens out of Alpaca With A Twist Mojito, naturally in the color of your choosing. You will need 2 hanks for mittens, but you could probably squeeze a pair of fingerless mitts out of 1 hank. We will be knitting-along all of October, but you can go at your pace. If you post your pictures/thoughts/tips with us on the Ravelry group or facebook page, you'll be eligible to win prizes! Or if you'd like to send your pictures to me at paige@alpacawithatwist.com, I'd be happy to share them on the blog too.

I am writing up the pattern over the next day or two and will be happy to share if you'd like to join me in this knit-along. Or if you crochet and find a crochet pattern that you'd like to make with us, we'd love to have you too!

Here are the first pictures, more to come with the pattern!

Congratulations to Jan!

Congratulations to Jan who won a Blue Ribbon at the Durham Agricultural Fair yesterday with her shawl made from Fino!Thank you so much for sharing your project with us!

Fall is Here!

You know those people who get really really excited over the arrival of Autumn? You guessed it- I'm one of them. There's nothing I love more than my yearly tradition of putting on my Norah Jones CD and enjoying my first hot cider of the year while pouring over my pattern books and stashed yarns to find the perfect fall project. And thanks to yesterday's cold that stopped me from leaving the house, my knitting bag is stocked with some lovely deep red alpaca yarn and a cardigan pattern I've been drooling over for months. Now I just need to finish a few little projects first (like my Spring Socks and last year's Holiday ornaments) before I can wind those little hanks into balls and start knitting.

So here's my plan. I'm going to finish my previously mentioned projects and start my lovely deep red cardigan with the goal of wearing it on Thanksgiving. And then I'm going to share it with you guys. But this time I want you guys to share back with me. I would love to get some fiber crafters involved and show me your fall projects! I keep dreaming of a little fall collage of everyone's beautiful knitting and crocheting and weaving (and whatever else you like to do with yarn). So if you wonderful readers have the time, I would love for you to send pictures of your favorite Alpaca With A Twist fall projects to me at paige@alpacawithatwist.com with a little bit about yourself/your project. Include as much or as little as you like- but your first name, what you're making, yarn or pattern you're using and where in the world your project is happening would be wonderful to know! I would love to cover our blog and/or facebook page with our wonderful projects, so get those needles and hooks movin' and flash me your new fall projects.

This would be a really great thing if we could get some beautiful projects posted so that we can share our fiber-triumphs and tips and maybe get a few people to branch out and try something new! Thanks, have a great day, and I can't wait to see your fall projects.

Single Skeins: Highlander

Hello and welcome to Single Skeins- an online matching service that specializes fiber crafters to the alpaca yarn or alpaca blend of their dreams! Today's featured beauty is....

Highlander!

Name: Highlander

Color: Hawthorne Pink

Sign: Libra

Yardage: 145

Story:

"I'm just your typical outdoorsy lass looking for that special fiber crafter to bring out the best in me!"

Perfect Match:

"I'm a very easy to please yarn that works in all sorts of projects. I'm looking for someone who is fearless and loves working with ruggedly adorable yarns like me! :p I work up best on 7's to 10's for you knitters out there and am a snuggly blend that makes everything from sweet sweaters to awesome accesories!"

Perfect Date:

"While I come in some girly colors, I'm no girly-girl! Take me hiking, camping or rock climbing. I also love a good road trip and any adventure is good enough for me!"

Movies/Music/Books

"Braveheart is the best movie ever. Hands down. End of story. I love pretty much everything on the Discovery Channel and am totally hooked on "The Deadliest Catch". I love reading anything by Sir Walter Scott and I love Scottish and Irish pop and punk music like Snow Patrol, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphies, and the Coors. And I might have an Enya CD or you. You know- for chill time."

Anything else?

"I can do a great Sean Connery impression and make a mean Shepherd's pie!"