# Why knit soakers with acrylic or cotton yarn?



## amym72 (Jun 14, 2003)

I saw a very nice pr of knit longies on auction but they were made of acrylic yarn, I emailed the person who knit them asking if she did customs and what she would charge for a pr in wool and she emailed back stating that she will not make them in wool only in acrylic or cotton. I emailed back telling her that to be used over cd's they need to be wool or they won't be waterproof, I just don't understand why she would spend all that time knitting something that if it were made from wool she could get a much higher price. They look very well made and only about 1/2 the price of the lowest priced WAHM wool longies I have seen. But if they aren't going to work as longies are meant too, to me it would be a waste of money to purchase them. I'm sure if she made them out of wool she would get many more bids therefor making more off her time spent knitting. So any ideas why she would make them from material other than wool? Or have I been misinformed that acrylic and cotton will not work properly as a soaker?


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## Summertime Mommy (Dec 5, 2003)

I don't think cotton would work, but acrylic works really well over cloth, it doesn't absorb any moisture. My super soaker dd's nighttime cover is acrylic and we have never had a leaking or wicking problem w/ it on. HTH a little bit.


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## lillaurensmomma (Jul 5, 2003)

The only reason I can think that someone wouldn't do wool is an allergy. My grandmother is very allergic to wool (she breaks out in blisters if she touches wool) so she can't make wool soakers for our wee one, but she is making acrylic ones.

j


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## kfranceschi (Mar 23, 2004)

Acrylic will work as a barrier layer - much like PUL does, only it's not completely waterproof. It has to be washed after about a day of use, but can be thrown into your washing machine. Due to the holes of a handknitted item if you have a super soaker or a niagra falls pee, it can leak out the holes. Cotton would not work at all as a functional cover. It is absorband and would wick/leak like crazy!


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## maggiemae (Apr 10, 2004)

where was the auction? I am looking for acrylic or cotton to wear over wonderoos. I just think they are pretty- and the kness won't wear out as fast as wool with crawling babies!


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## marnie (Jul 13, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amym72*
I emailed back telling her that to be used over cd's they need to be wool or they won't be waterproof,

wool isn't waterproof, but acrylic is, actually, so you are slightly misinformed. wool actually is highly absorbent (hence the name "soaker") so liquid doesn't usually pass through the wool layer from the diaper to the clothing.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *amym72*
I just don't understand why she would spend all that time knitting something that if it were made from wool she could get a much higher price.


Maybe she is allergic to wool and can't use it? maybe ask her instead of just thinking she's nuts?









Quote:


Originally Posted by *amym72*
They look very well made and only about 1/2 the price of the lowest priced WAHM wool longies I have seen.

acrylic yarn costs much less than wool yarn does, so i'm sure that explains the reduced prices.


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## MissSugarKane (Jun 19, 2003)

Vegan's do not use any animal products.That is probably her reason


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## jasperab (Apr 17, 2004)

Have to jump in here an say that acrylic works very well. Its not wool, but my DD has wool problems and my acrylic soakers and longies work very well. I have no wicking, leaking or saturation problems. They don't smell and I wash them once a week, unless they get poop or outside dirt on them.


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## amym72 (Jun 14, 2003)

marnie said:


> Maybe she is allergic to wool and can't use it? maybe ask her instead of just thinking she's nuts?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## amym72 (Jun 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jasperab*
Have to jump in here an say that acrylic works very well. Its not wool, but my DD has wool problems and my acrylic soakers and longies work very well. I have no wicking, leaking or saturation problems. They don't smell and I wash them once a week, unless they get poop or outside dirt on them.









Well, I think I was told that acrylic doesn't absorb like wool. Is that correct? I know on the auction listing it said that the longies would have to be lanolinized and washed with Eucalan or another type wool wash, but they should be able to be washed with the diapers in the washer shouldn't they? It wouldn't do any good to put lanolin on them if they are not an animal fiber would it?


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## imp&pixie (May 6, 2004)

I know the auctions you are talking about and they have confused me too. In her description she calls them something like wool cloth diaper cover longies and then goes on to say 100% acrylic yarn. She says they have to be lanolised, but why if they are made out of acrylic? I almost emailed the question myself.


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## kyle98sean02 (Mar 28, 2003)

I love my acrylic soaker. My son stays dryer in it than wool. He doesnt get itchy in it either which he does occasionally when wool is freshly lanolized.


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## lifetapestry (Apr 14, 2003)

Wool 101: Let's review

Wool works as a diaper cover for three reasons:

1. Wool resists moisture. Wool works more effectively at resisting moisture when lanolized because the lanolin coats the cuticles of the wool fiber with "grease". How this works over a diaper cover is that the wool forces the moisture back into the diaper.

Acrylic also resists moisture. Neither it nor wool is waterproof because if you pour a cup of water into an unoccupied soaker, the water will run out. The fiber in acrylic yarn is plastic, and plastic resists moisture in the same way that wool does, by forcing the moisture into the diaper. If there is too much moisture to force back into the diaper, the acrylic soaker will wick that moisture onto clothing or bedding.

Acrylic cannot absorb lanolin. Try soaking a plastic cup in a solution of water and vegetable oil and you'll find that the oil just coats the surface of the cup. Same with acrylic yarn: lanolin will just sit on the surface of the soaker and feel all slimy (not sticky like wool does when you overlanolize).

2. Wool absorbs moisture. The fibers of wool have an inner core (i.e. are hollow) that can absorb moisture. Acrylic cannot absorb moisture. Thus, a wool soaker is going to be more effective than an acrylic soaker because when there is too much moisture to be reabsorbed by the diaper, the acrylic soaker will wick it outside onto clothing, while the wool will absorb that moisture until it can't absorb any more. It is repeatedly said that wool can absorb up to 1/3 its weight in moisture before it will feel damp and/or wick. So, weigh your soaker. I have a KSS that weighs just a bit under 3 ounces. That means it can absorb roughly an ounce of pee before it will feel damp or wick. An ounce of pee is not a whole lot, about as much as will fill a shot glass-- but still more than an acrylic soaker will absorb.

3. Wool breathes. This means that it allows airflow in and out of the soaker, because there are spaces between the fibers in the wool yarn (the holes in knit or crocheted fabric may also provide some breathability). Acrylic does not breathe, although the holes in the fabric may allow for some breathability-- in which case, it does not breathe as well as wool.

Excellent article for more information:

http://www.cutofcloth.com/article_wool.asp

Karla


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## Calysto (Sep 9, 2004)

lifetapestry - Wow that was some great information!! Thank you!!









We will hopefully recieve our first acrylic soaker soon. DD has what we assume is a wool allergy but we are not positive yet (or maybe I am just in denial!!). We are going to try merino first before we completely rule out wool. So, I can understand if maybe this lady has an allergy? She does kind of misrepresent her auctions (or maybe she is just misinformed) by saying they need to be lanolized, and by calling them wool at the top of the auction page.... Maybe she just dosen't know any better? I dunno.


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

Acrylic is MUCH cheaper as a pp stated.. I make all my test soakers out of acrylic.. I think that (for crochet anyway) the acrylic covers are more breathable than PUL.. They have whole lotta little holes that you can see and feel.. They do have higher incidence of compression wicking, but that is the only difference that I have noticed..

Warm Squishy Feelings..

Dyan


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## 2girlsandnowaboy (Sep 18, 2004)

Yes, I agree. I had to e-mail her to ask her if they were wool or acrylic. They are gorgeous and very inexpensive.
Becky


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## lestouffer (Jul 2, 2002)

We slept in an acrylic soaker every night fo r a long time. I loved it, goes right in the washer and dryer every morning...it breathed (by the nature of knit, not by the nature of the fiber) and it kept all teh pee inside. I need to make a new one as a matter of fact....

It sounds to me like she has seen teh prices that some of the wool ones get on ebay and makes her own out of cheaper yarn (some acrylic is very expensive though) and then repeat what she sees these moms getting the big bucks says. Becuase lanolizing an acrylic soaker is ridiculous....

Acrylic soakers are the easiest thing in the world to take care of......and although they don't work in the same way or are as natural as wool, I like them as much....


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## judybean (Jul 8, 2004)

Most of this has already been said, but ... acrylic doesn't need to be lanolized. That wouldn't do a thing. Do you lanolize fleece? Nope.

Basically, I put acrylic soakers and fleece on the same plane because they perform similarly. They're not natural. They don't absorb any liquid, but function like wool for a bit in that they force liquid back into the diaper, but once the diaper is saturated that's where the 'unnaturals' differ from wool. Wool will begin to absorb a certain percentage of the 'overflow' and 'unnaturals' will not.

But, think of acrylics like fleece. They perform about the same.

And, like MissSugarKane said, vegans don't use wool (or any animal-based product for that matter). That could be the reason she'll only use acrylics.


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