I'll soon be teaching a class on how to make them - see details at the end of this post.
These mittens are knitted with superfine alpaca yarn and thrummed with...Alpaca fleece. Oh my goodness, they are soooooooo soft and wonderful and luscious and great and lovely and - Ok I could go on and on, but trust me, these things are THE BEST.
One is turned inside out to show the thrums. Can you just imagine how warm and toasty these things are?
I've let many of my friends and family try on these mittens and they all do the same thing - they rub them on their cheeks, lol. Is the universal *soft test?* Oh, that and everyone's eyeballs sort of roll back into their head while they moan, "Ohhhh...... ahhhhh..... these things are sooooo soft!" It's quite funny, actually.
Did you know that Alpaca fibers are hollow? They are! They are also extremely fine, and these two characteristics combine to make some gosh awful soft and gosh awful warm fleece and yarn which is very lightweight. Just imagine how it would be to wear these mittens on a February morning. OK, so Mid July is not exactly the time to promote the warming properties of alpaca, lol, but maybe you can remember being cold once, and if you can, then maybe you can imagine how much you would like a pair of these mittens!
Here is an interesting fact sheet concerning alpaca, http://www.alpacaperu.com/The_Alpaca_Fiber.html
As I mentioned above, I'll be teaching a class on how to make these mittens, on August 9, 2007, at Eye Dazzler Alpacas in Westcliffe, Colorado. Visit their web page here, http://www.eyedazzleralpacas.com/ and take a look at the fiber school page here http://www.eyedazzleralpacas.com/fiberschool.html.All information for all of Dazzler’s fiber classes are on the fiber school page – you can follow the links to sign up for the classes there, too. Don’t delay – the classes are limited, so sign up today!
I blogged about a fiber class that I took at Eye Dazzler Alpaca - click here to find that blog post - http://rosemaryknits.blogspot.com/2007/04/alpaca-day.html Click here for more photos of the alpaca ranch, http://rosemaryknits.blogspot.com/2007/05/alpacas-and-pipe-organ.html
Join me for this mitten class - I promise that it will be fun and exciting, lol. Everything that you need will be provided - yarn, fleece, knitting needles and all knitting notions, lunch, beverages - all you need to bring is yourself and the desire to knit the warmest and softest mittens you can imagine.
Check out the other offerings at the fiber school, too. I have my eye on that dyeing class...
