I knit up two wool soakers last week, and thought I'd share pictures of them! I think they turned out pretty well, though I plan to make a few more changes when I make the pattern again. The pattern I used was "Cheeky Soaker" from Ravelry.com I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes yarn in Bulky. It was some I had bought for a jacket for myself, a project that I will never get around to making. One hank was more than enough for one soaker, in fact two hanks would make three newborn size soakers. Solid color Wool of the Andes Bulky (they stopped selling the handpainted, Grrrr!) is only $5 per hank. I don't think that's a bad price for a cover that can go 2-3 weeks between washes!
From the pictures you can see that I made different waistbands on them. The top one is the one I made first, and I really don't like how it turned out. It has an enclosed elastic waistband, but it makes it really thick and holds it open all weird. I don't think I will make an enclosed waistband again. The second one I made a 2X2 rib waistband with a drawstring, and I like this much better.
There are a couple things I don't really care for on the bottom/second one. Firstly, I really don't like the way the sewn bind off looks or the way it holds the ribbing open. I will use Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off next time, like I did with the first diaper (because I was too lazy at the time to look up how the pattern said to bind off, and Jenny's method is my favorite bind off where stretch is required). I like the way it looks, and it doesn't force the ribbing open. Second issue I have is with how the tush looks. I think ribbing from hip to hip would look better than just ribbing in the center, so I will make that adjustment next time as well. I did change the decrease on the leg holes. The pattern called for them to be leaning towards the edging, I made them lean away to get a neater looking edge.
I have a bunch of this yarn left, like 8 1/2 hanks. I would like to buy a couple hanks in a different color for some variety later on, but for now you just can't beat using up stash yarn! We hope to find out if our baby is a little guy or a little gal tomorrow!! I have a baby gift to make before very much longer, so will be making a yarn order next month (come on, tax return!!). I don't think I'll be able to help myself from getting a couple hanks of yarn to make a wool soaker that isn't gender neutral!
Before I forget, I did not prep the covers at all yet! I will wash and lanolize them when I wash up the rest of the baby stuff around the middle of April. A note on washing: I had switched to soap nuts on the recommendation of a friend (mainly for cloth diapering, but find they are great for all our laundry). I've read that soap nuts (in liquid form) are perfect for washing wool because it is low sudsing and so gentle. I can use the Lasinoh brand lanolin that I will be using for nursing care to lanolize the wool as well. I think it is awesome that I don't have to buy anything extra or fancy to take care of the wool soakers. I hope they work really well, because so far I love how cheap and easy they are to make, and not having to wash them daily will be a huge plus.
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From the pictures you can see that I made different waistbands on them. The top one is the one I made first, and I really don't like how it turned out. It has an enclosed elastic waistband, but it makes it really thick and holds it open all weird. I don't think I will make an enclosed waistband again. The second one I made a 2X2 rib waistband with a drawstring, and I like this much better.
There are a couple things I don't really care for on the bottom/second one. Firstly, I really don't like the way the sewn bind off looks or the way it holds the ribbing open. I will use Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off next time, like I did with the first diaper (because I was too lazy at the time to look up how the pattern said to bind off, and Jenny's method is my favorite bind off where stretch is required). I like the way it looks, and it doesn't force the ribbing open. Second issue I have is with how the tush looks. I think ribbing from hip to hip would look better than just ribbing in the center, so I will make that adjustment next time as well. I did change the decrease on the leg holes. The pattern called for them to be leaning towards the edging, I made them lean away to get a neater looking edge.
I have a bunch of this yarn left, like 8 1/2 hanks. I would like to buy a couple hanks in a different color for some variety later on, but for now you just can't beat using up stash yarn! We hope to find out if our baby is a little guy or a little gal tomorrow!! I have a baby gift to make before very much longer, so will be making a yarn order next month (come on, tax return!!). I don't think I'll be able to help myself from getting a couple hanks of yarn to make a wool soaker that isn't gender neutral!
Before I forget, I did not prep the covers at all yet! I will wash and lanolize them when I wash up the rest of the baby stuff around the middle of April. A note on washing: I had switched to soap nuts on the recommendation of a friend (mainly for cloth diapering, but find they are great for all our laundry). I've read that soap nuts (in liquid form) are perfect for washing wool because it is low sudsing and so gentle. I can use the Lasinoh brand lanolin that I will be using for nursing care to lanolize the wool as well. I think it is awesome that I don't have to buy anything extra or fancy to take care of the wool soakers. I hope they work really well, because so far I love how cheap and easy they are to make, and not having to wash them daily will be a huge plus.
Wait, so do you line these when the baby wears them?
ReplyDeleteYou use them just like a PUL cover, over a fitted or prefold diaper (I plan on using prefolds, because fitteds are crazy expensive). The wool doesn't absorb anything, but repels the moisture back into the absorbent diaper while being breathable (unlike PUL, so baby stays cooler). I hear they work really well, especially for nighttime use.
ReplyDeleteI could have just said "yes" but where's the fun in that ;P lol
I shouldn't have said the wool doesn't absorb anything, I meant that it doesn't wick moisture onto clothes (unless the lanolin has worn off). Anyway, just wanted to clear that up :)
ReplyDelete