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My husband and I went on a romantic getaway to Lavender Waves Farm in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. In addition to stunning fields of lavender, the farm is also home to a whole crew of animals, including a friendly herd of five alpacas (and three camels!) We had a blast waking up early in the morning to commune with the animals and we even had a chance to feed them a few apples.
Naturally, I had to take home some of the alpaca yarn as a souvenir. But then I was faced with the inevitable question: what can I knit with farmstand yarn?
My Favorite Tip for Farmstand Yarn: Pairing with a Cheaper Manufactured Yarn
The thing about farmstand yarn is that it’s typically undyed and often runs on the pricier side – meaning, you are often left with a smaller quantity of rather plain-looking yarn.
My favorite tip for knitting with farmstand yarn is to stretch the yardage and add some pizzazz by pairing it with a manufactured Alpaca yarn that is cheaper and more colorful than your beautiful small batch farmstand yarn. I love Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud for this purpose, and I was quick to snag this beautiful purple color that reminded me of the dried lavender that decorated the farm suite we stayed in.
First Try: Duvino Ear Warmer
I initially started knitting a double knit ear warmer with my alpaca yarns, which would be about 50/50 of each color, but the project was not sparking joy for me, so I unraveled it. (Don’t be sad: it happens!)
Next Try: A Watery Tart Hat
Then, low and behold, I stumbled upon this hat pattern on Ravelry that was perfect! The decorative stitches reminded me of sprigs of lavender, and it made for a fantastic project to memorialize my trip.
The hat pattern is called “A Watery Tart” by Lyrical Knits. The fancy stitches are called lilies and they are fun to knit – and there is a demo video linked in the pattern key, so don’t fret. The pattern itself also has some random and hilarious commentary that in itself makes it worth the price of the download (priced at $7 when I bought it).
I highly recommend knitting the hat on 16’’ circulars so you don’t have to worry about moving the lily stitches around breaks in DPNs or a magic loop setup.
True story: I used to always knit hats on longer circulars using the magic loop technique, but recently I have become an enthusiastic 16’’ circular convert. It makes everything so much easier! I bought an interchangeable shorty needle set so I can make 16’’ needles in almost any size, and it’s been a game changer in my knitting. Having the right tools is everything!
And, just for funsies, here is me modeling my new hat at golden hour!
Now for my usual project details:
yarn details
Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud DK in Marguirette (sadly, the DK weight has been discontinued, but this is a lovely soft yarn and they still make it in fingering and lace weight)
DK Weight
100% Alpaca
handwash
50 g/123 yd skein
Farmstand Alpaca Yarn from Lavender Waves Farm
probably DK weight
70/30 alpaca and merino blend
handwash
140 yards skeins (-ish)
project details
pattern: “A Watery Tart” by Lyrical Knits (purchase the downloadable pattern on Ravelry here)
size knit: I forget… 🤦♀️
needles: US size 5 (3.75 mm), 16” wood circular needles from my interchangeable set (I knitted the whole pattern on the smaller needles instead of switching to larger needles after the brim)
yarn used: 133 yards (estimate) of the farmstand yarn, 30 yards of the Alpaca Cloud
duration: October-December 2024 (does not take that long! lol. I just took many breaks)
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