Baby alpaca scarf queries

How-to Questions
1

Hello knitters!

I have a few questions and am hoping to gain some insight. I’m a very new knitter and happily just finished my third scarf. I am looking to try something a little different and found the following scarf which I am dying to make.

http://www.loopknits.com/2008/10/09/montana-scarf/

My roommate recently returned from the Galapagos islands and brought with her three balls of baby alpaca yarn that is so soft and of three different colours. I would really like to use this yarn to make the scarf, however I have a few concerns.

The yarn is very thin (I have attached a picture) and doesn’t contain any information regarding yarn length, recommended needle size, nuthin! I generally knit with quite high tension (stress?) and would like this to be a chunkier scarf. The pattern says approx. 30 stitches for a thicker yarn and can be doubled for something thinner. So, exposition completed (yikes) here are my questions!

  1. I want to use two of the three skeins (is that the right word? ie. balls of yarn) to make horizontal stripes for the scarf to get a decent length. Is it very bad that I don’t know how long the yarn is?

  2. Though ambitious, I was going to try double knitting this scarf to double up on the thickness of the scarf. Would you recommend that over doubling stitches?

  3. From what I’ve read on the forums, baby alpaca doesn’t hold ribbing very well. Should I abandon this pattern for a chunkier yarn and k1p1 my way to glory?

  4. I’m going to trot down to my local wool mill to ask their expertise on needle size, but is going with a larger needle a bad idea on such a wool?

I’m so excited to use this stuff I just want to dive RIGHT in, but the logical side of my brain says me nay, wait for advice. Sorry this is so long… just very excited! Any advice would be appreciated!

Many thanks, and happy knitting!

Alexander

2

What a thoughtful roommate to bring back such a wonderful gift!
Asking at a local mill is a good idea. You may also be able to get an idea of yarn weight by measuring wraps per inch (wrap the yarn around a ruler and measure how many wraps in an inch. You can then convert that to the yarn weight and get a better idea of gauge and needle size.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_weight
You can also use a kitchen scale to weigh the yarn and with an idea of the yarn type from the wpi you can estimate how many yards you have. The chart also gives estimates to convert gms to meters.
The pattern looks like a very nice one to do but the yarn used is a super bulky (10sts/4 inches gauge in stockinette). The scarf gauge is smaller but it’s measured over a rib which pulls it in (17sts/4inches). I think it would be better to go with a bulkier yarn for this particular pattern unless you find that the alpaca is thick enough to use two strands and that you have enough to make a good sized scarf with the doubled yarn.