i am wondering (and i think disastercat may know the answer, or at least give me more ideas) about wool. i use plastic pants (when i can find them) and blizzard fleece for the covers, but i would like to find and use if possible some sort of wool for covers as well. the problem is cost and i don't know how to knit. i wonder about felted wool and using it the same way as the fleece. where would i find the stuff, and/or how do i make it. also, is there any special things i need to do to it like special washing or......well, you know, anything special i would do to it. thanks

I don't have first hand knowledge of these things, but I googled some interesting sights for you if you have a mind for looking at them. Good stuff in these pages.
http://www.borntolove.com/pattern.html#crochet%20soaker
http://www.diaperjungle.com/sewing-clot ... %20soakers
http://www.brighthub.com/environment/gr ... 28956.aspx
http://reviews.ebay.com/Wool-Cloth-Diap ... 0000884763 <-felting stuff in here
http://www.thediaperhyena.com/woolscool.htm
http://www.ottobredesign.com/en/print/p ... ver_en.pdf
http://www.boiseclothdiapers.com/sew_wool_wrap.htm
http://diapering.wallypop.net/laundry.html

If I can find it, somewhere I have a 1940's baby knitting book with a knitted pattern for them. But I think there are also a lot o these on line. I gather the knitted ones are nice because they stretch around the baby, although I would think they would work best if you knitted them large and then felted them in hot water. They could then be washed in hot water and they would be even more urine/water resistant.

I have read on a couple sites about purchasing old wool sweaters, coats, skirts etc at thrift stores and yard sales and then sewing them into covers.
http://www.boiseclothdiapers.com/sew_wool_wrap.htm
This page has a ton of different DIY links as well http://www.mothering.com/discussions/sh ... p?t=717638

Yes, I think the old wool sweaters felted should work, just cut and sew them. I suspect that as knitting projects go they would also be an easy first project, though a busy Mommy might not have enough free moments. So starting with old felted sweaters and throwing them in a hot wash to felt them further, then cutting them to size should work well.

DC

do i need to do anything for upkeep on them? like a special washing to get the smell out, or adding anything to the wash to keep the oils? or anything?

I would wash them in really hot water (in a machine or boil on the stove) with good washing liquid. You want it to felt tightly anyway, so you can break all the rules. Once you make the item, you may want to wash in warm to slightly hot water so it does not felt even further, but hot enough to keep the item clean.

If it were me, the very first hot wash, I would do with a nice, heavy (but nice) scented laundry liquid, and then re-wash the finished item with a gentle one for use on the baby. You might also experiment by cutting the first one a little large to see if it felts further after it is made.

If something is just too smelly (and wet wool has its own smell, but it should not be rank). Use that one for the dog or cat bed and try another used sweater.

ok disastercat, i am a bonehead! i bought a huge wool blanket at an estate sale a little bit back and i washed it again and it is out on the line drying right now. couldn't i just wash this in hot waster, then trow in the dryer to felt and shrink it and make it a tighter and thick weave (you know what i mean) andthen cut and sew it as i needed?

Sounds good to me! Some wool shrinks better than others, so it won't hurt to try. Really heavy rug wool will sometimes not really seem to shrink at all, but big fluffy wool, the sort used in a lot of airy sweaters, will often shrink really tight and close indeed. Its worth experimenting.

If you know someone who knits, or want to try, you could also try knitting a large "soaker" pattern, in a fluffy soft wool, then shrink it in a hot wash followed by a hot dryer (or a scrub board with soap). Keep checking it and stop when it seems the right size. That's how the English used to make wool hats for the Navy and I've done this with hats myself.

I really have not done a whole lot of felting, but I've done a lot of "fulling" which is the same thing for woven fabrics except you don't want the process to go too far. The idea that hand woven cloth should be loose and airy is a very modern concept, in the past it would almost always have been pounded about and washed in warm to hot water, at least once. The exception being cloth intended for something like a lady's shawl or other openwork item.

Hope that helps,
DC

thank you it does!