Pickle Pant *Further* Update

[pritchettzoo]

Crocheting makes it slightly bulkier than knitting. With crocheting, you are twisting and catching one piece of yarn with one needle. Crocheted soakers are supposed to be good for nighttime for that reason, or also for heavy wetters.

I don't know how bulky hers are IRL. I think Shandelle is the only one of us who has one, maybe she can describe it better?

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and a BOY! (coming July '05)

[mudder17]

Hmm...sounds like the Pickle Pants would be more appropriate for Kaya, since she's such a heavy wetter. I have noticed on occasion that when Kaya wears the one that we already have, she feels slightly clammy on the outside, but I always thought that was because I didn't lanolize it enough.

Anna, I think I do want a Pickle Pants. I'm going to look on their site and see what color I want.

Thanks!

ETA: I think a large will work well for the day (I'll make some measurements tomorrow to make sure) and I'm trying to decide between Thistle and Mountain Laurel.

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040222/0/0/1/-5/.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...n_gold_12m.gif
12M checkup: 31", 18.8 lbs, 47 cm head

[pittsburghgirl]

I'm actually going to order one of each, because they are so different. We have a pair of BJM shorts, they are very soft but I wouldn't use them for night. My plan is to use the BJM for hot days this summer over fitteds.

I will probably experiment with the Pickle pants for nighttime, once we actually start trying that, or use them for day as well. They are a completely different "look", the BJM look more like regular clothes IMO. The pickle pants look more like wool.

Marilee
mommy to James
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040120/1/1/1/-5/.png

[tarahsolazy]

The PP wool is also very sheep-friendly, and is pretty much unprocessed, other than dyeing and washing. It has all the natural lanolin in it. The BJM soakers are made of superwash, so its a much more processed wool. I also like that the PP are made from wool grown locally near the maker, and the sheep are well-treated!

[kensjen]

Eileen, the PP are great for nighttime, especially since you have mentioned that Kaya is a super soaker. I don't think you could ever use the BJM soaker for night. Even daytime was a stretch for us, I had to lanolize it big time.

The PP are a bit bulkier, mostly because they are meant to be worn like shorts. So I don't think you could get too many pants over them, without that bunchy, bulky look. They would be too cute in the summer, just to wear as shorts and they are your cover too.

I agree with Tarah, about getting the natural wool, and how the sheep are treated; that is so important. And I love the little card they sent you with your soaker, with a photo of the sheep that your wool came from and its name...it is really cute. Of course we are still unsure about the whole wool situation with BJM...where it comes from, how it is processed, etc. It is not only an ethical thing, it also affects the soaker performance. The pickle pants perform very well, but my BJM soaker needed more "help"...it probably didn't have any natural lanolin left. I also noticed that I really needed to wash it more often (it retained smell more than the other wool I have) and it needed the lanolin.

Again these are just my opinions, but thought it would help a bit with decisions. They definitely are very different soakers, and used for different times.

I was thinking of getting a PP in a pretty color for nighttime, what type of dye does she use? Has anyone had one? I'm just wondering with the way my son soaks a diaper if the color will bleed onto the diaper for awhile? I know kool aid does that, something with the urine I guess. I had a natural one last time. Anyway, happy shopping all!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I think I want one of these, but I am concerned about it being scratchy feeling. I hate that itchy wool feel and if that is how these are then I won't like them. For comparison, I hated the Sugarpeas wool cover and I love the Righteous baby wool cover. Which one is this similar to? (other than the fact that those are not knitted/crocheted)

[tarahsolazy]

They are definately not as soft as a Righteous Baby wool jersey cover. They are slightly scratchy right out of the mailing envelope, but they soften up with wear. I found with my long pants that a few wearings and one wash in liquid WOW wash made them very soft and fluffy. If you want a very soft knitted wool item, look for merino wool, its very soft. It does pill, but the softness is worth it! The BJM soakers are reportedly extremely soft, they are superwashed merino.

[kensjen]

They are a bit scratchy out of the package, but they really soften up. I washed mine a few times and they softened up. They are also a very tight knit, well they are actually crotcheted, but YKWM. They don't stretch the same as say a wooly pullie, which is a looser, garter stitch.

They are great for overnight, or for a busy toddler, as they hold up to all kinds of play, crawling around, falling, etc. They are good "play clothes", LOL!

HTH!

[mudder17]

Well, now I know I want a PP, and I may get them in X-large so I have the option of using them at night, especially because they aren't as stretchy as knitted ones. But would X-large just be too enormous for every day wear? Should I just get a large? What do you think, you who are familiar with them?

As for the BJM soakers, the shorts are very very cute, and I'd love Kaya to be able to wear them during the summer as shorts, but if they're not going to be able to handle her super soaker capacity, I may have to pass on them, even though they are VERY cute and very affordably priced. Sigh. I guess I'll mull it over today and try to make a decision by the end of the day. Kerri, it looks like with MDC, you'll definitely get your 20. But I'll be sure to let you know by the deadline people vote on. Thanks for being so patient with me!


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://lilypie.com/baby2/040222/0/0/1/-5/.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...n_gold_12m.gif
12M checkup: 31", 18.8 lbs, 47 cm head

[pritchettzoo]

ETA:
On the regular solid dyes they are dyed at the mill and are not Kool Aid- we haven’t had any bleeding problems (actually one mom once had one a year ago but in all of my PP’s that’s the only one I’ve heard of and I made her a new pair) On the ones that I hand dye I do use Kool Aid on some of them, however, I haven’t had any problems with bleeding. I don’t keep my yarn in for the minimum time (after a half hour the dye will be stable on the yarn)- I keep my wool on the heat until there is NO color left in the water and all of it has transferred to the wool. Using this method there should be no bleeding. This can take hours so many people may not take the time to do that. However, a good rule of thumb with all dyed items is to soak it in lukewarm water and gently press the water out to make sure that there is no bleeding before use. I would suggest that to this mom if she is concerned. There are times when the dye will still be in- mostly in the reds. But again, I do keep mine in and then thoroughly rinse mine to ensure no bleeding- most times there is no dye left coming out when I rinse the yarn.


Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and a BOY! (coming July '05)