At last, at last; it’s been almost three weeks since I was supposed to have written this yarn review. But here we are now, and it’s time to talk about Malabrigo Silkpaca!
I was first introduced to Malabrigo early in my knitting journey, when one of my aunts gifted me 3 skeins of Mecha (I think the color was Borrajas?); it was the first hand-dyed yarn I’d ever used, and the experience was something of a mini-revolution. Today’s yarn market is saturated with hand dyers of all shades and stripes—yes that’s a (very corny) pun—but Malabrigo is still unique. I’ve never encountered another dyer that could simulate those fresh, rich, brilliant watercolor washes of color. Take a peek at their website to see what I mean.
While they certainly hold their own in luxury territory, Malabrigo’s yarns aren’t particularly trendy; nor are they exotic. Their yarns are basically structured one of two ways—plied or single ply—and all the fibers used are familiar favorites that we all know how to pronounce. They don’t rely on one-off, limited edition colors or yarns, and their offerings rarely exhibit dramatic fluctuation. Instead of jumping on bandwagons and relying on the collective momentum to carry them forward, they plod ahead slow-and-steady. Perhaps it’s because they’re based in Uruguay, and aren’t as propense to our American commercialism. But whatever the reason, it’s exactly that stability that helps them maintain their distinct flavor, and I for one find it comforting. Sometimes you’re not up to having Tex-Mex Asian Fusion barbecue sushi for dinner, but you do want a big bowl of creamy homemade macaroni & cheese.
So how does Silkpaca fit in here? Silkpaca is one of Malabrigo’s two laceweight yarns, the other being a single-ply merino simply named Lace. Silkpaca is 70% baby alpaca (one grade less than finest grade alpaca, Royal Baby Alpaca) and 30% mulberry silk. Nothing unfamiliar here, if you tend to stomp around in lace knitting puddles. Silkpaca is on the lightweight end of laceweight; at my preferred gauge (I like my lace to have a bit of body), the absolute largest needle I’d use is US 4s. I used US 3s for Nuit d’etoiles (shown in-progress below) and was delighted with the resulting fabric: diaphanous and plenty lacy, but not too loosey-goosey.
When I was picking yarns for Mélodies, I envisioned the design in a very specific shade of purple that turned out to be difficult to find; I also knew that I wanted something with silk content that would lend shine and keep the bird’s eye lace in Nuit d’etoiles nice and crisp. But animal fiber is best for making plushy garter stitch. Silkpaca was the only yarn I could find that ticked all the boxes.
I’ve mentioned Malabrigo’s stunning colors already in this review; Silkpaca has a smaller palette than some of their more popular yarns (such as Rios and Sock), but as they tend to dye the same colors across multiple yarn lines, it’s a fascinating exercise to see how different fiber blends, ply structures, and weights take the same dye recipes. In Silkpaca, semisolids glow and move subtly, while the variegated colors are more muted and impressionistic than in other lines. The sheen of the silk may partially account for this as well.
I’d describe the ease of working with it as middling. I didn’t have any major problems winding the yarn and it feels comfy in the hands. The silk makes it surprisingly strong, despite the delicate fabric it creates; you can break a strand with your bare hands, but you’ll be hurting afterwards.
However, it is finer than I would recommend to a beginning lace knitter, and I did find that the alpaca halo made detangling somewhat painful. Also, be careful if you’re using mixed dyelots; I used skeins from two different lots in Nuit d’etoiles, and didn’t alternate skeins the way I should have. The color difference doesn’t show much in the photos, but in person I can see where one lot left off and the other began.
Speaking of alpaca, it’s also worth noting that alpaca fiber in general looks absolutely atrocious before blocking—like a root that the cat was chewing on and then dragged in. This is true of alpaca fibers across the board, and nothing to fret about; but it’s a little demoralizing if you’ve never encountered it before. And when you block, do it right—if you overstretch it, neither the silk nor the alpaca are going to spring back again.
So are these few challenges worth it? Oh, yeah.
Just look at the drape! Just look at the shine! The fabric has just enough weight to not feel as though it’s going to fly away, but it’s light and airy. The blocking holds wonderfully. It’s delightfully soft and warm but sophisticated at the same time.
In short, I’d recommend this yarn for intermediate to advanced lace knitters who want to make luxurious show-stopping shawls and scarves in gorgeous colors on a relatively low budget. Malabrigo prices their yarn for a steal, considering their uniqueness and artisanal quality (don’t tell them I said that…); Silkpaca retails at about $10-$12 dollars per skein, depending on where you order. Garments may not be the best choice for this yarn, depending on how much substance you like in a sweater; the fabric will be fairly sheer. But for accessories, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better all-around option. I plan to use it again, not just in future designs but for personal projects as well.
Which reminds me, I really ought to go look over the state of my pattern queue. Surely there’s a laceweight pattern or two in there that needs to be made…
Malabrigo Silkpaca is available from various online retailers and local yarn stores. The full color card and other info can be found on Malabrigo’s website here.
My Nuit d’etoiles shawl, featured in this review, is available as an individual pattern download from Ravelry and Lovecrafts, and as part of my ebook Mélodies, a collection of four lace shawls inspired by French art song. More details available here.
