Well, Carly, thanks for posting. We're glad to have you participate; it's what keeps the forum going!

If you go to a pricier yarn, you might get into yarns with wool in them, so be sure you don't mind a wool scarf because sometimes they make people itch, especially the tender skin around the neck.

I used baby alpaca yarn recently for a scarf. It was quite soft, yet the pattern did show. It is very slightly itchy even tho' it is soft. I'm sure others will post here with more suggestions.

One yarn you might want to consider in the future is Lion Brand's Homespun. It is very soft, but patterns don't show much in it.

There are lots of yarn sellers on the internet. One I've used and liked recently is yarnsupply.com. Of course, Lion Brand has a great site also for patterns and to look at their yarns. Smileys is good too but you have to buy quite a bit (min. purchase $30 as I recall).

I'll second what Socks says about homespun. I love the way it feels, but it is hard to see stitch definition. On the low cost side, Lion Brand also makes a yarn called Microspun that is really nice and soft. It's a sport weight, but it seems to me to be thicker than other sport weights I've used. You could use two strands together, but I'll bet you could get away with one. And you would definitely be able to see the stitch definition. The legwarmers I made for the little ballerina were made with microspun.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1575744}}

i love Caron Simply Soft. It is acrylic, and I wash the sizing out before gift anyone,and then it is reallllllly soft. Use fabric softener too.

Check out Bernat Softee Chunky. I used it to make some scarves and really liked it. The pattern showed and it is very soft. Good price too. Got it at my Wal-Mart.
Donna

Homespun is definitely soft! But like others said you can't really see the pattern because it's bulky. It is easy to see the stiches as you are crocheting, though.

I'm still pretty new at crocheting and I learned from others here to try using two strands of yarn with the more difficult yarns. It really DOES help to see what you're doing and it helps keep yarns like the Fun Fur from stretching so much. You can use regular worsted weight yarn in a matching or contrasting color and it's really easy to do.

Good luck!

I was thinking of the Bernat Softee Chunky like Donna suggested too.

Hi, guys sorry for taking so long to reply back! Thanks for all the great suggestions!! I was able to go to H&L and fondle yarns over the holidays as we went and stayed with my parents in another bigger town. I found several that were great. I don't have my list here but I will get it later and post the ones that I like the best. Thanks for all the suggestions they are awesome!! I really do love the homespun, that is one of the few specialty yarns our walmart carries and I made my children all scarves out of it last year but I knew that their would be no stitch definition, but I have actually considered it anyways just for the feel. One of the ones that was on the top of the list that I felt was the chenille yarn. Does anyone have any opinions on that? I don't know if it would be too heavy or not as this pattern is worked with three strands held together throughout. Anyways thanks guys for all the great responses!!

Carly