upcycling wool question

[mooncharm]

My husband has a pair of long underwear that he's getting rid of, because they have a huge tear in them. I've already gotten him new ones, but now I want to know what to make with them, rather than throwing them away. I was thinking of sewing them into wool pants for A. If I do that, will they be water resistant like sbish longies, or is that a totally different type of wool? This is a thin merino wool that you machine wash and dry. 

[zaraceligon]

As longer the wool is lanolize properly it should be good for a daytime cover, you can also made some mama clothes and nursing pads. You can made a lot of thing depending on how big the wool is.

[smallllmin]

Yep. Thin wool is good for daytime covers. Also you can use it as a doubler inside the dipe.

[mooncharm]

Jan 25, 2015 20:24:48 GMT -5 smallllmin said:

Yep. Thin wool is good for daytime covers. Also you can use it as a doubler inside the dipe.

but it won't absorb, right? Or will it repel? I'm sorta confused about the function of wool with CDing.

[ovenrack]

As far as I know lanolized wool is repellant (but will absorb if pee from a cloth diaper is leaking from over saturation) and unlanolized wool is absorbent.

It is kind of confusing.

[freezorburn]

I seem to remember someone saying in the past that "washable" wool, such as the merino that most long underwear is made of (I'm guessing this is something like Smartwool or Icebreaker, right? something marketed as a base layer), while on the one hand is designed to not shrink or felt, might not hold lanolin as well as traditional wool. I seem to remember reading in various places that it works but perhaps not as well.

Also, it is much thinner than what you might want for a wool soaker. If you have enough fabric you can sew extra layers into the wet zone, but it still might be quite thin. Whether or not they are thick enough and lanolize well, at least you'll have a nice warm set of leggings for LO.

I made a soaker out of a felted cashmere sweater a few months ago, and even with an extra layer sewn into the crotch it is a bit thin for my liking.

Other ideas could be Babylegs or, if they are wide enough, a Buff/neckwarmer.

[smallllmin]

Jan 25, 2015 20:26:15 GMT -5 mooncharm said:

Jan 25, 2015 20:24:48 GMT -5 smallllmin said:

Yep. Thin wool is good for daytime covers. Also you can use it as a doubler inside the dipe.

but it won't absorb, right? Or will it repel? I'm sorta confused about the function of wool with CDing.

I'm still a newb with wool. But my understanding is that lano'ed wool will both absorb and be a barrier. How it works is still a total mystery to me. If you wanted to make doublers, try lanoing a couple, and see whether the raw wool or lanoed wool works better. It seems to me like un-lanoed wool would work best as a doubler.
And I would probably felt the wool before you make them, that way you could just throw them in with your regular diapers.
But, (disclaimer)... I could be completely wrong about all of this lol.

[freezorburn]

smallllmin You're here! Yay!

[smallllmin]

Jan 26, 2015 15:46:49 GMT -5 freezorburn said:

smallllmin You're here! Yay!

I'm here. I have no idea how to do anything, and I look like a noob

[mooncharm]

Hmmm well I think I will just sew them into warm pants. Baby long johns. it is a smartwool like fabric.

[ovenrack]

OMG yes baby longjohns! Cuuuute.

[mooncharm]

Jan 26, 2015 18:49:42 GMT -5 ovenrack said:

OMG yes baby longjohns! Cuuuute.

If only I could stop spending my evenings working, exercising, folding laundry, cleaning, and wasting time on the Internet. Then I could totally get this done!

(I really need to learn some self discipline and start sewing again. It will make me happy!)