After almost five decades in the retail yarn business we have heard it all. We have helped thousands of customers through every step of their crafting journey, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried and we’ve shed tears of joy and frustration – we have been with you every stitch along the way. 

If you are about to embark on this crazy ride which is knitting and crochet we have created a series of blog posts which address some of the most commonly asked questions which we have heard all before and are here to be the balm for your soul and soothe your twisted stitches. 

I want to knit for a new baby, but we don’t know what it is, so do you have baby white? 

Every yarn store assistant has their pet peeve question and if I am honest – this is mine. I am going to let you all in on a trade secret. Babies don’t care. No baby in the history of babies has complained because as an infant they were swathed in bright orange from birth. 

Optic white for babies is a tradition steeped in the purity of the newborn, but from a practicality point of view, Optic White can be a fraught decision for garments. Babies are messy, they ‘leak’. This plus bleached wool yarn can lead to staining and yellowing that cannot be reversed. Why risk hours and hours of work that could be ruined with one overburdened nappy? 

I accept that there are heirloom projects for ceremonial uses that lead to selecting white for a new baby, however outside of this, I would be steering clear. 

I chose colours such as navy blue, red and orange for my children as infants, far more forgiving and vastly more fun that Optic White. 

The follow up question to the ‘white wash’ is wanting to make a baby garment in 2ply or 3ply yarn. In years gone by these were the standard for a traditional layette or heirloom shawls, but today anything that can be knitted using these weights can be easily adjusted into 4ply yarn.  

Alpaca, Merino, even sock yarn can be used to create beautiful baby garments and are readily available in 4ply. Here at Skeinz we have Mahana as a great Alpaca and Merino options include: Orb Fine, Flight Lite and Merino Soft and in sock yarn you can use our Sole or the fun and colourful Opal yarns. 

Oh, if you do have a baby who wishes to make a complaint – we’re only an email away! 

Remember, have fun, knitting is a hobby after all!