Baby Yarn

Baby yarn is fine knitting yarn from the baby ranges of yarn makers, and you can knit or crochet it into a small blanket, a little hat, a jumper or a first pair of booties. The selection includes Alize Baby Best, YarnArt Baby and Baby Cotton, Himalaya Everyday Bebe, Drops Baby Merino, Schachenmayr Baby Smiles and Schoeller + Stahl Baby Merino. Most of these lines are soft acrylic, while others are cotton with bamboo or merino wool. Balls weigh 25, 50 or 100 g and work for both knitting and crochet.

Which yarn should you pick for baby clothes?

It comes down to the fibre and the season in which your baby will wear the piece.

• Acrylic – light and soft for year-round pieces: YarnArt Baby, Schachenmayr Bravo Baby 185, Alize Baby Best with added bamboo, and Himalaya Everyday Bebe; the last two have an anti-pilling finish.
• Cotton with acrylic or bamboo – for spring and summer: YarnArt Baby Cotton and Schachenmayr Baby Smiles Cotton Bamboo.
• Merino wool – warm and gentle for winter jumpers and hats: Drops Baby Merino and Schoeller + Stahl Baby Merino.

What needle size does baby yarn need, and what can you make with it?

Most baby yarns are thin. You knit Drops Baby Merino on 3 mm needles, YarnArt Baby on 3.5 mm and Schachenmayr Baby Smiles Cotton Bamboo on 2.5–3 mm, so they turn into delicate jumpers, hats and socks. The thicker Alize Baby Best, worked on 4–5 mm needles, also works for a baby blanket that knits up faster.

For thick, soft pram blankets and toys, try the chenille Himalaya Dolphin Baby on 6.5 mm needles or the thinner YarnArt Dolce Baby. You will find more chunky yarns in the blanket yarn category.

How many metres are in one ball?

Length depends on the thickness of the yarn and the weight of the ball: Schoeller + Stahl Baby Merino has 95 m per 25 g, YarnArt Baby 150 m per 50 g, Alize Baby Best 240 m and Himalaya Everyday Bebe 330 m per 100 g. For a larger project, buy all the balls of one colour at once, because the shade can vary slightly between dye lots. Every colour of the Alize range is on the Alize Baby Best page.