Yarn for sensitive skin

Prickle from a knitted garment is almost always thick fibre, not an allergy, and it is fixable by choosing finer fibres. Here is what to reach for when comfort comes first, fibre by fibre, with the lines we stock.

In winter we all want warmth, and natural yarns deliver it best: wool, alpaca, mohair. But if delicate skin makes a sweater feel like stinging nettles, the fibre choice matters more than the pattern. The good news: you can wear natural yarns even if your skin needs special attention.

What does hypoallergenic yarn mean?

Hypoallergenic yarn is built to minimise the risk of unpleasant reactions. It should contain no aggressive chemicals or dyes, no coarse fibres, nothing that pokes. Blends without animal fibres and without rough natural fibres are the classic starting point when itch and redness are the enemy.

Cotton: clean and easy

Cotton is the classic choice for sensitive skin: a soft, light, breathable fibre that works in any season. Organic cotton is grown without chemical fertilisers or pesticides, which is kinder to the skin and to the environment.

Our pick: BC Garn Alba, a soft organic cotton that suits delicate baby knits and adult garments alike.

Linen: cool and hypoallergenic

Linen yarn works for summer pieces. It is hypoallergenic and breathable, which makes it hard to replace in hot weather. Linen absorbs moisture easily while staying cool to the touch, and with every wash it only gets softer.

Our pick: BC Garn Allino Linen/Cotton, a linen blend for anyone who prefers natural, hard-wearing materials.

Merino: softness with bounce

Merino wool is a fine, soft fibre that holds warmth and hardly prickles at all, because the fibre is too thin to jab the skin. It is the standard choice for garments worn next to the skin: jumpers, socks, hats.

Our pick: Kremke The Merry Merino and Merry Merino 220 GOTS, gentle yarns that suit sensitive skin and hold their shape.

Alpaca: warmth without lanolin

Alpaca has no lanolin, and people who react to sheep wool often get on with it. It is warm, light and soft.

Alpaca can occasionally bite, but that does not apply to the fine grades. Kremke Babyalpaka is the soft end of the range: hats, scarves and jumpers from it are warmth without the familiar prickle.

Cashmere and mohair

Cashmere fibres are thin and soft; they deliver warmth with barely any prickle, and even hypersensitive skin usually gets on with them. Mohair, the coat of the Angora goat, is light and fluffy, holds warmth while weighing almost nothing, and as a rule does not irritate. If you once tried a mohair that felt unpleasant, that was the grade, not the fibre: Kremke Silky Kid is very gentle, happy to be mixed with cotton and played with in colour.

Where to start

Want to go deeper into each fibre? Read our guides to merino, alpaca and cotton.

Nothing quite right? We will find a substitute by composition and meterage.