If you have never crafted with wool, check it out. It’s amazing stuff!
Today we had snow. This is a rarity in our neck of the woods, so we don’t have snowpants and stuff for the kids, and I was trying to dress them to play outside.
Then I realized I had a pair of toddler pants made from a felted wool sweater. I might even have lanolized them before storing them away, I don’t recall. So Claire wore those, and her tights underneath stayed dry, despite much falling, snowball fights, and rolling in the snow.
Then we peeled off all outer clothes in the hallway on the way in from playing, and I forgot about them for several hours.
So I go back and clean up. There is of course a puddle on the floor. However, as I pick up the wool pants, water starts running off the surface of the wool - beading up and running off, not soaked and dripping. Then I pull a rolled pantleg straight, and see that there are still snow crystals inside! After 2-3 hours in 70+ degrees.
Now I’m thinking I have to patch together some woolen snowpants for my 6yo too! Great insulation and water resistance, for just a few bucks!
I also just made each of them a pair of felted wool mittens. The biggest obstacle to fun today was cold/wet hands (cotton mittens suck), and we’re stuck in the house since the roads aren’t safe, so I couldn’t run to Target or anything. It was great to have stuff on hand (ha!) to give them the opportunity to play outside more comfortably tomorrow.
One of my favorite Christmas presents was a pair of these. Warm and snuggly, and the leather soles mean you can walk around outside without getting dinged by rocks and such. The perfect socks for “running to put out the trash” or “feed the cats.”
I always keep wool around. It doesn’t get all that cold all that often around here, but when it does, I like to be clothed in wool.
Last year I got my first pair of SmartWool socks. I couldn’t believe the difference it made in keeping me warm at work, where the floors are so much colder than the rest of the place…which is drafty. I’ve bought two more pair since then, my biggest indulgence, and got a gift of some regular wool socks…Czech Army socks, to be specific…that are ugly as all get out but keep me much more comfortable. I’m knitting wool socks, too…but I’m a really slow knitter.
We had another test yesterday - Claire dipped her hand into our neighbors’ dog bowl while playing in their back yard. I shook off her hand, but the mitten seemed pretty wet. I let her play for a while longer - maybe 20 minutes - and then took it off, since I figured her hand would be wet and getting cold. Nope! Inside, her hand was dry and warm.
I agree about Smartwool - I bought us all socks to wear at Disney World, to help prevent blisters. I got the lightweight running socks, and they weren’t hot, just comfy.
Wool is one of the few natural fibers that still insulates and keeps you warm even when wet. There’s a reason Irish fishermen preferred it for their sweaters.
Sometimes my mom purposely sops up her wool mittens before going out for a walk or run or whatever - she claims that doing so keeps her hands warmer than if they’re dry.
Those of us who use wool for diaper covers also add lanolin after washing, to enhance water-resistance and the (possibly apocryphal) transformation of urine to a soap-like substance.
I love my Sudz N Dudz spray lanolin. The ylang-ylang scent doesn’t last for long, but while it does it’s yummy.