Best yarn for baby blanket?

[espap]

Hi all,

 

I am new to crochet and need your wisdom! I want to crochet a baby blankie for my third which is due in April. (Also for my nephew and for a friends baby girl).

 

What is the best yarn to use? I have Candi Jensen's book Candy Blankets, and the yarn used there is mainly acrylic. I understant acrylic is durable and washable, but I thought of doing something in a more natural yarn.

 

Cotton? Machine washable wool? What's your experience for something durable, washable but natural and cuddly?

 

Thanks a lot, can't wait to start and I need to order my yarn before Christmas!

 

Esther

[halesje]

I've used "shine" from knitpicks.com for baby stuff. It's a cotton-modal blend, and it's extremely washable and very soft. Unfortunately, they don't ship outside of the US and Canada, but you might be able to find a similar blend from another source.

[beachlady]

most all is ok, after u wash it once done,makes it real soft. Red heart soft, they have the 3 strand in pastels, all at wal mart. I make one a week and use it all.

[Sabra]

I've got a good many baby blankets done in acrylics. Beachlady is right, even the cheapest yarns tend to soften up quite a bit in the wash.

 

Of course, if I wanted to do a natural-fiber yarn...Well, if money were no object, I'd use silk yarn. SouthWest Trading Company has a fiber called Soy Silk, that is a silk-like yarn made from the obvious plant. They also have some yarn made from bamboo, which interests me greatly from a renewable resources standpoint.

 

Being more practical, I'd use cotton yarn. I'm not a fan of wool because I'm very allergic to it (and it seems as if it'd be just too scratchy for a newborn). With cotton you have to beware of shrinkage of course, but it just gets better with washing, IMO.

 

(And total side track, but you've got the same name as my third daughter. )

[espap]

thank you ladies for your replies. I found this yarn by Debbie Bliss, it is 80% and 20 alpaca. Sounds ideal. What do you think? Or cotton and silk? I really want to spoil that baby! LOL. And imagine if the baby rejects my blankie and goes for a bog standard fleecy one ? LOL.

 

Esther

[Sabra]

I would seriously go for the silk blend if you can afford it. Silk is just so soft & wonderful against the skin, & I think the cotton would make it comparatively easy to care for.