Basic Wool Care

I have drawn up a pamphlet that I include in all woolies purchases, that outlines the basics of what you should and should not do with your wool. I thought it would be a good idea to post it here, too, for reference.

Benefits and Care of Wool Diaper Covers

There are many reasons why people choose to use a wool diaper cover, as opposed to a PUL one. Some benefits of wool include:

• Wool is naturally anti-microbial, which means it doesn't have to be washed every time it is used; just turn it inside-out and allow to air. Wash once a month, or any time it gets soiled.
• Wool can absorb 30% of its weight in water without feeling wet. If your child "over wets" his/her diaper, for whatever reason, chances of having an actual leak are much smaller when using wool.
• Wool will keep your baby warmer in the winter than any other natural, absorbent fiber, BUT will keep the heat out, and body cool in the summer, due to it's three-dimensional fiber-structure. This means that wool is not too hot for the summer months.
• Longies, shorties, and skirites are super-cute!

How to care for your wool:

• Again, unless soiled, wool only needs to be washed about once a month or so. Just turn inside-out and allow to air.
• Wool should be hand-washed to keep it from felting (shrinking and turning fuzzy) and lanolized to keep it water-resistant on the outside.
• You can use a wool wash, such as WOW, by Naturally Luxe. Fill a sink or basin with tepid water, add a couple Tbsp. of WOW and swish gently. Allow woolies to soak for a few hours, or overnight. Remove, gently squeeze out excess water (no wringing or twisting!) and lat flat to dry. I like to run mine through a spin cycle ONLY, with not water or agitation, to get out the most water, and shorten drying time.
• NEVER put your woolies in the washer or dryer. THEY WILL FELT!

Now on Etsy!

I decided to start listing some stuff on Etsy. Hyenacart is great, still my favorite go-to, for selling and shopping. However, it is more the earth-friendly type thing. That's perfect for things like cloth diaper covers and hand-made toys. Not so great for things like totes and crafts. There just doesn't seem to be much demand on HC for other, "grown-up" type stuff. I'm hoping to start blending and dying my own fiber for sell, some of it luxury fibers. On HC, everyone seems to just want wool. I really like silk, alpaca, and mohair blends, which absolutely do not work for diaper-covers! I also want to start crocheting things like shawls, doilies, bags, slippers, etc. Again, not much demand on HC for things like that.
Don't worry! I'm still all about longies, skirties, and cute little toys. I just want to expand a little, and I think I'll have more luck on Etsy for things like that. So come check me out on Etsy!


 http://www.etsy.com/shop/satiglenn?ref=ss_profile I haven't figured out how to get my shop to say Rows and Roses yet; so right now, it's just Satiglenn. I'm really looking forward to branching out. I hope you all are, too!

Apologies

Let me start this post by saying that I am sorry for being a terrible blogger. Really. I am the worst at keeping posted. I am a wife, and a mother, and after those two things, crochet comes first. I have a custom list, and always something I'm trying to get finished, so between that and tending to my kids and husband (yes, he needs tending), I rarely have time to put together a good blog post. Since I already know how bad I am at this, and how little time I have to dedicate to it, it is daunting to even START a post, and so, alas, I tend to go a month or more between posts.


That said, I am going to try to do better. I am super-passionate about all things fiber-related, and I really want to pass on the excitement to my family, friends, fans, and customers. Be it crochet, dying yarn, dying fiber, spinning fiber, processing raw fleece, or (gasp!) attempting to learn how to knit (my 5-months scarf is a whopping 4 inches long), I always have my fingers in some sort of fiber-arts activity. I want to be able to keep you all up-to-date on what I've been doing, what I've finished, what I'm starting, and what I'm stumped on. I welcome comments of all kinds, whether it's a product or post request, constructive criticism, conversation, questions, or really anything short of hate-mail. You can just send that straight to my inbox: rowsandroses@yahoo.com. :)


In order to keep this blog going along, with what little time I actually have for it, most posts will probably be short and to the point. Such as a picture with a caption, and nothing more. Sorry, but that's the only way this is gonna work for me! Starting tomorrow, I will begin keeping everyone informed of what's going on here at Rows and Roses. Thank you for being a fan, and as always, please let me know if there's anything I can do for you.