Fine wool for knitting

[Lisalumps]

Hi all,

Going to ask a really dumb question I think but here goes anyway. I want to get some really thin but strong wool. It's for knitting toys and I want a wool that's fine and won't go bobbly quick like normal DK wool does. I want to get it in a wide range of colours. Can anyone suggest where, or what type of wool I should be asking for?

Thanks

Lisa

[Tamum]

I wonder if 4 ply cotton would do? Or would that not be furry enough? It would certainly be strong.

[rantinghousewife]

Double knitting cotton probably would fit the strong but thin, have a feeling that you may be looking for something fluffier tho'

[rantinghousewife]

Or a silk/wool/cotton mix like dale svarnwww.dragonyarns.co.uk/erol.html#308X3082

[Lisalumps]

I'm not wanting anything fluffy, actually I guess I'm after a wool that is more silky and not as thick as the usual DK I have been using, Probably sounds daft but something like nice quality thin socks are made of. Hope that doesn't sound too daft...

Thanks

Lisa

[NotQuiteCockney]

Hmmm, if you could get bamboo at this thickness I'd say that was what you wanted. Very strong, very silky, a bit of a hassle to work with, though, as it splits really easily, and is very very slippery.

Otherwise, yeah, cotton. Or linen? Or hemp?

BTW. The thing that makes 'DK wool' go bobbly is the fact it's wool. You want yarn. And maybe not DK, maybe 4ply? Or thinner?

[rantinghousewife]

Wendy Supreme is a reasonably priced DK cotton and easy to knit with, I'm actually using it to make a tank top at the mo.
The only trouble I had was it 'slipped' too much with my metal needles so I changed to wood ones (and I usually avoid wood needles like the plague but, actually v. handy for the slippy nature of this cotton).

[agnesnitt]

Cotton, and if you want shiny you want mercerised (sp?) cotton.

Happy shopping

Agnes

[thelady]

Does it need to be wool? If not, several manufacturers do acrylic specially for toys - it comes in 25g balls so you can get lots of colours for less.