I need a soft worsted wool to make a hoodie for my daughter. I was thinking Lamb’s Pride (I have used it and really like it) or Cascade 220 (which I haven’t used but I heard it’s soft and it comes in lots of pretty colors).
Opinions? Is there anything else you’d recommend? Thanks!
Patty
i don’t know…i like them both a lot but i kinda think they are itchy, at least for things worn against the skin they seem to be. not very washable either. the lambs pride will also shed mohair a lot. (yes and i really like it a lot …lol) what about that new Knit picks yarn that is superwash…Swish. it is supposed to be really soft and it would be washable too! Not sure that you would save much money since it is about half the cost of LP and 220 but also half the yardage. but it might be more user friendly in the end? :shrug:
Hi Patty:
I have used Cascade for a hat and mitts, and it is plenty soft enough. I can’t think of anything else I can recommend, but there are my two cents!
of course I didn’t even think about the fact that 220 does come in superwash too! :doh: so that is an option if you do want to be able to wash the hoodie!
I found the feltable Cascade 220 kind of itchy, but the superwash might be softer. They do have lots of pretty colors!
Thanks for the ideas! Swish looks nice but doesn’t have the colors I’m wanting…turquoise blue, apple green, (like a Granny Smith) and a bit of orchid. My dd’s favorite colors. I was thinking of Bare by Knit Picks…I could dye my own! http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/itemid_5420148/yarn_display
Maybe I should look at merino yarn also.
Off to browse…
Patty
220 Superwash is very soft 
Merino outranks them all, though. 
For a waashable wool blend, I really like Plymouth Encore. Its much softer than Cascade 220 superwash. I use it for my DHs work hats and he likes it against his poor bald haid. :teehee:
Oh I forgot about Encore worsted! They have lots of pretty colors, too!
Plymouth Encore
Encore has more acrylic than wool, but it has a nice wooly feel and not real itchy, I’m working on a baby jacket in that right now, and I usually hate hight acrylic content in yarns, I can feel it right away and it’s like fingernails on a chalk board to me when it squeaks on my needles, but not so with Encore, I can almost forget that it’s not all wool.
It’s a little more expensive, but doesn’t Malabrigo make a worsted weight also?
Actually, we were just in one of our LYSs yesterday doing a touch test on Cascade and Lambs Pride for a gift scarf. We went with Lamb’s pride. I think the 85 wool/15 mohair blend makes Lamb’s Pride softer. JMHO. But if I had to pick a soft yarn, I’d choose baby Alpaca–oooh, soft…