Jofrog is Knitfrog!
December 18 2007
Or Last Minute Christmas Sewing...
Freshly laundered fabric, just waiting to be cut and sewn into a gift... for you?
Don't worry, there's more than one project there!LMCS
December 14 2007
Every time I post about knitting soakers for Kaya I get a few cloth diapering questions. Usually I get back to people individually, but sometimes it just doesn't happen! Here's the quick and dirty of soakers and their care:
We use "prefold diapers" with wool soakers. The prefolds are like the diapers that were used on us as kids, or the ones that they sell as burp cloths now, (although the burp cloth ones are half as thick as the diapering ones). The diaper itself soaks up whatever the baby puts out, but has no waterproof barrier to keep the baby's clothes, or the caretaker's clothes, dry. They need some sort of cover. There are many covers on the market from plastic pants, to polyurethane laminate (PUL), to fleece, to wool. The wool breathes much better than the other varieties (it's cooler in the summer and warm in the winter) and is naturally extra absorbent (without feeling wet) and antibacterial.
The thing that keeps the wool waterproof and antibacterial is the natural lanolin in it. (Why don't sheep shrink in the rain? Because of their lanolin!) As the wool cover (soaker) is worn, the lanolin is used up so every month or so they need a wash and a re-lanolizing. I rotate between soakers for every diaper change so when one is being worn, the one that was just taken off is airing out and drying. We have about 6 in rotation.
I've sent my lanolizing procedure to a few people via email, but I figured I'd post it here for reference to all. Here it is:
Wash the dinner dishes! (I was the covers in our kitchen sink and
there are always dishes in there!)
I put the covers in and fill the sink with enough cool water that it is about an inch over the covers. I dunk them gently to get them soaked
through and get the air bubbles out of the wool. (Wool wants to repel
the water, which is what makes it such a good cover.)
I then put a glass jar in the m icrowave with water until it's really
hot ~2 mins. When that comes out of the microwave I put in a dollop of
lanolin. Most people say a pea sized portion, but I usually am washing
5-6 covers so I put in about twice that. I use Lanisoh nipple cream.
It's a bit expensive, but I had some from the first weeks of breast
feeding and I bought a huge tube on Diaperswappers for only $5! I've
been using it for over six months and I've barely made a dent in it.
Okay, so I put the lanolin in the hot water and let it melt a bit.
Then I squirt in liquid baby soap. (I don't use this soap on my baby,
just for washing the dog, but any soap will work.) This disperses the
lanolin and emulsifies the whole solution. I mix it a little and then
slowly pour it over the soakers in my sink.
I let them sit there for 20 mins or so. Sometimes I flip them over
once or twice.
After at least 20 mins I drain the sink and squeeze out as much water
as I can. I put the soakers on a drying rack in the sun (if there is
sun) and they dry in a few hours to one day.
That seems like a long process, but really it's just because I put every little detail in there for you. It's super easy and no big deal if you are washing one or washing ten.
Any other questions? Let me know!Diaper Talk
December 13 2007
I just finished Kaya's first pair of longies (wool diaper cover pants) and I love them! They were so easy to knit and pretty fast too (she has short little legs!). I still need to lanolize them (waterproof/anti-bacterial sheep lanolin treatment) before she can wear them, but that doesn't mean she couldn't try them on!
I used my favorite soakers pattern and rather than knitting small ribbed cuffs like I usually do, I knit legs. There are SO MANY soaker patterns out there, many have short rows and complex ribbing... there is a lot of talk about baby bottom size and rise. They are not for me. Soaker knitting is mindless knitting to me. It has to be, otherwise they won't get knit, and Kaya needs something to cover her diapers and keep her pants dry!
My only concern about just knitting the cuffs into legs was the fit. I didn't want any gaps and thanks to flash photography, you can see how nicely these fit.
They might look a bit silly when they aren't a baby, but this pattern is a winner! My next set is already on the needles!
Any other details you want can be found on Ravelry here.Brown Longies!
December 5 2007
Kaya's first birthday was yesterday! I finished a pair of longies for her, and took some modeled pictures, but the real thing is in her room and she's napping, so we'll have to wait for flat pics.
While you are waiting, pop over to Kaya's Blog to see some pictures from yesterday.Kaya's Birthday!
December 4 2007
Last week Hannah posted about Pay it Forward. This has been making its way around the blogs and seems like so much fun! Hannah offered to make a gift for the first three people that commented on her post if they promised to do the same. Sign me up!
In turn I'd like to make something for you! Here are the rules:
I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this pay it forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
Comment away and I'll get crafting! It will be fun to make something other than soakers and shoes for a change!Pay It Forward
December 3 2007
Kaya's Buddy turned one over the weekend and I knit him a little pair of mittens. We live in the city. We walk everywhere, and this poor little guy had no mittens! Kaya would be all bundled in the stroller and Buddy would have naked hands. No more though:
I used some Patons Classic Wool I had left over from a soaker I'd knit Kaya and used her hand-me-down mittens as a "pattern". They ended up a bit pointy, but I was working on a deadline so pointy they stayed!
This is the most knitting I've done in a while, but I did finish something else at Knitsmiths yesterday so you'll be hearing about that soon... or seeing it on Ravelry! (jofrog16 is my username there too.)Pointy Mittens
