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knitting wool soaker

MrsTuna08MrsTuna08 member
in Cloth Diapering
So thanks to a few ladies on here giving me some excellent recommendations on patterns to try, I am on my 3rd Curly Purly!  The first try may be a bit of a bust, I was trying to figure out the pattern, made quite a few bumbles and the legs may be way too small to fit an actual human - oh well. My second try looks pretty good and I think the third will come out well too now that I really understand the pattern.  
Anywho, my question is regarding thickness of the knit.  I was in a bricks and mortar diaper store today -- heaven! -- and looked at the wool she had in stock, it is much thicker than what I've been knitting.  The Curly Purly is highly recommended, so I assume it is fine, but does a thicker knit make a difference?  I'm trying to knit up as many soakers as possible in different sizes prior to baby getting here, but that means I'm not exactly sure what I really will want.  
Now that I have a good handle on the CP, I was thinking I could either add ribbing to the crotch or do a double knit crotch.  
So, should I just keep knitting the CP as is, or should I try adding some thickness in the crotch for extra protection? 

My fur-babies Chuck Norris, Stella, and Lucy
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BFP #1 1/4/14; EDD 9/16/14;  mc 1/17/14 
BFP #2 3/12/14; baby girl born 11/21/14          
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Re: knitting wool soaker

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    freezorburnfreezorburn member
    I've been happy with heavy worsted/aran weight for thickness. I have only made a medium Curly Purly but have plans to make a large. Maybe.

    But, YMMV depending on what wool you use, how tightly it is spun, etc.

    I like your idea of adding ribbing to the crotch. Sounds like it would bunch up nicely to add thickness while OTB, but would spread out easily for washing. You are the boss of your knitting, so give it a try and let us know how it goes!

    Also, if you do ribbed cuffs, do you know about Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Cast-off and Cast-on? They are awesome and should be in every knitter's bag of tricks.
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    freezorburnfreezorburn member
    Maybe knit a swatch of what you are thinking to try for the crotch, before you actually incorporate it into the soaker? That might help you decide.
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    MrsTuna08MrsTuna08 member
    @freezorburn I've been thinking that it would be pretty easy (maybe even easier than the way the pattern is originally written) to double knit the entire crotch section on straight needles and then graft them back on to the front and back of the piece to complete the body of the soaker.  It might look a little wonky to have the extra fluff at the crotch, but who cares?  What I'm really concerned about is if I will need that extra layer of protection to get the best overnight water-proofing or if the way CP is originally written it does ok.  I think I'll just give it a try.  I'm nearly to that part of the soaker that I'm knitting now.  I'll let you know how it goes!

    Also, I absolutely love that super stretchy bind off!  It was recommended for this soaker on ravelry.com and it is amazing!  I didn't use it for the cast-on though, I did my cast on in size 7 needles and then dropped to a size 3 to start the ribbing of the waist.  I'll give that stretchy cast-on a whirl for my next one, thanks!

    My fur-babies Chuck Norris, Stella, and Lucy
    imageimageimage

    BFP #1 1/4/14; EDD 9/16/14;  mc 1/17/14 
    BFP #2 3/12/14; baby girl born 11/21/14          
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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    MrsTuna08MrsTuna08 member
    @kountingsheep that is exactly the ON solution that I'm going to be trying.  Thank you for the picture, it makes me feel like I'm on the right track!  How many fitteds do you have?  I put 6 GMD mediums on my registry for now, but I may just buy 4 smalls now so I have them on hand and can compare the size to my knitting.

    My fur-babies Chuck Norris, Stella, and Lucy
    imageimageimage

    BFP #1 1/4/14; EDD 9/16/14;  mc 1/17/14 
    BFP #2 3/12/14; baby girl born 11/21/14          
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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    MrsTuna08MrsTuna08 member
    @potterowl this is the tutorial I use:  https://knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/FEATjssbo.php or just google "Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind off"

    My fur-babies Chuck Norris, Stella, and Lucy
    imageimageimage

    BFP #1 1/4/14; EDD 9/16/14;  mc 1/17/14 
    BFP #2 3/12/14; baby girl born 11/21/14          
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
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    freezorburnfreezorburn member
    Cascade 220 falls into worsted/lightweight Aran, so I agree the extra thickness might be nice if that is what you are using.

    The one manufactured soaker that I have purchased (disana) is wonky-looking, but what matters is how it fits over your baby and the fitted. It works because the ribbing at the waist and legs are plenty stretchy.
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    freezorburnfreezorburn member
    @potterowl they are really great techniques for starting or finishing off any ribbing. There's lots of extra yarn looped in, so you don't get that problem of having a finish that doesn't stretch with the ribbing. 

    Here's a really great video of Cat Bordhi demonstrating Jeny's Bind off

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