know your yarn

With winter comes the familiar clickety-clack of knitting needles. Sitting in front of an open fire or Golden Girls repeats on TV, there’s nothing more soothing, satisfying, and occasionally infuriating than knitting a scarf or other fluffy object. But while sheep’s wool is our favourite go-to for counting out those garter stitches, there are lots of other options that don’t go ‘baaa’.

ALPACA: Despite originating in harsh conditions on Peruvian mountaintops 4000 metres above sea level, these odd-looking creatures produce one of the animal world’s softest fibres. While sheep just mosey about paddocks all day eating grass, alpacas typically lead a harder, colder life. End result: their coats are 20 per cent warmer than sheep’s