how can I figure out the material???

[Rose-Roget]

I'm a non-crafty mama, so I apologize in advance for my totally ignorant question.

When ds was born 5 years ago, dh's aunt knitted him some pants. We never got them to fit quite right - the waist was too large for the length, so he wore them all of once and we never needed to wash them.

Welll, here we are 5 years later, and I was thinking I could put a little ribbon "drawstring" around the waist to make it a little more adjustable for our dd, who's arriving in a few weeks. I was even thinking that they may work as a diaper cover, if they are wool...but I don't know what material they are knitted from!

I don't want to ask dh's aunt, because then she'll know we rarely used them with ds. Is there a way for me to find out if it's wool/cotton/synthetic, or would it just be a matter of trial and error?

[JessicaTX]

You can actually use acrylic knit pants as a cover, they aren't bulletproof, but they are a bit water repellant (definately not a soaker) You could try to burn a strand and blow it out. If it smells like burning hair, it's wool, if it doesn't, it's cotton, if it leaves a lump after being burned it's acrylic.

[bu's mama]

Not an ignorant question. I don't think your aunt would mind if you asked her. Tell her you don't want to ruin them, use them for your new LO & ask what she used to make them.

If there is a little piece you can clip off you can do a 'burn test', maybe where the loose ends were sewn in. Natural fibers burn and synthetics melt. Let me see if I can find my whole chart....

[bu's mama]

...here's a link to a chart that has all the different fibers.

[Rose-Roget]

Thanks to everyone! I'm looking for a way to get a strand to burn test. I knew there had to be a way. If all else fails, I'll ask dh's aunt...but I'd rather not.