i bought rowan calmer yarn at my LYS for a baby sweater i am learning how to knit in class. i love the feel and color of it, but not loving the price… :wall:
what are some soft cottons (machine washable) out there that don’t break the bank and are not the traditional “baby colors”?
thanks!
Hobby Lobby has a sportweight one called Sonata that comes in lots of colors; for worsted cotton, there’s also Sugar & Cream or Peaches & Cream. Sugar & Cream, if memory serves me right, has a better color selection, but it’s still mostly pastels and brights.
I really like Knitpicks cotton.
Sugar n Cream is nice and affordable, but it’s really not soft. And depending on what colors you choose, it bleeds like crazy. I used some to make a scrub cloth in burgundy and it has bled every time I’ve used it and I’ve used it at least 10 times now.
For soft cotton, I’d recommend Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton, which is more expensive than some others, but it is the softest cotton I know.
Knit Picks shine is also not bad (cotton blend) and Berroco Touche (another cotton blend) feels pretty nice, too.
I like TLC. Its not expensive and it feels nice.
nods delightful stuff…and i pretty much hate knitting with cotton…:teehee:
Classic Elite Premier or Borroco Touche
Bernat Cottontots is VERY nice, too. And won’t break the bank. 
on of the cottons I return to beside KP shine… is Cotton Fleece by Brown Sheep Company… My wal-mart doesn’t carry any other cotton but Peaches n’ Creme and I don’t find that very soft…
Cotton Fleece runs a little over 7.00 for 215 yds… at least at my LYS…
Sugar/Peaches n Cream yarns soften up with wearing and washing. Lighter colors probably won’t bleed as much as darker, though they may fade a little.
sue
Manos Del Uruguay Cotton Stria is incredibly soft, but unfortunately must be hand-washed.
http://yarndex.com/yarn.cfm?yarn_id=1814
So totally not practical and what you are looking for, but you have to experience it and touch it nonetheless! 
thanks for all the ideas, i’ll check them out!
Cascade has some great pima cotton and pima cotton blend yarns that aren’t too expensive.