I tried Lion Brand’s Touch of Alpaca yarn for the first time, and it’s one of my new favorites!  I can’t believe how just a little alpaca can make an acrylic yarn so much more luxurious.

I saw this yarn on sale online a while back.  I had never tried it before, so I decided to order just one skein…

As soon as I opened my package and saw it in person, I knew I had made a mistake!  I totally should’ve bought more!

This yarn feels amazing, and has that high-quality, luxury look that is hard to find in a machine washable yarn.  True to its name, it only has a touch of alpaca blended with mostly acrylic, but that little bit of alpaca makes a huge difference in the look and feel of this yarn.

Lion Brand Touch of Alpaca is classified as #4 Worsted Weight, and is sold in 100 gram and 200 gram skeins, with 207 yards / 190 meters per 100 grams.  It contains 90% acrylic and 10 % alpaca, and is MACHINE WASHABLE!!!  I love when luxury-style yarns are easy care. ????  I think this yarn is a great blend for anyone (like me ????????‍♀️) whose sensitive skin is irritated by sheep’s wool.  Unless the fibers are very fine, some sheep’s wool can feel prickly against sensitive skin.  The alpaca fibers in this yarn are so fine and soft that it doesn’t feel prickly to me at all.

This yarn has a consistent, evenly spun smoothness to it, and the alpaca ???? gives it such a luxurious texture.  There’s just a slight fuzziness on the surface of each strand, and the alpaca’s soft sheen really comes through.  The stitch definition in this yarn is great, and I love how the sheen accentuates the drape of whatever you’re making with it.  Even though it is 90% acrylic, it looks and feels much more expensive than your typical pure acrylic yarn.

I got the “Goldenrod” colorway, a lovely, golden, honey-colored hue.  It’s a brighter shade, yet still neutral enough to go with many other colors.  Lion Brand offers this yarn in 16 different colorways, ranging from muted grays and browns to brighter jewel tones like jade green and crimson.

The price point is pretty good, too.  Each 100 gram skein retails for $6.49 USD, or $9.99 USD for the 200 gram skein.  I think this is fairly reasonable, though it’s a bit more expensive compared to most decent-quality, pure acrylic yarns.  The alpaca in this yarn makes quite a difference, so I can see why it costs more than pure acrylic.  However, I will probably only buy it when it is on sale anyway, as I tend to be a very frugal yarn shopper. ????

The only issue I had when using this yarn was with splitting.  It didn’t happen often, but with my super-sharp KnitPicks knitting needles, the yarn did split occasionally.  I wouldn’t call it a dealbreaker, though, as I love this yarn too much to let a little splitty-ness stop me from using it.

Will I buy this yarn again?  Yes! 

I love the softness, the sheen, and the expensive look, despite the not-so-expensive price tag.  It’s the perfect yarn for garments, accessories, afghans, or any project where you want that soft, luxury look in an easy care yarn.  Since I only had one skein, I designed a lace knit cowl with it (free pattern here).  It drapes nicely, and feels super-soft against the neck.  Next time I buy more of this yarn, I want to make a hat or a sweater!

Have you tried Touch of Alpaca yet?  What did you think?

Pin the image below to save this article for later!