Recycled soaker ???

[tofumama]

I have been making a bunch of recycled soakers and longies after scoring at the thrift shop. I have 2 sweaters left that I wasn't sure would work. So I ask you...can I use a merino wool jersey-ish, and a cashmire sweater(s) to make soakers/longies? TIA

[JennInSeattle]

As long as they are 100% wool and definitely wash that cashmere by hand! Such a fortunate baby!!

[monkaha]

Add-on question: after washing the sweaters in hot and machine drying (like in the instructions I found) will it have shrunk as much as it's going to? I mean, once I've made into a soaker, can that soaker be machine washed without worrying about further shrinkage? Then I'd just have to lanolize, right?

[tofumama]

Yes on the lanolizing, but I hand wash mine. I know some people have said gentle cycle, cold wash and lay flat to dry, but I am afraid....

[lizabird]

I think you'd have to wash and dry it several times before cutting and sewing to be sure you shrink it up as much as it'll go. I know it usually takes a couple of rounds of felting before a knit sweater will stop shrinking.

I so need to get out to my local thrift store and see what they have!

[JennInSeattle]

Ok, I made Nathan a pair of recycled longies and they turned out really ugly but it was my first pair and I used the ugliest sweater of the bunch to make them. Because they were generally ugly I decided not to worry about throwing them in and out of the washer and dryer. When I originally made them I had to roll them up twice on the ankles. I put them on the other day and they are two inces above his ankles and no longer cover his diaper!

Lesson learned! Wool is wool, I wouldn't treat it any different than your other soakers and if you choose to I wouldn't dry it!

[mehndi mama]

Yes, it takes a few washes to get it shrunk down to the point of no return But if you wash it once on hot, with a long agitation cycle, you shouldn't get much further shrinkage by washing the items on cool/delicate.