Handwoven deflected doubleweave cowl in baby alpaca, silk and cashmere - hand-dyed pale pink and beige, made by Emma Baker in Salisbury. 
 
This cowl has been woven by Emma Baker on a Louet floor loom in Salisbury, Wiltshire using a deflected doubleweave mosaic structure. The yarn is a hand-dyed blend of 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk and 10% cashmere in pale pastel pink and speckled beige. This is the only listing in Emma’s collection to use this fibre combination.
 
Three exceptional fibres
Baby alpaca (70%)  Baby alpaca is the fleece from an alpaca’s first shearing - the finest, softest clip in the animal’s lifetime. Finer than standard alpaca and finer than most merino, it is naturally hypoallergenic (no lanolin), naturally lustrous, and significantly warmer than sheep’s wool for the same fibre weight. The 70% baby alpaca content is what gives these cowls their exceptional softness against the skin.
Silk (20%)  The 20% silk content adds a natural sheen to the surface, a fluid and cooler drape, and a subtle smoothness. Silk is one of the lightest natural fibres and its presence makes the cowl lighter than a pure alpaca equivalent. The hand-dyed colourway has a depth of tone from the silk content that a non-silk yarn cannot replicate.
Cashmere (10%)  Cashmere is the undercoat of the Cashmere goat, combed rather than shorn. Even at 10%, cashmere acts as a softness amplifier in the blend - Cashmere fibres are among the softest natural fibres available. The 10% cashmere content makes these cowls softer against the skin than baby alpaca and silk alone would produce.
 
Hand-dyed pale pink and beige
The yarn is hand-dyed in pale pastel pink and speckled beige before weaving. Hand-dyeing produces a depth of tone and subtle variation that commercially dyed yarn cannot replicate. The two cowls in this listing will have slightly different colour distributions because of the hand-dyed yarn’s natural variation.
 
What makes these cowls special
Handwoven by Emma Baker in Salisbury, Wiltshire on a Louet floor loom
70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, 10% cashmere - the most exceptional yarn in the collection
Hand-dyed pale pink and speckled beige
Deflected doubleweave mosaic structure
Hypoallergenic - baby alpaca contains no lanolin
27cm wide × 70cm circumference
One of a kind
 
A stunning gift
Perfect for a significant birthday, a retirement gift, a wedding anniversary, or Mother’s Day for someone who appreciates exceptional softness and fine natural fibres. Arrives in Emma Baker’s branded gift box.