A Crocheting/Felting Question

[pampered_mom]

I want to crochet and felt (possibly lanolize) a wool pad to go between our sheets and the mattress pad on our bed. I'm figuring that would be a wise idea since we co-sleep/nurse in bed. The only issue is I'm not sure where to start. I would probably do a very simple piece using sc, but I don't know how big I would need to make it so that it's big enough once it's felted. Do I need to lanolize it if it's felted or is that just an unnecessary extra step?

I have a waterproof type pad meant for cribs there now, but it's really not working for us. Any suggestions?

[Kyamo]

For the size, crochet a swatch. Measure it before felting, felt it, then measure again after felting. Then use that information to figure out how big it would have to be pre-felting to get the felted size what you want. Make sure you have some way to tell which way is the width and which is length after felting your swatch, because at least with knitting I know it shrinks more lengthwise than widthwise.

I don't know anything about lanolizing.

[ReikiMommy07]

ITA with Kyamo and also know nothing about lanolizing. Good luck!

[flapjack]

Thinking about this, I'd either use wool in the grease (that is, with the lanolin still in) and single crochet and not felt, or I'd use a different stitch and felt it. I think felting and lanolising is overkill.

[bonbon mama]

things usually felt down 25%

hdc with a slightly bigger hook than usual works the best for felting

[eepster]

I find crochet doesn't shrink as much as knitting does when felted.

[renabe]

I was going to do something similar, as we cosleep and are diaper free . Crocheting doesn't shrink up as much, but knitting a pad big enough can be too time consuming unless you use huge needles and rug yarn. My original idea was to get old wool sweaters from thrift stores, seam the edges, and felt those. Then I saw this great idea from someone else here over in the EC forum, to take wool military blankets, shrink them, cut them down to size, and case them in a flannel pillowcase, no seaming necessary. I agree with PP, wool is so absorbent the lanolin probably isn't necessary. We put a pad down, and then layer several towels/diapers and put baby on top of that. Then we just toss off the wet ones during the night, and even if the pad gets a little wet, we replace dry towels/diapers under baby and it can wait till morning.

[SevenVeils]

I've been thinking about doing exactly what the OP plans, for a long time. By the time I actually get around to it, it'll likely be too late

renabe: you just described my old nighttime routine exactly!

[pampered_mom]

Of course in my case knitting is out completely b/c I don't do knitting!

Thank you for all of the suggestions/replies. I'm still planning on doing this at some point in the future, I just have to find the $$ for the yarn. Interesting idea about the wool military blankets, I'll have to look into that one.

[pradiata]

The thing about lanolin is that when it comes into contact with urine it neutralizes the urine and basically just turns it into water and salts so that there is no smell. It worked with ds's wool soaker and with his wool mini-mattress. So lanolizing and felting together shouldn't be overkill. You could try just felting first and then if you get urine smell re-lanolize your pad.

[pampered_mom]

Thank you pradiata - that's actually why I had wondered about lanolizing b/c I remembered something along those lines as to why wool soakers were so wonderful, but couldn't quite remember why that was!