wool????? gonna try and make some longies

[selena_ski]

so i am going to try and make some longies from a sweater (yet to be purchased)

I am so confused about wool though, do i want the sweater to be felted? or do i avoid it becoming felted like the plague.

also in making these for my little guy (almost 3 weeks, ~8 lbs now) should i make a newborn or a small? (i want to be able to put 2 prefolds under them at night.) do i want them to fit tightly or loosely?

ok that is all i have right now, i may be back with more confusion.

[thixle]

I am so confused about wool though, do i want the sweater to be felted? or do i avoid it becoming felted like the plague.

Wash the sweater (hopefully thrifted ) in hot water and dry on medium in the dryer once or twice. You want it felted, but not stiff. You can use as little as 70-80% wool, as long as the other % is acrylic or non-wicking... it keeps a little stretch to it and you can use them longer!

also in making these for my little guy (almost 3 weeks, ~8 lbs now) should i make a newborn or a small? (i want to be able to put 2 prefolds under them at night.) do i want them to fit tightly or loosely?

Make small or even medium! Looser ones are better, IMO, because if there is a heavy pee, they don't wick as fast.-- does that make sense?
And, you can roll up the leg cuffs and roll down the waistband for a custom fit... baby is going to get big, fast!

[emmaegbert]

I've just been bitten by the wool bug, and have only made 2 covers (shortie soaker for my 4yo son who wears dipes at night only and longies for my 2mo friend), so I'm certainly no expert. But I'll give my 2cents anyway.

I wouldn't bother making a newborn size-- your baby is probably going to be growing like crazy over the next few weeks/months. It would be fine to have it a little big (make a drawstring waist, perhaps), but would be sad to put that work in and then have your babe grow out of it in a month! (well, okay my son was 17lbs by 4 mos and 20lbs by 6 mos so maybe I just got burned that way but I'd have been really bummed to make him a special pair of longies oly to have him grow out of them so young)

I ended up washing the 100% wool thrifted sweater I got 2x on the hot cycle, and drip-dried. I sewed it up and lanolized it twice, and its working really well! No leaks, seems perfectly comfy.

[~girlsmum~]

I felted my very first soaker and I'm not crazy about the look, nor the fact that it shrunk too much, I had just knitted it too. My girls wore it for about a month and it didn't fit over their diapers anymore. Now I just wash them in warm water, hang to dry, that's it. My second looks SOOO much better and my third should be done shortly. I have a 4th in my plans as well, then I'll have enough to make a scrappy soaker.

[Think of Winter]

I wouldn't felt it. Felted wool, unless the garment you start with is really thin and soft, will be uncomfortably stiff. Unfelted works well, you just have to take care in cutting it and sewing it so it doesn't unravel.

Soft, stretchy wool is much nicer, especially for a babe.

[jennifercp8]

If you are going to sew the longies, then I would felt them. The wool has a tendency to unravel and fray if they are not felted. If you are going to recycle the yarn and knit them - then I wouldn't felt.