Knitting for a natural baby
image by Wool Windings
On Saturday I went to the baby shower of a good friend of mine. She's going as natural as possible with the birth and baby accessories, which is wonderful. Knowing that she's going to be using cloth diapers I thought it might be fun to whip up some soakers for her. I haven't really been knitting much lately, but I found that soakers are insanely easy to knit. I actually knit one up the morning of the shower in about an hour and a half. Because I was pushing it with time I didn't stop to take pictures, but I'll share a few tips and patterns.
There are a few free patterns on the web and I'd reccommend them over buying a pattern. It's not hard to customize or tweak the basics of a soaker patter, so the basic pattern is really all you need.
I used this Punk Knitters pattern by Ms. Crafty Galore, but here's a site that lists other free soaker patterns.
Some interesting things to note:
- soakers should be 100% wool. Some people say at least 75%, but it's much easier to fine 100% wool.
- soakers may need to be treated with lanolin from time to time to maintain their waterproof quality. They make spray lanolin now, which makes this much easier. Some people recommend treating them right away, other say that's not needed.
- the soaker will eventually stretch. I altered the pattern by using much smaller needles on the ribbed waistband and not including a drawstring, but in the end you will probably need to string an icord or shoestring through to hold them on. One way to be sure your soakers keep their shape is to lay them flat to dry. NEVER wring them out.
- you don't have to wash them after every use. I know it sounds gross, but wool has a natural reaction with urine. Once it's dried there will be no smell, so you can reuse them a few times before washing. Just be sure to wash them if they get more than urine on them. Hand washing in cool water with a wool wash is recommended, but you can also toss them in the washer if you use a cold, delicate cycle. Be aware that their color may bleed.
- Babies come in all shapes. Not every baby will fit into the same pattern. This is kind of a trial and error thing, but again, altering the pattern is super easy if baby needs some more or less room in some areas.
For some great diaper patterns (sewing and knitting) visit Cloth Diaper Sewing. I have a slew of fabric at home that I didn't know what to do with....now I think I know!
