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This Vicuna/Merino Wool Blend finely exhibits many of the incredible traits of pure Vicuna. The natural Vicuna color turns from a spicy cinnamon to a warm nutmeg as this rarest fiber is blended.
Fiber Content: 50% Vicuna/50% Merino Wool
Color: Warm Nutmeg
Gauge: 7-8 sts per inch
Weight: Lace/Fingering
Yardage: 217 yds (198m)
Size: 1 oz (28g)
Suggested Needle Size: US 1 (2.25mm) to US 2 (2.75mm)
Care: Hand wash.
About this product: Vicunas are known as the "bearers of the golden fleece." The Vicuna fiber is the rarest and finest hair fiber in the world. It is lighter, softer and warmer than any other hair fiber. The Vicuna fiber, which is sensitive to chemical processing, is left in its natural color, a spicy cinnamon. As the fiber is blended with merino wool it turns to a warm nutmeg. The precious Vicunas live only in the upper altitudes of the Andes Mountains at elevations between 12,000 and 18,000 feet. Each animal produces only about 4 ounces of harvestable fiber each year. Previously hunted nearly to extinction, conservation programs have rescued this shy and graceful animal. Though still considered endangered, in 2002 the United States government allowed importation of Vicuna garments from Peru. The garments carried with them certification that the fiber was legally obtained through a government sanctioned chacu, the process by which Vicunas are rounded up, sheared alive and then returned to the wild. Once sheared, the animals cannot be sheared again for at least two years. This Vicuna blend yarn from Jacques Cartier carries this certification.
Handknitting Vicuna yarn from the same source, the only source, is currently distributed by Jacque Cartier and Windy Valley. Your label on this precious fiber may bear either name.
Click here to see 100% Vicuna Yarn.
Pattern suggestions:
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