Wool for longies and soakers

[Andel]

I'm new to knitting and need a bit of help with types of wool. I'm looking at this company right now but I'm confused by all the different kinds.

http://irismarketbuilder.com/~laines...ex.php?list=10

I'm looking at knitting for a newborn and would like to keep things as soft as possible. I'm guessing that I should stick to Merino. What is the difference between companies like 100purewool and their 1 ply merino? Will the 3ply merinos work just as well?

In the link I provided most of their merino looks like it's 2 or 3ply. Will this work fine for newborn longies?

Also, Would Targhee be ok for newborn or is it too rough? Which other kinds would you recommend for a newborn? I'm liking the Beach Baby in BBR but I have no idea what BBR is. I have so much to learn. Help would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to get something knit before the baby is here in Oct but I've already spent days just trying to figure out the yarn.

[flapjack]

BBR= blackberry ridge merino.

I'm putting a big plug in here for BFL (blue-faced leicester) especially once baby gets to the crawling stage. It's generally spun differently from merino which means that it feels almost silky, almost cottonlike, very soft, and feels beautiful against the skin- definitely nice enough for a newborn. It wears well, too.

[Andel]

Oh great, maybe I'll give it a try. Does it matter if yarn is single ply, 2 ply or 3 ply? Does it make a difference when it comes to texture, absorbancy etc? Does anyone know of any coops? I was a member of a couple on yahoo but I can't seem to find any now.