Loving Malabrigo Silkpaca

There is some chance (although I may not own up to this later…) that I chose Malabrigo Silkpaca for kit #12 for the simple reason that I want to handle as much of it as I possibly can. The thought of having an enormous batch of it arrive at the shop, and then spending a few weeks gazing upon it’s beauty while the orders are packed and shipped is my idea of heaven.

Over the years, I have done my share of experimenting and weaving with Silkpaca, and have learned that less is more. I have tried many different weave structures, combinations, different yarns as weft, and over and over again, I end up simplifying my designs so the yarn can take center stage and shine in all of it’s glory.

In general, I love using the clubs as an opportunity to teach about structure, color combining, and other weaving techniques (somewhat dependent on what loom type I am designing for), Ferdinand’s Folly is focused on tips, tricks, and techniques of using yarn that is originally designed for knitting, and weaving with it. Weaving Silkpaca is quite different than weaving cotton. Both warp and weft are packed more loosely than you might expect and one of the tricks is to get the right picks per inch and then control the fabric until you can wet finish, which will stabilize it.

I am still on a learning journey with this yarn. As the first samples come in from club members, I continue to learn. I am grateful that we are all on a journey of discovery together.

Happy Weaving!