which yarn/fibre to use for a baby?

Think soft, soft, soft. I personally do almost all my baby knits in wool (usually merino). Wool has been doing babies good service for years - why change now. Alpaca might be worth considering - very warm and soft. You'll be able to get a similar sort of wool to what you used to knit your daughter's shawl all those years ago (I can get such things in NZ so I'd find it very hard to believe that it couldn't be sourced in London).

VP

It seems as though most young couples don't really use baby clothes that can't be thrown in the washing machine. Usually both work and they have little time for hand wash. I've noticed that my daughter has a pile in her baby's bedroom of things that she's going to hand wash when she has the time, but in fact, those things never get worn again because the baby outgrows them before they get washed.

That being the case, I think acrylic is the answer. There are superwash wools, but the ones I've seen were a bit scratchy.

Debbie Bliss makes several types of natural yarns which could be used for baby garments. John Lewis/Knight and Lee should stock these yarns, at least they do in Gosport.

link will give you a listing of wool shops in London.DA

People have been doing just fine with wool for thousands of years. Find some superwash wool - mum can put it through the laundry - and have at it.

Acrylic isn't a very nice choice, IMO, as it melts and embeds itself in the skin if the stuff happens to catch fire.

Washable wool, cotton/acrylic blends, or acrylic. Not all acrylic is rough, I've felt wool that's worse and most baby yarns are softer anyway. They don't melt unless you hold a flame to them.

sue

Machine washable is a must, especially if you expect the items to get a lot of use. Recall that babies are messy. My kids would go through multiple blankets and changes of clothing every day when they were infants, and my washer and dryer were running constantly. There was no way I would have been willing to hand wash anything. Superwash wool or even some of the nice soft acrylics and other synthetics would be good.

The Other Kim kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom

When dd was expecting her first, she made it very clear that anything I knit for the baby would, repeat WOULD, be acrylics for easy care.

Since then, I have knit lots and lots of things, all from GOOD QUALITY acrylics - not the cheap and nasty stuff - and most of then have been handed down through her family and stayed beautifully soft while going through the washer and dryer, sometimes daily, and still wearing like iron.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

I love Dalegarn's Baby Ull -- a soft machine washable merino fingering weight wool. However, I agree that there are some acceptable non-wool alternatives. I have used Paton's Astra for sturdy, washable hooded sweaters. I made some cute things from Petit Mandarin - a Sandnes cotton fingering yarn that comes in great colors. There are really lots of options.

nickieknits spun a FINE 'yarn':

Hi, Nickie, First, allergy concerns are basically/mostly a myth, 90 percent of people who THINK they are allergic to wool are NOT. The concern of WASHABILITY is more important, however, superwash wools can be easily machine washed and dried like any other fibre, however many people are allergic to man-made materials! Acrylic, while 'easy' is an alternative that has it's pro's and CONS. Pro? Easy Care. Con? Melts. Allergy concerns. Roughness. JM2C, Noreen

I'm gonna quibble over the "roughness" part. I just made my daughter a sweater using Paton's Be Mine, a nice, unbelievably soft 100% nylon yarn I found at Michael's. Then there's Plymouth Yarns' Oh My!, so named because that's what you say when you feel it and realize you've never felt anything so soft, and this is another 100% nylon.

I'll agree that some synthetics are rough, but it's nothing that a run through the washer and dryer can't take care of. I've made many an afghan that felt downright scratchy at first, but after one washing and drying they were nice and snuggly, and they've gotten softer with use and are still in good shape some 15 to 20 years later.

The Other Kim kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom

Hi there, as another UK knitter among other crafts I sympathise with your dilemma. I wouldn't bother with those central London stores which seem to be shrinking their yarn depts all the time. Find yourself a nice local yarn store. Whereabouts in London are you? I may be able to help with some ideas. Personally I use mostly good quality acrylic or a wool acrylic blend for baby/children's items, although I have also used superwash wool. I think you probably need to touch and fondle yarn for babies (or anyone really) before buying to see how it feels on your skin. There are nice yarns in each type so it's horses for courses I guess! Love & higs Christine

The Other Kim spun a FINE 'yarn':

Nodnodnod, you're right, Kim, I don't know why I added roughness, as I'm partiial to Caron's SIMPLY SOFT, and it is SO soft! Plus, I know the tricks to softening rough acrylics anyway and have posted it/them here many times. mea culpa :D Noreen

Noreen,

I give away a lot of items made from Caron's SIMPLY SOFT. It is a favorite of mine.

I have crocheted many baby blankets, dozens. For our Church and family friends and charity. I do not know how many buntings, sweaters and etc I have knitted. They are my favorite items, parents appreciate hand made items immensely.

How is Navy doing.

Hugs & God bless, Dennis & Gail

I live in South London, Honor Oak Park - according to one site someone posted there is a woolshop within easy walking distance, but I'm afraid the information must be very out of date as there has never been one there in the three years I've lived in this area.

I hear good things about a shop in Islington - it's a bit of a trek, but I thought I might go over there.

I so agree with this - it's possible to purchase online, but I want to

*see* the colours and *feel* the yarn before committing to purchase!

I'm also struggling slightly for patterns - I borrowed some Debbie Bliss books from the library, but they all have set in, square sleeves, which are so bulky, I'm sure raglan would be better for babies, as well as being easier to put together! I'm not competent enough to start altering patterns from set-in to raglan style yet. :-)

Nickie

Spike Driver spun a FINE 'yarn':

Hi Dennis! NAVY says "Semper Fi, Marine!" Yes, Caron's Simply Soft is wonderful, it's what I use for the afghans, lapghans I make for VA Home residents, AND what I use for chemo caps I make for the Nashvile VA Clinic. Hugs, Noreen

YarnWright spun a FINE 'yarn':

He just asked me to tell you that his head is still clanking anchors, LOL! Hugs, Noreen

Hi Nickie There's a strange thing, I used to live in Honor Oak Road Forest Hill! I'm in NW Kent now though and would say that if you fancy a trip out into the country (if you call Maidstone or Tunbridge Wells country) C&H fabrics

worth a visit. Quite a wide range of standard knitting yarns, some patterns & books, and helpful staff, at least in the branches I've been to. And of course once you know what you like you can always shop online if you can't get to a proper shop, in which case I can let you have some of my favourite online outlets. Although I still think that we should support proper shops if they're accessible.Hope the following help: There's iknit in Vauxhall, I'm not sure about how much baby yarn they've got, but it's worth a try in Islington in Putney there's list here, don't know anything about most of them, but some ideas anyway.Have fun Love & higs Christine

You can find a raglan sleeved jacket on my site (if you don't mind knitting a vintage item):

have heaps (too many) other patterns, I'll happily dig some out foryou and send you a some scans if you let me know exactly what you areafter (cardigan or jersey, v-neck or round etc.) VP

Poor guy! Hugs, Dennis