hi all! first time posting on this sub; background is that i have made one granny square cardigan last year that took me a year and a half (passively working on it) along with a couple smaller things, eg a hat, coasters, etc.
since seeing my cardigan my mom went out and bought two beautiful skeins of alpaca yarn, in hopes my next project would be a cardigan made from them. i started the project last week, and i feel like it might be overly ambitious.
the weight of the yarn was not noted since it was from a local farmer, upon measuring i found a 3mm crochet hook works best. i researched alpaca yarn specifically and the internet said it doesnt have great memory, so i started doing a moss stitch for the back panel since it seemed to be denser. three lines of this back panel have taken me over an hour, and im getting a bit nervous as to how much time the entire cardigan would take.
my questions are, with the crochet hook measurements and the size of the project, is it overly ambitious/ a long term thing ill be working on? any tips for working faster without making mistakes? (and is everyone looking at their crochet projects as they work or do folks just go by feeling the stitches i cant tell?)
also, what are good alternative things to make from alpaca yarn? ive seen micro scarves on pinterest that i think would be cute, unfortunately my mom is not into the trends like that haha.
putting images of my current project :)
My opinion - yes. Also two skeins probably wont be enough for a cardigan.. knitting takes up much less yarn, and a knitted sweater takes ~8 skeins. I recommend sizing up your hook a lot, possibly holding the yarn double with something to bulk it up, and possibly doing an open work pattern like lace .. I’d recommend searching cardigan patterns on ravelry and seeing how much yarn is required.
I’d probably make a shawl tbh. Just as warm and you could do it in two skeins. Def size up the hook for better drape.
I hate to say it but you probably don’t have enough yarn for your project
I was thinking this too. Maybe mix in some other yarn and colors. Also, a sweater is a big ask. Does the sweater curse apply to family, I wonder?
That's definitely not enough yarn to make a sweater. Alpaca wool is also great for hats and mitts.
As the others said, that isn't enough yarn for an adult cardigan- perhaps a scarf or a pair of mittens. I would strongly consider using a different stitch as well, something looser and with a larger hook will maximize your surface area.
Unravel that yarn very carefully, it can help to put it in the freezer, unravel for a few minutes, refreeze if it's being difficult.
You can use ravelry to filter projects by the yarn weight and amount. If you don't know how much you have, cut a ~10m or so strand, weigh it, then weigh the rest of the yarn to calculate how much there is. (ie. 10m weighs 1 gram, you have 500 grams, or 5000m)
As for working without mistakes, that comes with being able to "read" your stitches- look at a stitch and know what it is at a glance. That allows you to stop carefully counting and instead just think "put the sc in the ch sp and ch" as opposed to "sc, ch1, sk 1". I rarely count nowadays, except for how many I need to skip. Being able to look and understand also lets you realize you're not looking at the right thing, and then fix the error.
eta: I would expect enough yarn for a small to medium size adult cardigan to be easily 1700-2000m of worsted yarn. That much alpaca, especially local would easily hit 150 dollars for the yarn alone. Easily
You don’t have even close to enough yarn for a cardigan. You’re going to need to either get more yarn, and by more I mean A LOT more, or change your project into something a lot smaller
Make a nice cowl. Use a big open stitch, like a shell stitch.
Can you go up a size or two on the hook?
If it’s 100% alpaca yarn it’s not the best choice for things like sweaters because it doesn’t hold shape well. Alpaca yarn is better suited for things like shawls or cowls.
Not enough with that thin of a yarn and it will take a long time.
You can make almost anything with almost any yarn. It's not the yarn in your case it's the thickness of the yarn that will dictate more what will look good or not
i love using wool (i know it’s not alpaca but i’m assuming similar?) to make mittens and beanies! i would check how much yarn you have before committing to a project, if the picture is all the skeins you have i don’t think it’s enough for a cardigan :/ moss stitch eats up yarn too maybe try a more “airy” stitch
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i look at my project if i’m crocheting into a stitch but i go off of “feel” if im crocheting into a gap! (hope that i answered some of your questions!)
Definitely make and block a gauge swatch if you haven’t that way you know if the fabric will grow or shrink.
Fingerless gloves / arm warmers might be a good project since you only have two skeins.
as for going faster, i know this isn’t what you wanna hear but practice practice practice!!! you will get better consistency the more you crochet and then in turn you will be faster! when im doing a pattern (say for example a keychain) the first time it may take be 45 mins, then the second one takes me 40 mins, then the third is done in 30! you get what im saying?
I'm making a waffle alpaca poncho, and have 2100m of alpaca blend yarn in a similar weight to yours (3.25mm hook). It's going to take me forever, and 2 skeins won't get you far in pure alpaca!