When making wool soakers...

[Chalex]

When making wool soakers by knitting or crocheting, is there anything else you have to do to the wool besides the landolin (sp?) treatment?

I'm asking because, I've read the instruction on making longies and you seem to boil or felt the material before sewing. So, if your buying real wool to knit, will it shink or need to be boiled after?

Also, does anyone uses longies and not put the landolin in it? Or this a must?!!?

Thanks!

[Jes'sBeth]

You can use wool 2 ways, either felted or just knit up. Felting helps to thicken the wool so it'll soak more up, however you can get a really great cover just by knitting and you can make it thicker by knitting on smaller needles (smaller stitches mean more wool per inch) or by knitting 2 strands of wool at once.

You can felt knit wool after you've made it but it will definately shrink. Sometimes your wool will shrink an unpredictable amount so I'd say that most people don't felt their knit wool. As long as you don't felt your knit wool, it won't shrink.

If you don't lanolize your cover, it won't be waterproof and pee will just pour through (which defeats the purpose of having a cover :LOL )

hth!

[Kari_mom]

Pants made from sweaters don't necessarily need to be felted to work as a diaper cover. I like them stretchy and usually don't felt first. But since I can't control the yarn used or the gauge, I do sometimes felt to improve how well they hold urine. If I could knit I wouldn't want to felt at all, I would follow Beth's ideas on how to make a good wool soaker that can hold back a flood.

Well-felted wool doesn't need to be lanolized to work, it is so dense. But lanolin serves multiple purposes. It does help wool be more moisture resistant, and it neutralizes urine odors so you don't have to wash your wool with every wearing. It is also naturally antibacterial. Plus I found that my baby's skin, on his legs anyway, was super soft and protected last winter thanks to the lanolin on his longies.

The whole lanolizing/handwashing aspect of wool makes it seem so work to use, it really isn't. Unless you or your babe are allergic to lanolin, I would lanolize your wool covers.

[Chalex]

Thanks so much!
Your replies really cleared up alot!