My new niece-in-law suggested that I make afghans for the adult nieces and nephews for Christmas next year. That was a great suggestion!
I’m now looking for natural-fiber (or natural fiber blend) washable yarns for afghans. These relatives will soon be starting families so I want something that can survive families. Here are 4 patterns I’m considering:
You’d want to look for Superwash wools if you want 100% natural fibers. There’s several blends that are washabale, Plymouth encore, Lion Woolease and a Paton’s yarn. Many acrylic yarns are very soft, warm and snuggly, and will stand up to years of use.
Thanks for the suggestions Suzeeq. I’m avoiding acrylic yarns because I am unable to wear 100% acrylic so I assume knitting with it isn’t a good idea either. However, the blends seem seem to be ok so I’ll start checking into the brands you suggest.
How are you not able to wear them? I do know that if I knit a tight (as in normal) gauge, they’re too hot for me. That’s one reason I knit with larger needles, opens up the stitches.
Good question - I should be more specific. My skin does not respond well to acrylic or polyester so I avoid wearing it whenever possible. So I didn’t want to work with 100% acrylic for that reason.
I’ve seen any number of cotton, bamboo, soy and hemp yarns that would be luscious knit up into a blanket. Don’t restrict yourself to wools. Some of them will shrink the first time they’re washed though, so you may want to do a swatch and adjust the size/gauge/pattern accordingly.
There are several superwash merinos–Cleckheaton is one that isn’t horribly expensive. Nice and soft, too. Lorna’s Laces is a dream, but it’s a bit expensive for an afghan, most likely.