For many centuries, future mothers independently prepared a dowry for their babies. Probably, it is this instinct that awakens in pregnant women and they are looking for a way out of their unspent abilities in every way: they learn to sew or take the knitting needles into their hands for the first time in their lives . Knitting for children is a real pleasure, things are always cute, and their production does not take much time, which gives a quick result. But this is not their main value, a piece of soul and a loving heart is invested in them. In addition, they must be convenient, functional and connected from an environmentally friendly thread.
Knitting for children requires a special approach to the choice of yarn. Children's skin is very delicate and often prone to allergic reactions. The main requirement is high quality yarn. You should not focus on the price - there are good products of domestic manufacturers and at a very reasonable price. When choosing yarn, all attention should be paid to its composition.
Cotton, silk, viscose, alpaca, merino wool (it is soft and does not prick) - the more natural the composition, the more the thread is suitable for knitting for children. Mohair, angora, polyamides, thread with lurex - such yarn should be avoided and not used in the manufacture of children's things. If the composition confuses or does not trust the manufacturer, you can check the thread for “naturalness” in the old “old-fashioned” way: you need to set fire to a small piece of yarn. Fibers of natural origin burn up, form ashes, and synthetic ones melt and turn into a plastic ball.
If natural wool burns, it exudes the smell of burning raw materials, and knitting for children from wool is very popular. Such yarn is suitable for making sweaters, dresses, overalls, and, of course, hats and booties. Ready-made things turn out to be soft, elastic, they are pleasant to hold in hands and pressed to the body, they retain heat well. Children are most pleased with merino wool - thin and fluffy, very durable in quality - it does not irritate the skin of babies. But you need to be careful, very young children tend to try everything to taste, and it is extremely undesirable for the pile from the woolen products to fall into the crumbs' mouth.
Cotton has its advantages, having a natural basis, such a yarn suits everyone. Although cotton dries for a long time, and things from it often sit and deform when worn, its popularity does not fall. Even in the summer heat, it gives a feeling of coolness. Crochet for babies goes well with cotton, it does not have elasticity, and well-chosen patterns allow needlewomen to weave first-class openwork. Often there are compositions of threads with the addition of cotton, but if such yarn is taken for a baby thing, then the percentage of cotton should not be lower than 45-50% of the total composition, and it is good if the rest is silk rayon or acrylic.
An important role in knitting is played by the thickness and torsion of the thread. Knitting for a mashly on knitting needles with a tightly twisted thread is difficult, it is better to crochet such yarn. If you use knitting needles, the canvas may turn out to be too rigid or shapeless, it is very difficult to eliminate this defect, even after aligning the iron with a wet cloth. As for the thickness of the yarn, thinner threads are traditionally preferred for children's things. Children's products are usually very tiny and thick yarn will look unaesthetically pleasing. An exception can be made when knitting a coat, poncho, overalls. The thickness of the yarn can always be seen on the packaging, it is indicated in meters by the number of grams. The thickness of the thread from 135 m to 50 g or from 200 m to 150 g will be optimal for babies.
It is not very important, after all, which thread will be chosen to save things for the baby. The love and tender feelings that it absorbs during your work are much more important!