make your own flat "sweater" dryer?

[Oregonian]

Okay ladies - indulge me here. I want to make a nice "laundry center" for my basement. By "nice," I mean functional. The basement is ugly and unfinished so looks don't matter.

Anyway, I am expecting a baby in June and planning to use cloth diapers and probably at least some wool covers. Beyond that, I brilliantly bought some handwash only maternity clothes.

As I was handwashing my light blue sweater with tomato sauce stains last night I thought, I need more flat drying space! I will probably buy a few stackable square mesh sweater dryers. BUT I was thinking it would be cool if I could basically make shelves of this mesh. I can easily figure out how to make the frame but I am wondering where to buy appropriate nylon mesh. I thought of mosquito netting but it's hard to know what would hold up long term and what might stain clothing.

I know that coated metal shelving is an option (I currently use a drying rack as a sweater dryer) but I _think_ mesh might work better.

Any thoughts? Has anyone ever set up something similar? I dunno - just brainstorming here. I'm open to all flat drying ideas. I'd like it to have room for, say, four adult sweaters at once. (not that I ever do that many sweaters but I think my washer has a gentle enough setting that I might be able to do that)

TIA!

Cheryl

[Throkmorton]

How close are you to an ikea? Ikea is my friend for stuff like this. I don't know if mesh would be better because wet wool is heavy and would probably pull it out of shape. I think an open grid (say, a 1/2" or 1" grid) would probably be best for sturdiness and air flow.
Pretty much every home improvement store sells those plastic-coated wire shelves, and they come pretty wide. My mom also got a moveable set of chrome pantry shelves that don't look like they would rust and that is a grid, not bars. Then, of you found a better solution you could still use the shelves as, well, pantry shelving.

[Oregonian]

Not super close to Ikea. I actually have some of that chrome shelving but I think it is too tall for my basement. Clearly, I could buy more.... I dunno still just brainstorming.

[crochetmama]

Do they make coated chicken wire? Would that work?