I’m a new knitter and wool makes me itch! I’m looking thru the Yarn Girls Guide to Simple Knits, and all the beautiful (and allegedly simple) sweater patterns are done up with bulky wool. What else could I use?
What else besides wool?
What about Merino wool? It’s less itchy.
Alternatively… Alpaca, Mohair, Angora, Cotton, Hemp, Silk or even Bamboo. Depends on what characteristics you would like your sweater to have besides being less itchy than sheep’s wool.
Regular old sheep’s or lamb’s wool seems to be about the easiest stuff to work with. Itchy or not it’s probably best to stick with it if you are just learning.
There are also wool/acrylic blends that come in bulky weight. And plain old acrylic, too.
Acrylic (plymouth Encore maybe? Caron simply soft?) Cotton (natural cotton?) Alpaca, Marino wool, just go to you rLYS and start squeezin some balls of yarn.
AMEN, FEMMY!!
Some (Most!) Merino wools, well, you cant even TELL they’re wool because they are SO soft!
I just made a sweater with merino, and there is no itch AT ALL! It is silky smooth. Anyone in the family who touched it said, “oooooOOOOOOOO!”
doing a search here
which merino was that? im scared to buy online without touching, but the prices at LYS are outrageous.
Alpaca 
doing a search here
which merino was that? im scared to buy online without touching, but the prices at LYS are outrageous.[/quote]
I used Debbie Bliss Merino Aran and got it at www.discountyarnsale.com when it was on sale. It’s not bulky, though.
I love alpaca the best, too.
I have a bit of a wool allergy (don’t smack me!!) and I’ve found that working with baby alpaca is fine for me, as well as Rowan’s kidsilk haze and some acrylic yarns, too.
I won’t smack you for your wool sensitivity. Thank goodness there’s someone else out there like me! I learned from my cross-stitch addiction that it’s really just best to make things for yourself and other devotees. And to be honest, the heck with other devotees! I want to wear the fabulous stuff I’m furrowing my brow over! Will LYS think it’s odd when I stuff hanks of baby alpaca down my shirt to test for itchitude?
My oldest cannot wear wool longies but loves his alpaca longies…its really totally different. Hope it works for you, we love it!