Syrena's Baby Blanket

Here she is! The latest creation, in all its sunshiny glory! Is 24 photos too much? I THINK NOT! Behold...

Taking Care of Merino Wool

The same characteristics that make merino wool such a luscious and soft material also make it delicate when it comes to washing it. It's important to handle your merino wool with care. Don't hang it from a hanger (it will stretch), don't stick it in the washing machine or dryer, and be warned that heat is wool's enemy. Grab yourself a bottle of Woolite from the grocery store to keep around the house for hand-washing your merino wool blanket when it's time to give it a bath :)

You can find some excellent advice on caring for merino wool at the following two links listed below. Both links are talking about sweaters, but the same advice applies to blankets. Also, just a note that the merino wool I use is HAND WASH ONLY, disregard the section in the Woolmark link which discusses treated wool that can be machine washed.

The Woolmark link is a very informative pdf file which describes everything from washing to storing to stain removal, including for specific stain types. I recommend you download it to keep on hand for future use in case you need it.

Here are the links to click on:

Martha Stewart article on hand washing merino wool sweaters

Woolmark pdf file about caring for merino wool

What Makes Merino Wool Different?

My obsession with merino wool is validated when you learn a little about what makes merino wool so different from other fibers. Read here to learn about what makes merino wool such a prized material. This information about merino wool can also be found at http://www.numei.com/aboutmerinowool

What is Merino Wool?

Merino wool is made of the finest grades of wool from the Merino sheep. It is prized for being very soft and comfortable against the skin. Modern technology has made it possible to sort and select only the finest merino fibers. Merino wool has a microscopic diameter - about one-third to one-tenth the thickness of human hair. The smaller the diameter, the finer, softer and less scratchy the fabric will be.

Lustrous merino wool produces fabric that can be worn next to the skin without discomfort, is soft and always provides an exceptional hand and distinctive style. In the dress-goods and knitting trades, the term 'Merino' implies an article made from the very best soft wool. Extrafine Merino is a super premium wool used in the highest quality knits.

Characteristerics of Merino Wool

Thousands of years of evolution and selective breeding have resulted in merino sheep capable of producing a super-fine wool fiber. Merino wool products of the fine and superfine grades of wool are much finer and superior than traditional wool, making it smooth against the skin and more comfortable to wear.

Merino wool is highly breathable because the individual fibers can absorb up to 30% of their own weight in moisture, wicking moisture away from the body so the wearer stays dry and comfortable regardless of the temperature. This helps to regulate the body temperature, keeping you warm in cold weather and cool in hot.

Merino wool warms naturally. The unique qualities of soft merino wool make it the best material for children's undergarments. A moving and sweat-prone child will feel comfortable in merino wool the wool breathes freely and will not feel cold and sweaty even when damp. Thanks to its warmth, merino wool is also perfect for a child playing quietly. Merino wool, being the softest of all wool types, is often also suitable for allergic skin as it generally does not cause allergic reactions.

The extremely fine, soft and crimped nature of merino wool fibers allow for a strong natural elasticity that enhances its high-performance qualities. The natural anti-microbial properties of Merino wool make it odor-resistant - another big advantage over synthetic fabrics. It is also extremely durable, anti-static and fire resistant, making it ideal for a range of products.

Why Merino?

Don't synthetics do the job just as well?

Scientific tests carried out by the Hohenstein Institute in Germany, the Ergonomics Unit at the Polytechnic Institute of Wales, and the CSIRO in Australia support anecdotal evidence that Superfine Merino provides the wearer with superior overall climate control and moisture absorption than synthetics.

Well-known for its warmth, it is less well known that the same properties make Merino the idea fabric for hot weather. The Bedouin tribes of the Sinai, where temperatures reach extreme highs, have been wrapping themselves in wool for centuries. The merino works as a condition buffer; in the heat cooling the body initially through managing the build up moisture vapour internally, keeping the wearer drier for longer. Then, by not clinging to the skin even when wet, the fabric allows the skin to still do it's job through sweating and cooling the body.

What about new natural fibers like bamboo, hemp and cellulose-based fabrics?

Whilst these fibres may be good in hot weather, none of them are capable of managing moisture in the way merino does, nor will they regulate your body temperature, keeping you warm when it's cold, cool when it's hot; They would not keep you warm once they get wet. Finally, their manufacturing processes are more complex than that for merino, resulting in the use of more energy.

Ansley's Blanket

I've always had a thing for blankets. I think it began when I had a bad experience at a sleepover as a kid. Have you ever spent the night at someone's house and found your blanket-situation at night to be inadequate? I remember being given a thin little whisper of a blanket and freezing all night. I was miffed and uncomfortable but powerless to fix my situation because what kind of rude houseguest would wake someone up for another blanket? And it stuck with me ever since, that a good, hospitable home is one with PLENTY of blankets. Thus, I have always stocked my home with blankets galore and you will never find me relaxing on the couch without one.  Not only are they practical, they are comforting to us emotionally. Picture a rainy day, laying on the sofa curled up with a soft blanket.... and you feel a sense of relaxation and comfort, right? Now picture that same thing without the blanket and it's not quite the same. What's more comforting than blankets?

I began my love for crocheting and knitting with a focus solely on a magical little thing in this world called Amigurumi. If you've never seen or heard of Amigurumi, they are little anime-inspired stuffed crochet monsters and animals and inanimate objects like brightly colored cartoonish coffee mugs and cupcakes with cute faces on them.

While Amigurumi are really fun and whimsical, I craved projects that would let me spend more time in the meditative state you enter when knitting or crocheting. Amigurumi are by nature small projects that finish quickly and half of the time you spend on them is time spent on construction (joining the pieces together and creating a face). The construction of Amigurumi can often be frustrating and I wanted more of the relaxing kind of knitting.

Combine my lifelong love of blankets and all they represent with the desire for the meditative state of long periods of knitting, and BAZINGA! ... you have my natural inclination to end up here at the decision to focus on knitting and selling luxury wool yarn blankets.

The catalyst which brought me to that realization was the miracle of my best friend becoming pregnant with her first child, Ansley. I wanted more than anything to give her a hand-knit, heartfelt gift that would not only be something she would want to keep forever, but also would be luxurious and impressively beautiful and stylish. I discovered a whole new type of satisfaction and fulfillment while I worked on her baby blanket, and I cannot get enough of that feeling! And that is why The Loveliest Lamb was born.

Ansley's Blankie was made with a beautiful merino wool crepe yarn that is no longer manufactured, so it will forever be one of a kind! I'm actually fine with it that they don't make it anymore because it was really thin yarn (which equates to extremely slow and painstaking to knit up) and required MONTHS to complete... and I actually gave myself temporary carpal tunnel syndrome with this project! It was worth it though - the things we do for our besties!

What's in a Name?

Somehow, someway, the most perfect of names for my little Etsy shop endeavor was free for the taking! When I decided to start an Etsy shop for my hand-knit luxury wool yarn blankets, I couldn't believe my eyes when The Loveliest Lamb was available as a shop name. The name perfectly conveys the feeling I want you to have when you think of my luxury merino wool blankets. It is both literal and poetic.

My luck continued and the universe aligned, as left and right I claimed "The Loveliest Lamb" as my own all across the internet. I was able to claim the following:

Etsy shop - etsy.com/shop/theloveliestlamb
Facebook - facebook.com/theloveliestlamb
Twitter - @loveliestlamb
Blog - theloveliestlamb.blogspot.com
Email - theloveliestlamb@gmail.com

Hooray! It's an Internet Miracle! Perhaps this was meant to be :)