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Baby knitting experts, I need your advice!
A friend of mine is pregnant, and asked if I could possibly do a new version of this old doll someone made for her when she was a baby.
Absolutely, happy to!
Except I have no idea what kind of yarn is both baby-friendly and also will last for 40 years like this one has.
I can probably make up a pattern, but if anyone knows one similar so I don't have to that would also be amazing.
Pointers very welcome, thank you all!
If you are not morally opposed to acrylic, those yarns are also really good. Many are machine washable and softer than cotton. One generally needs to use smaller than recommended needles for the yarn so that the resulting fabric is tight and stuffing does not poke out.
No moral objection here! That's a really good tip on needle size, thanks, it makes a lot of sense. My husband has crocheted some small toys before but I've never really been into that side of things so it's kind of a whole new world with whole new rules! π
I generally will use a good quality machine washable and dryable acrylic yarn for anything that is knit for a baby or child, since itβs easy to care for. Babyβs are cute but gross and will put everything in their mouths, and parents are generally sleep deprived, so I want an item to be as easy to care for as possible. They hold up to abuse, they donβt shrink, and the colors usually donβt bleed. Save the cashmere blends for yourself!
So true! I've felted a couple of wool items over the past two years because I wasn't paying attention... And modern acrylics are so soft! I went through my mom's abandoned stash today and the acrylic yarns she had from the eighties. Were. So. Rough.
(To be clear: mom's fine, just not knitting any more)
@clockwork_octopus You had me at "gross"! Acrylic does seem to be the consensus it seems, gonna go look up reviews of my locally available ones and see which ones are considered reliable. Thanks!
Pretty much all of the yarny things that I've seen (that have held up for decades so far) are made with acrylic yarns. From afghans to stuffed animals, it's routinely been that old 60's & 70's acrylic, which was a bit rougher than most of the acrylic yarns I've seen in the past decade (especially baby yarns). Acrylic yarn has come a long way, but is still very sturdy and versatile.
Cotton will probably be a good 2nd choice, but I haven't seen as much 40-year-old cotton as I have acrylic, even the kitchen stuff that has been handed down to my husband or me.
I don't know the answer, passing on the question to my followers. :)
Just one idea: Since it is for a baby, it should(?) be made of cotton, so it can be washed in a better way.
There are different cotton yarn qualities, some of the more expensive ones probably last must longer, but I am not an expert. :)
@khzimmer2 @knitting Thank you! Cotton was my first thought too but I did worry about longevity, might be worth doing some research there and see if it's a solved problem.
Hmm, this baby stuff is a whole new world to me can you tell? π
:) I wish you luck when researching the topic β and a lot of joy when making this sweet doll. π
@thegiddystitcher @knitting You could use one of the non wool natural fibers if you don't want acrylic - linen, cotton, bamboo etc. All are washable, very sturdy.
Was browsing patterns for fun and came across this https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/peter-halloween-clown-doll
I think you could de-spookify the face details and use colours similar to the original 40+ year old doll.
I used to be super freaked out over those dolls. I had ptsd from watching Uncle Bobby with those commando clowns dropping from the ceiling looking like a dressed up ring of figs. Personal issues.
Oh my. That is disturbing! Quite the ritual to include the kids in. I imagine there's an entire generation messed up by that show! π I had to turn it off π
@Peppycito LOL! This is a nightmarish fever dream, wtf. Apologies for bringing up such a traumatising memory π
@thegiddystitcher @knitting I did some knitted dolls years ago and one very good pattern maker for these was Jean Greenhowe. You can find a lot of her booklets on Ebay.