baby yarn

[Phishy]

My cousin is having a baby in February and I would really like to either knit or crochet her some sort of useful item for said baby. My dilemma comes in with picking some yarn for the project. Most nice yarns I've used in the past have some very specific washing instructions, and that, in my mind, deters from it's usefulness in an item for a baby. sweatdrop So I was wondering if anyone could recommend some yarn that would work for a baby project and can stand up to the fact that it will probably get spit up on, food dripped on it, dropped in the mud, ect... without having to be hand washed with special soap? Any and all help would be much loved.

(p.s. I could probably use a few recommendations for a pattern too, as I'm having trouble picking one out rolleyes )  

[firrantello]

oh, man, you had to ask this one while i was at dorm and not at home to check my stash, lol.

i used some great baby yarn for a hufflepuff scarf... i'm trying to look up the brand for you now.
... i know it was one of those bigger things (maybe a 1 lb ball?)... got it at wal-mart surprisingly... gah!

i want to say it's "bernat baby fingering weight baby yarn"... whatever they wanna call it. here's a link to what i think i might've used.

whatever it was, i KNOW it was machine washable acrylic, but soft.

for patterns, here's one i've been wanting to try. this classic one from knitty also looked really cool  

[kochi~mochi]

OMG you madea hufflepuff scarf out of baby yarn. *drools and dies* I have one made out of simply soft, which is pretty soft, but i want to make one that feels more luxuriouse.

Anyways... Yarns.
http://cache.lionbrand.com/yarns/babySoft.htm
http://cache.lionbrand.com/yarns/homespunBaby.htm
http://cache.lionbrand.com/yarns/pound.htm
http://www.caron.com/yarns/ss_baby.html
http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=babysoft
http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=babyboucle
http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=babybubbles
http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=babycoordinates
http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=babycoordinatessweetstripes
http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=babylash
http://www.bernat.com/product.php?LGC=softeebaby
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Medium+Yarns/Red+Heart+Baby+Econo.htm
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Medium+Yarns/Red+Heart+Baby+Teri.htm
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Medium+Yarns/TLC+Baby+Amore.htm
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Light+Yarns/TLC+Baby.htm
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Light+Yarns/Red+Heart+Soft+Baby.htm
http://www.coatsandclark.com/Products/Knitting/Super+Bulky+Yarns/Red+Heart+Baby+Clouds.htm

Okay, i know thats alot to look through. mad D Those are all the brands i know and use often, they're cheaper, and most of them should be machine wash/dry. My favorite one is the last one, Baby Clouds. Its really soft and its bulky.

Also, with some of the yarns, you can look and see what free patterns from that company use that yarn.  

[SaelensFrozenFlame]

Well...you could always knit or crochet a baby blanket...I only know garter stitch, so I really can't offer a pattern...sorry ._.;;  

[VP Club Freakin Justice]

Caron Simply Soft works pretty well. It comes in brites and other softer colors. It's also machine washable and dryable.  

[firrantello]

Mikono

OMG you madea hufflepuff scarf out of baby yarn. *drools and dies* I have one made out of simply soft, which is pretty soft, but i want to make one that feels more luxuriouse

Also, with some of the yarns, you can look and see what free patterns from that company use that yarn.

Yeah, it's nice xd I used Caron's Simply Soft for the black, but it's actually not as soft as the yellow.

Ditto your idea for the yarn. Most of the patterns I've done are free. It's amazing how big the community of online knitters is and most of them like to share :-p  

[Brunette_Star]

Two of my friends have had babies and I've made them both baby blankets, but darnit now I can't remember the brand of yarn I used! sweatdrop I think the important thing is that it's specifically called a "Baby Yarn" so it's soft enough not to irritate the baby. Most craft stores carry some form of washable acrylic baby yarn. I think any mother-to-be would appreciate a homemade baby blanket.

As for a pattern, I used this Lion Brand crochet pattern. There's also a knit version available. You have to register for the free patterns, but the registration is free and you could probably get away with using a fake name and a spam-collecting old email address. Good luck!  

[Phishy]

Thanks very much for all the help everyone. I'm sure I'll have no trouble finding something suitable with all this to chose from biggrin  

[DecemberFlower]

My favorite is probably Bernat Baby. It works well for knit and crochet.

If you decide to go crochet, DO NOT use Bernat Baby Coordinates. I'm working on something with that yarn right now, and my hook constantly gets caught up in the shiny strand. It makes all kinds of nasty pulls and stuff, and it just makes for a really frustrating experience. It's okay for knitting, though, from what I can tell.