Baby Alpaca Merino Yarn, PROFILO SOFIA, Luxury Italian Lace Weight Yarn, Balls or Cones, 600m/100g

Discover SOFIA by PROFILO, Italy, a beautifully balanced luxury Italian yarn made from 80% Baby Alpaca and 20% Merino Wool. With 600m/100g (656y/3.52oz), SOFIA sits at the fine end of Lace Weight and combines the exceptional softness, warmth, and gentle halo of Baby Alpaca with the elasticity and stability of Merino.

The strand itself is fine and lightweight with a softly fuzzy surface rather than a heavily brushed construction. Baby Alpaca gives the finished fabric warmth and beautiful drape without requiring a heavy yarn, while Merino helps provide resilience and structure. SOFIA can be knitted alone for delicate lightweight fabrics or held in multiple strands to create everything from Fingering to Chunky Weight.

The beautiful mélange appearance, especially visible in the green, gives the yarn additional depth rather than a completely flat solid color. It is an excellent choice for sweaters, cardigans, scarves, shawls, layering pieces, and exceptionally soft cold-weather garments.

⚑ Product Specifications:
• Manufacturer: PROFILO, Italy
• Article: SOFIA
• Fiber Content: 80% Baby Alpaca, 20% Merino Wool
• Yarn Weight: Lace
• Yarn Count: Nm 2/12000
• Yardage: 600 meters / 100g (656 yards / 3.52 oz)
• Yarn Structure: Fine 2-Ply Spun Yarn with Soft Natural Halo
• Formats: Balls (BY DEFAULT) or Cones (PLEASE PURCHASE)
• Origin: Made in Italy

➤ My First Impressions
I knitted my sample holding three strands together on US 4 (3.5 mm) needles, and I was genuinely surprised by how beautiful this yarn became after washing. The finished fabric is extremely soft, with a beautiful silky halo and a wonderfully luxurious feel.

With three strands and US 4 needles, the fabric is quite substantial and warm—an excellent combination if you want a true winter sweater or cardigan. For a lighter, airier fabric, I would recommend using larger needles and allowing the yarn more room to breathe. The beautiful Baby Alpaca halo will have more space to open and develop after washing.

I also really like the colors. They are sophisticated and very easy to combine with each other, which makes SOFIA especially interesting for colorwork, stripes, or projects using several coordinating shades.

At 600m/100g, the yarn is fine enough to be extremely versatile. You can adjust the thickness simply by changing the number of strands, or combine SOFIA with many other yarns and fibers to create your own texture, color, and fabric.

A great yarn and highly recommended. The transformation after washing is especially beautiful—soft, silky, warm, and much more luxurious than you might expect from looking at the yarn on the cone.

⌁ Texture & Feel
• Exceptionally soft and lightweight
• Fine, softly fuzzy surface with a delicate natural halo
• Warm without creating excessive weight
• Baby Alpaca contributes softness, warmth, and graceful drape
• Merino adds elasticity, resilience, and structure
• Beautifully suited to garments worn close to the skin
• Develops additional softness and bloom after washing

⚑ Why This Yarn Is Special
With 80% Baby Alpaca, SOFIA contains an unusually high proportion of this exceptionally soft luxury fiber. Baby Alpaca provides excellent warmth relative to its weight and creates a soft halo that becomes even more beautiful after finishing.

The addition of 20% Merino is particularly useful in a high-Alpaca yarn. Alpaca naturally has less elasticity than wool, while Merino contributes recovery and stability to the finished fabric.

At 600m/100g, SOFIA is also extremely versatile. One strand creates delicate Lace Weight fabric, while holding multiple strands quickly transforms it into practical hand-knitting weights without sacrificing the beautiful fiber composition.

✧ Fiber Profile
• Baby Alpaca — exceptional softness, warmth, lightness, halo, and drape
• Merino Wool — elasticity, resilience, structure, and additional warmth
• Combined — soft, warm luxury fabric with better stability than a pure Alpaca yarn

➤ Strand Weight Guide
• 1 strand — Lace — 600m/100g (656y/3.52oz)
• 2 strands — Sport — 300m/100g (328y/3.52oz)
• 3 strands — Worsted — 200m/100g (219y/3.52oz)
• 4 strands — Chunky — 150m/100g (164y/3.52oz)
• 5 strands — Chunky — 120m/100g (131y/3.52oz)
• 6 strands — Roving — 100m/100g (109y/3.52oz)

➤ Multi-Strand Gauge & Needles Guide
• 1 strand — Lace — 600m/100g (656y/3.52oz) — US 1–3 (2.25–3.25 mm)
• 2 strands — Sport — 300m/100g (328y/3.52oz) — US 3–6 (3.25–4.0 mm)
• 3 strands — Worsted — 200m/100g (219y/3.52oz) — US 6–8 (4.0–5.0 mm)
• 4 strands — Chunky — 150m/100g (164y/3.52oz) — US 8–10 (5.0–6.0 mm)
• 5 strands — Chunky — 120m/100g (131y/3.52oz) — US 10–11 (6.0–8.0 mm)
• Always knit/crochet and wet-block a test swatch. Alpaca-rich yarn can bloom significantly after washing, changing the apparent density and drape of the finished fabric.

➤ IMPORTANT — Yarn Usage
SOFIA can be used either alone or in multiple strands depending on the desired fabric.

One strand is best suited to delicate, lightweight knitting, lace, shawls, scarves, and airy layering pieces. Two strands create approximately 300m/100g, a particularly versatile Sport Weight for lightweight sweaters and cardigans.

Three or more strands create increasingly substantial fabrics while preserving the softness and beautiful halo of the Baby Alpaca.

Because Alpaca is naturally warm, a garment does not need to be extremely dense to provide considerable warmth.

➤ Recommended Uses
• Lightweight sweaters and cardigans
• Soft pullovers and layering pieces
• Shawls, wraps, and scarves
• Cowls and hats
• Fine lace and openwork
• Lightweight winter tops
• Baby garments and accessories
• Multi-strand luxury knitwear
• Companion-yarn combinations

➤ What This Yarn Does in Your Project
• Adds exceptional softness without excessive weight
• Creates a delicate natural Alpaca halo
• Provides excellent warmth
• Produces graceful drape
• Blooms beautifully after washing
• Creates attractive depth in mélange colors
• Allows one yarn to be used across several different knitting weights

✧ Tips & Recommendations
For a classic lightweight hand-knitted sweater, two strands held together are an excellent starting point, producing approximately 300m/100g (328y/3.52oz).

For a more substantial sweater or cardigan, three strands produce approximately 200m/100g (219y/3.52oz).

SOFIA can also be combined with Cashmere, Silk, Merino, Linen, or other fine yarns to change the structure and character of the fabric. A Silk companion can emphasize drape, Merino can add additional elasticity, while Linen can create an interesting contrast between the soft Alpaca halo and a more structured fiber.

Always judge this yarn after washing your swatch. The Baby Alpaca fibers relax and bloom during finishing, so the appearance directly from the cone or ball does not fully represent the finished fabric.

⋔ Approximate Yarn Usage
• Lightweight sweater: 300–450g / 10.6–15.9 oz
• Cardigan: 350–550g / 12.3–19.4 oz
• Short-sleeve top: 200–300g / 7.1–10.6 oz
• Shawl or wrap: 150–250g / 5.3–8.8 oz
• Scarf: 120–200g / 4.2–7.1 oz
• Hat: 70–100g / 2.5–3.5 oz
• Baby sweater: 100–180g / 3.5–6.3 oz

Actual requirements depend on garment size, gauge, stitch pattern, strand count, and desired fabric density.

➤ Recommended Pairings From iDOKNiT
• Fine Merino — adds additional elasticity and structure
• Cashmere — increases softness and creates exceptionally luxurious winter fabrics
• Silk — adds luminosity, strength, and elegant drape
• Linen — creates an interesting structured contrast with the Alpaca halo
• Cotton — adds stability and creates lighter transitional fabrics
• Paillettes yarns — introduces delicate sparkle while maintaining the soft Alpaca background

Recommended Pairings Available at iDOKNiT
• CASHWOOL by Zegna Baruffa — an excellent Extrafine Merino base for additional elasticity and clean structure
• HARMONY by Tollegno 1900 / Lana Gatto — combines beautifully with SOFIA when you want a smoother Merino foundation while preserving the Alpaca halo
• CRISTALLO by Filati Power — adds Extrafine Merino, Silk, and Cashmere for an exceptionally rich multi-fiber luxury blend
• PAILLETTES by PROFILO — adds 98% Cashmere and delicate paillettes for a soft, sophisticated sparkle
• MICIO by NEW MILL — combines Cashmere and Silk with SOFIA for a richer brushed texture and luxurious halo
• AURA SOFT by Biagioli Modesto — adds Cashmere/Silk softness while allowing SOFIA's Baby Alpaca character to remain visible
• QUARANTALINO by Toscano — an ultra-fine Linen companion for an unusual combination of Alpaca softness and Linen structure

My Recommendation: SOFIA is especially interesting because you can completely change the finished fabric without changing yarn. Use multiple strands of SOFIA for pure Baby Alpaca/Merino softness, combine different SOFIA colors together for custom mélanges, or introduce another luxury fiber to change the structure, drape, warmth, or surface of the fabric.

⫯ Weaving Suitability
SOFIA is suitable for creating exceptionally soft, lightweight woven textiles. It is particularly attractive as a weft yarn for scarves, shawls, wraps, and luxury apparel fabrics where its warmth, drape, and natural halo can develop during wet finishing.

For warp use, sample carefully first and evaluate abrasion resistance and tension because of the high Baby Alpaca content and softly fuzzy surface.

⟳ Care Instructions
• Hand wash gently in cool water with a wool-safe detergent
• Do not rub, wring, or twist
• Gently press excess water out with a towel
• Reshape while damp
• Lay flat to dry away from direct sunlight
• Do not hang wet garments
• Avoid excessive agitation to preserve the soft surface
• Always wash and block a swatch before beginning a large project