Are you looking for a very soft thread for your needlepoint that comes in two sizes to fit a variety of canvases and comes in beautiful natural colors? Look no further than Rainbow Gallery’s two sizes of Alpaca: Alpaca 18 and Petite Alpaca.
Alpacas are related to llamas and are a small South American animal with lovely soft fur. They are shorn, just like sheep, and the fleece is spun into yarn. All Alpaca yarns and threads are soft.
Rainbow Gallery’s Alpaca threads are unusual in that they are not dyed. They come only in the natural colors of the fleece. These include whites, greys, tans, and browns. These colors make this thread outstanding for animals of all kinds. Most of the colors are solid, but the greys have a bit of a heathered look.
The Details
The Alpaca threads come in two sizes. Alpaca 18 is the larger. It is a two-ply single strand yarn that is listed as working on mesh sizes from 13 to 18. I find it too thick for 18 mesh, but it fits perfectly on 13 and 14 mesh. There are 12 yards per card. Currently it comes in 18 colors.
Petite Alpaca is also a two-ply single-strand thread. It is about the thickness of a strand of crewel wool. Although the card only has suggestions for cross stitch, doubled it fits beautifully on 18-mesh needlepoint canvas. There are 25 yards per card. Currently it comes in 7 colors.
Both threads come from South America. Alpaca 18 is from Peru and Petite Alpaca is from Uruguay.
The color numbers, but not the prefixes, are the same for both threads.
Using Alpaca
These threads naturally have a bit of fuzz to them. When stitched this will give your area a certain softness. That also means that textured stitched, especially if they have layers or are tied, will lose definition. For these reasons sticking to Tent and Encroached Gobelin give you the best results.
Just stitched, these threads look like soft wool. You can get a beautiful furry effect by brushing the area. You can use a Bunka brush, wire brush, hook side of Velcro, or even a clean toothbrush for this.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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