Natural yarns recommendation to crochet blanket please

[justkeeponsmiling]

Hi, relative novice here :)
I'm currently crocheting the lovely attic24 "Granny Square Blanket" using the Stylecraft special DK that Lucy recommends. When I finish I would love to make a few more of her blankets - eventually I would like to make one for each of my DCs as a keepsake.
I love the colours of the Stylecraft special but for my DCs blankets I would like to use natural yarn rather than acrylic as I find the texture of the finished product much nicer.
Can anyone recommend a nice natural yarn to crochet blankets with, particularly one that comes in a nice variety of colours and even more importantly is not too expensive? I can't afford to spend a huge amount so cost per ball is quite important.
Thanks

[AlbusPercival]

Theres some 100% wool on sale at loveknitting.com at the moment for £2-3 a ball, only just orgered mine so cant comment on quality yet

[justkeeponsmiling]

Thank you albus I'll have a look

[SewSlapdash]

Drops Extra Fine Merino is good. Available from Wool Warehouse.

[NewYearSameMe]

Drops is very good value for money as it's good quality, the Extra Fine Merino is lovely and soft.

Cascade is also worth considering, Cascade 220 Superwash is washable (good for blankets) and comes in loads of solid shades and a few multi-coloured.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

There are some gorgeous yarns in cotton, linen and bamboo. There are also some wonderful merino yarns.

Basically, I am jealous at the thought of you getting to buy beautiful, natural fibres to make heirloom blankets - all that yarn shopping!

[lovefairylights]

Maybe keep an eye out for sales or ebay as my fave isn't cheap but it's lovely to work with - Debbie bliss cashmerino. I made a baby blanket out of this and it's kept it's shape beautifully and more importantly is machine washable! It still looks good after 2.5 years if regular use and am hoping it will be kept forever! Currently using it to make a new blanket for #2!

[NewYearSameMe]

lovefairylights' post just reminded me that I have used Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk, for a scarf not a blanket, and it was gorgeous to work with and soft to the touch. It's more expensive than either the Drops or the Cascade though.

Drops have regular price reductions if you can wait for them. They have just finished a 15% off alpaca yarns offer, so they'll probably have a discount on wool yarns in a few months.

[tribpot]

Drops is a great option but do bear in mind for the quantity of a Lucy blanket, wool is going to be much more expensive. I am doing the Coast blanket at the mo and I'm quite glad that at the end of it it will be something that can be chucked about a bit, go through the washing machine without any bother, etc.

Another one to look out for is Cascade - 220 is light aran, 220 Superwash slightly lighter again so classes as DK. This is so lovely and buttery soft to work with, the sock yarn is my absolute fave (don't do a blanket in sock weight yarn though you'll go insane!).

[tribpot]

The aran I think may not be quite so soft, I'm pretty sure the DK is, though. I'll see if I can find some upstairs for a squidge.

[justkeeponsmiling]

Wow thank you so much for all the suggestions! I'll have a good look at them. Buying bits at a time sounds a really good idea polter , I will bear that in mind.
Thanks all!
lovefairy I also love Debbie Bliss Yarn but the price really puts me off... maybe I could buy in installments as suggested...

[SoupDragon]

I agree - the Drops merino is great value.

[gasman]

I really like the millamia merino but the colour range might not suit you.

[Chocolateteabag]

I'm halfway through a granny square blanket in DropsNepal which I am getting in batches when Wool Warehouse have a sale on. It's lovely and thick for going on a bed. Lovely colours too

I've used Stylecraft 20% wool for a couple of blankets for my dc's and found they worked well. Again a good range of colours and only a little bit more expensive a ball

[RoosterCogburn]

Drops merino is lovely, very soft and beautiful to work with.

I made a blanket from Sublime Cashmere Merino - it is very expensive but I just bought it a ball at a time, mostly when it was on offer so it didn't seem like a huge extravagance.

The resulting blanket is beautiful, it gets used all the time and washes nicely.