Suri Alpaca yarns are some of our most popular lace weight fibers but they can look overwhelming to those that haven't tried it before! So here are my top three tips for working with this base - I hope they help you feel confident working with fuzzy bases!

If you'd like to learn more about Suri, click here. 

1. My first tip is to prepare! Read your pattern several times through to be sure of the construction, practice any techniques you haven't worked before, and look at yardage and size requirements.

Suri fiber is extremely difficult to frog (or rip out) and reuse due to its fragility. It's a yarn that's prone to breakage when tugged so be sure of what you're doing before you do it!

2. My second tip is to swatch. This one may seem obvious but it's more important than ever because suri yarns have a lot of variance from supplier to supplier and even from batch to batch!

Just because you're using a laceweight suri yarn doesn't mean it will knit up the same as the designer's did. So always always swatch for gauge and measure properly!

3. My third and final tip is to wind your yarn into cakes and pull from the outside of the ball! Due to the fragile texture of the yarn, pulling working yarn from the center of the ball will create more friction and can make the yarn more fragile.

Winding your cakes on the looser side will also help the fibers to relax later when blocking so keep this in mind as you cake too!

So there you have it, my top three keys to success with suri alpaca yarn!