Malabrigo Rios

Wish I'd discovered it sooner

This yarn is an absolute joy to work with. Combined Gris & Denim colors here with happy results. I have a feeling my grandson will love them. Bring back more colors, please. Thanks, always Alpaca Direct.

Quick delivery

This was my first time ordering from Alpaca Direct and I will definitely be ordering again. The yarn arrived sooner than anticipated and I can’t wait to start my new project😀

Sweater buy--A Gansey for an Autistic Girl

I generally buy yarn from my LYS or a large regional yarn shop and not the Internet. I like to see the yarn before I purchase. I needed a specific colorway for a commission project: a Gansey sweater for an autistic girl. The colorway the mother choose was not available locally or even regionally, so I had to mail order it--from Alpaca Direct. I appreciate the fact that Ruthie told me that 1 skein was from a different dye lot, but that it was a good match to the other 7 skeins I purchased. That was no problem, for I purchased an extra skein so that I could swatch and perhaps make a hat with the remaining yarn. The autistic girl is hypersensitive to many fabrics. The only sweater she's willing to wear is the one I made for her two years ago. She lives in it--and will wear it even when it's too hot. She's outgrowing it, so it's time to make a new sweater for her. I like Malabrigio Rios for this application because, even though it's 100% Merino superwash wool, it really does feel like cotton. She likes clothes that have a soft, smooth texture. I've had success knitting chemo hats with this wool--and wool generally drives cancer patients batty. The yarn arrived as described. I've already started the sweater and the yarn is fine. I've already knitted up a skein. It has a great hand: feels like cotton but is wool. I'm knitting a loose sweater with yarn that is rather flexible. I think the girl should get at least three years out of it (year one: roll up the arms, don't wash the sweater, year two: wash the sweater and steam it to her current size and year three: yea, it stretched as the girl grew and it's time to make another sweater).