WoolWeenies Club

[Becky]

Of course, for now at least, it isn't touching my skin so I won't need to wash it every time I wear it...

I don't wash my wool stuff every time I wear it, skin contact or not. As long as it doesn't smell once it's dry, it's ok for another wearing IMO.

[OakLeaf]

I haven't been able to find flat dryers in stores for several years now. The ones I've linked to work fine, but unfortunately, on the last batch I got, the mesh top is actually made for a smaller base, so it pulls the legs out of alignment and they can't be stacked.

Every wool weenie needs this accessory.

[malkin]

I use a folding wood drying rack sort of like this:
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CEUQ8gIwAg#

Stuff can be organized to drape over 1,2,3, or 4 bars depending on size and weight and how much else there is to hang up.

I have 3 of them.

[OakLeaf]

I have a couple of those too, for when I run out of clothesline, or when I need to dry my Lycra in the house on a wet or cold day. But they don't support a wool garment enough to keep it from stretching into weird shapes, even if I lay a single garment over the top rails.

[Crankin]

I just use a regular drying rack for my wool; I find that hanging my Shaks, etc. doesn't seem to ruin the shape of them. Once in awhile I will lay them flat on top of the washer, but that takes up a lot of space. Yeah, I can hear my mother yelling at me, as she was a true wool weenie, knitting all of her sweaters by hand.
We did have to get a bigger drying rack for all of the wool and lycra that can't be put in the dryer.

[Catrin]

I just use a regular drying rack for my wool; I find that hanging my Shaks, etc. doesn't seem to ruin the shape of them. Once in awhile I will lay them flat on top of the washer, but that takes up a lot of space. Yeah, I can hear my mother yelling at me, as she was a true wool weenie, knitting all of her sweaters by hand.
We did have to get a bigger drying rack for all of the wool and lycra that can't be put in the dryer.

I really don't have the extra floor space in my apt. for a dedicated drying rack I typically don't wash more than one piece of wool at a time, so I've the top of my washer, and the top of the dryer is another option. I have a rack in my little utility closet where my washer/dryer are so I can just hang my lycra on a hanger and it dries pretty quickly. I've done it this way all along and it doesn't appear to stretch the lycra or anything. I do dry my shorts inside-out so the padding will be as exposed as possible.

[malkin]

Don't get me wrong--drying racks don't get a 'dedicated space' in our 1000 sq ft of paradise! They only come out when they have work to do; the rest of the time they are folded and hanging high on the wall!

I don't have room to dry anything flat if it is too big to go on top of the rack.

That 'too wet to hang' problem went away when we got a Miele washer with a spin cycle that really spins much more of the water out than the cheepie washer that came in this condo.

As for putting a wash friendly jersey in the washer in a cold cycle, it should be fine. It is probably good to keep the zipper zipped in the wash so it is only one weapon rather than two. I also go a little overboard with laundry (lingerie) bags for lots of our wool items so that the base layers don't get as beaten up, but it is probably not necessary.