I’ve never knitted with wool before so I’ve never really paid attention to it. DH wants a hat for winter but doesnt want it to be “itchy”. I know there has got to me some out there than will work (wool or not wool) Sugestions?
Wool question
Merino wool. It’s still 100% wool, but is very very soft. 
Thanks Silver! And I just realized how bizarre that had to sound. Knitting and no wool :?? hehe, well I am an odd one.
Edit for spelling! hahahaha darn that spell check fixing the word the wrong way :rollseyes:
Alpaca is very soft and not itchy. The superwash wools are very soft and don’t have that “itchy” feel. Or you could go with a blend. I use a lot of Plymouth Encore, very soft, knits up nice, inexpensive, washes beautifully.
But not the only one! 
I’ll admit, the only natural fiber i’ve knitted with so far is cotton. I had the same question as you as far as the “itchiness factor” so i’m watching this thread closely.
thanks!
-hh
Ok, I’m showing my wool geek side now:
That itchiness comes from the coarse hairs of some wools. But there are many, many different breeds of wool. Merino is one of the finest wools (thinnest fiber shaft), and often used for baby articles. That tells you just how soft this stuff is!
Of course, you could always use a luxury fiber. Cashmere is finer than merino, hence the buttery softness. But the most luxurious is Qiviut. It is the soft downy undercoat of the Musk Ox. Qiviut is the lightest, warmest, and softest of luxury fibers, and never felts… which also makes it very expensive. No, I haven’t knit with qiviut. Yet.
Did you know wool can retain up to 30% of its own weight in water and still feel warm and dry? It’s actually warmer when damp. That’s why it’s so well suited for fisherman’s sweaters.
(Yes, I’m such a geek)
OOOOOhhhhhh!! Geek is good!! :mrgreen:
I’m a scientist - this breakdown of info works well for me!!
thanks!
-hh
I 
Plymouth Encore. And it’s not very expensive.
. Qiviut is the lightest, warmest, and softest of luxury fibers, and never felts… which also makes it very expensive. No, I haven’t knit with qiviut. Yet.
I had to find the price of this stuff. It is about $70 per oz. Hmm… my parents are going to Fairbanks next month 
A friend of mine has Alpacas–she’ll spin, I’ll knit. I’ll have to discuss the merits of owning a Musk Ox with her. The possibilities. . . . Who gets to shear the Musk Ox? :shock:
I think the ox is plucked, not sheared. Like an angora rabbit. I can only imagine spinning qiviut is a pain in the butt. I have a bunch of angora to spin, but it’s soooo silky, and I’m not that good at spinning yet. sigh
If you find out about owning one, I want one too. And a few angora rabbits, and a cashmere goat, and an angora goat… and a few merino sheep.
That would ROCK. :rofling:
gasp They PLUCK IT!!! :shock:
trying not to imagine having my hair plucked outta my body…:verysad:
I think I’d rather BE plucked than be under the musk ox, doing the plucking! :rollseyes:
Hee! It’s not like they pull it out by the root. It’s already loose… like if you gently grasp your cat’s fur and pull out a wad of loose fuzz.
Did you know you could spin that too? And dog fur. Dog is called Chiengora! :shock:
yeah, I just did some reading on it. 
I think I’ll stick to my nylon, cotton and acrylic (sp?? that looks funny) and an occasional hand raised wool.
:mad: OH, GO PLUCK AN OX!!! :mad:
:roflhard: :roflhard: I have a feeling this will now randomly come up in one of my conversations… and I am the only one that will find the humor in it.
OK I just had to do it. Check this out:
http://www.qiviut.com/store/index.cfm?target=home&CFID=31450&CFTOKEN=50076945
Did you see me? I’m the one on the right. It takes a lot out of you when you spend you days ox-plucking. :roflhard:
whew…i was so worried that i was going to find some horrible site telling of bunnies and musk ox being tortured for their fur… :rollseyes:
now i can go through another night blissfully ignorant whilst i rant about other things i heard tonight! i can only concentrate on so many attrocities at a time ya know…lol