NVR: Knitting baby blanket--question about pattern/yarn
Posted by Anonymous on Oct 20, 2007 · Member since Dec 1969 · 11789 posts
A friend of mine is 4 months pregnant and I want to make her little one a blankie. I'm thinking about a basketweave pattern because they are warm, fluffy, and soft. I was thinking about using a pale lime green bamboo-based yarn, too. However, I can't find any bamboo yarn that doesn't have wool in it though (still not sure how I feel about the wool thing and I would think it wouldn't be something I'd want for baby skin). Has anyone worked with bamboo before? I thought about acrylic, but would rather do something more natural (like a bamboo/cotton blend).
I understand your vegan concerns about wool, but physically there is nothing wrong with wool for a baby's skin, unless it were very coarse "sharp" (itchy) yarn--which you would feel by rubbing a skein on your arm. Baby yarns however are made of the finest grades--no itch factor.
I've never knitted with bamboo yarn, as they didn't have such things "back in my day." ::) There are some great, soft and snuggly synthetics tho, or you might consider a cotton "ragg" yarn.
I've never used bamboo... it's pretty expensive. I hadn't even thought to check about wool content.
I use red heart's "soft yarn" skeins, but they're 100% acrylic. Lion brand has "cotton ease," though, which is a cotton/acrylic mix, and seems to be pretty soft. Never used it though.
Been thinking: a cotton/synthetic blend or all-synthetic might be best for baby stuff as they are much more washable than wool and some delicate natural fibres. And we know that baby stuff gets washed, and washed, and washed... :)
Been thinking: a cotton/synthetic blend or all-synthetic might be best for baby stuff as they are much more washable than wool and some delicate natural fibres. And we know that baby stuff gets washed, and washed, and washed... :)
Yeah, I was concerned about the washability factor. Bamboo is apparently easily laundered. I might have to just hit up my local yarn store and see what they have for baby yarns. I want something nicer (not just something I can pick up at Michael's, JoAnne Fabrics, etc.), so the price isn't a big issue for me (baby blankets are small anyway).
There are a lot of very cool alternatives out there right now-- I went to a "yarn tasting" recently and got to try out corn silk, soy silk, and a variety of bamboo yarns. I can understand not wanting to use wool, since many babies have allergies-- not to mention that except for superwash wool, they're mostly not machine washable. The bamboo is naturally anti-microbial, which is good for babies obviously, and easy to wash. How about this brand for 100% bamboo? I've used their bamboo and their soy silk, and they are both really nice. Or this one? I've not used that yarn, but I really like other products from this brand. You'd definitely have to get these at a small yarn shop, not a big chain store.
I have used a bamboo/acrylic blend, and it was really nice-- picked that up at Michael's, I think.
You might also consider a nice organic cotton-- it's tougher to knit with because it has no elasticity (it's tougher on your fingers), but something like Tahki is so so so nice once it's knit up. And it makes an all season blanket.
There are a lot of very cool alternatives out there right now-- I went to a "yarn tasting" recently and got to try out corn silk, soy silk, and a variety of bamboo yarns. I can understand not wanting to use wool, since many babies have allergies-- not to mention that except for superwash wool, they're mostly not machine washable. The bamboo is naturally anti-microbial, which is good for babies obviously, and easy to wash. How about this brand for 100% bamboo? I've used their bamboo and their soy silk, and they are both really nice. Or this one? I've not used that yarn, but I really like other products from this brand. You'd definitely have to get these at a small yarn shop, not a big chain store.
I have used a bamboo/acrylic blend, and it was really nice-- picked that up at Michael's, I think.
You might also consider a nice organic cotton-- it's tougher to knit with because it has no elasticity (it's tougher on your fingers), but something like Tahki is so so so nice once it's knit up. And it makes an all season blanket.
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll take a look at those. My first instinct was cotton (because I LOVE the look and feel of knitted cotton), but I didn't want it to shrink up--do they make pre-shrunk cotton yarn?
There are a lot of very cool alternatives out there right now-- I went to a "yarn tasting" recently and got to try out corn silk, soy silk, and a variety of bamboo yarns. I can understand not wanting to use wool, since many babies have allergies-- not to mention that except for superwash wool, they're mostly not machine washable. The bamboo is naturally anti-microbial, which is good for babies obviously, and easy to wash. How about this brand for 100% bamboo? I've used their bamboo and their soy silk, and they are both really nice. Or this one? I've not used that yarn, but I really like other products from this brand. You'd definitely have to get these at a small yarn shop, not a big chain store.
I have used a bamboo/acrylic blend, and it was really nice-- picked that up at Michael's, I think.
You might also consider a nice organic cotton-- it's tougher to knit with because it has no elasticity (it's tougher on your fingers), but something like Tahki is so so so nice once it's knit up. And it makes an all season blanket.
Thanks for the suggestions! I'll take a look at those. My first instinct was cotton (because I LOVE the look and feel of knitted cotton), but I didn't want it to shrink up--do they make pre-shrunk cotton yarn?
I think Sugar & Cream is supposed to be pre-shrunk, but it's a pretty dull yarn... mostly used for washcloths... but I've used it to makes shawls and little jacket-type-things. (it's from a crochet book)
If you go to a specialty knitting store (as opposed to a general craft store) or an online knitting store, then you'll find plenty of 100% bamboo yarns. I actually just knitted a baby blanket and hat in bamboo. It was much like knitting in cotton, lol. A slightly different feel.
I, too, had this problem because I wanted to knit wool soakers for my friend's baby shower. But, alas, I could not find an equivalent to wool in any other yarn. There really is none in terms of the properties of wool, i.e. breathable, and water repellant. So, I had to just knit a blanket, hat, and baby booties in bamboo and cotton for the booties.
I tend to stay away from acrylic as it's not a breathable fiber. I like to dress in all natural fibers, and whenever I think of babies and their naturally soft skin ... I think natural fibers would work best.
As for the pre-shrunk cotton yarns, you could always wash your yarn before you knit it up. Knot the hank a couple times, then throw it in the machine. I really like Egyptian cottons, like the Tahki Cotton Classic and my absolute favorite, King Tut-- LOVE that stuff. (And I don't think King Tut shrinks much, if at all.) The great thing about a blanket is that you don't have to worry about gauge, so if you think it's going to shrink (try washing a swatch and see what happens), make it a little bigger and then wash it before you give it as a gift.
You can see I'm very busy at work here-- been surfing ebay and found this. Make sure you find out what the shipping is before you bid, b/c it's not specified and it's located in Malaysia, but it's cheap cheap cheap, and that seller has lots of colors! Bamboo and cotton-- perfect for a baby.