Doing laundry at a friends is what got me interested in having a front loading machine.  Jennifer’s is really quiet.  Although, eventually, I ended up with a really noisy Kenmore.

I researched all the advantages of a front loading machine.  And at first, I thought they were just plain overpriced.  But I was won over by the fact that the front loading machines use about one third of the water per load than the top loading machines.  The monthly energy savings is something like three to five dollars – not enough to seal the deal for me.  But the environmental impact of 40 gallons of water per load compared to about twelve was a quantity I found persuasive.  I do at least two loads of laundry daily.

Laundry is not typically a chore that I mind.  I like the feel of fabric.  And I can turn on the washer or dryer and then go off to do something else.  And right now, I use these appliances as baby soothers.  DD-1 loves to listen to the sound of the washer.  In the mornings, I usually lay her down in front of the machines on a blanket and do the laundry.  She gets really drowsy and usually falls asleep as soon as I move her to her little nest.

Baby likes the washing machine.

DD-1 wears cloth diapers.  I was hoping that she would escape the sensitive skin that is so common in our family.  But she has not.  Consistent use of disposable diapers gives her a mean rash.  And me too – on my hands.  Real cloth diaper devotees carry around a wetbag to carry the dirties home.  But I use disposables when we are out and cloth at home.  I do have a wetbag though, that I use to hold dirty clothes and burp clothes.

Getting to my point, the washer, a Kenmore 4027, has temperature control and a heating element.  So the diapers always get appropriately hot water.  I typically use the whitest-whites setting.  My plan is to use the sanitize feature, which gets even hotter and takes longer to run, once a month.  But at the time of this writing, I haven’t tried it yet.

I did a lot of research before buying this washer.  I had intended to get a different model from the Sears Scratch and Dent online.  But discovered after hours of shopping that I would need to go to the store to schedule a delivery.  This information was not posted on the website in any logical manner.  I only discovered it when I called the store to ask about delivery.  Kind of defeats the purpose of buying it online doesn’t it?

Right, no way in Hell was I going to drive 50 miles (one way) with a newborn to look at a washer when I could just buy a cheaper, well reviewed new one online and have it delivered and installed the next day.  To which I say, Sears service rocks.  We’ve had our dryer serviced by Sears Repair before and were happy with them.  Anyway, I purchased online and scheduled the whole thing in a few minutes.  And it arrived the next day with two very cordial installation men.

Why I am writing so much about my washer?  Somebody might need to buy one.  Also, because when I posted about it on Facebook a number of people had something to say about it.  And Google reports over a million searches on washing machine per month.  So washing machines must be of some interest.

The things people seem to dislike about front loading washing machines are the noises of the less expensive models, and the potential for odor.  I am not bothered by either of these issues.  I leave the door open overnight so the washer doesn’t get a stale smell.

I washed it for the first time last night.  Total work time was about ten minutes.  But draining the water out took about fifteen minutes.  And running the clean cycle took 50 minutes.  I put the drain tube into a bowl and went about my business, then came back later and put the cap back on and ran the clean cycle.  So including wiping down the rubber gasket and rinsing off the filter, it took about ten minutes out of my evening.

Cashmere goats by cramsay23

This has not carried over into yarn so much, or specifically sweaters. I used to crochet (not well enough for sweaters). And DD and DH both have blankets that I crocheted for them. DDs is very cute. DHs is an odd color combination to me. But he picked it out. And he likes it. So there you go. Both of those are acrylic, which is not my favorite. Because after a while, it pills and can look very cheap. And if I can choose something not a petroleum product, I will.

So here is what I found out about fabric/fiber and eczema:

• Cotton is king. (I knew this.)
• Silk is queen, because it has hundreds of microfibers and is very smooth. But it can have resins in it that are irritating to some people.
• Bamboo and rayon are breathable, natural fibers. They rank next.
• Wool is the number one itch offender. But not all wool is created equal. Wool is classified by microns, which is the thickness of each strand. The thicker the strand, the scratchier the surface. The finer the strand, the smoother the surface.
• Cashmere, angora, and alpaca are names of animals. I’m sure you knitters and lovers of animal husbandry say duh. But I did not know until recently. I thought cashmere and alpaca were types of sheep, not different animals altogether.
• Since cashmere is finer than many wools and comes from a goat some people who cannot tolerate wool can wear it.
• Alpaca, an animal, not a sheep. Finer than wool, potentially tolerable.
• Angora, from a rabbit and claims to be hypoallergenic, even to those with very sensitive skin.

Obviously, these things are somewhat subjective. But I post it here in case it can be useful to somebody else, and for commentary.

Close-up of baby alpaca by m_morgavan

I read more than one article by dermatologists claiming that silk must be dermablend, the kind that is antimicrobial and used in hospitals. But I have always found ordinary clothing silk to be pretty skin friendly, especially if hand washed.

My experience with bamboo has not been the best. The bamboo fabric I’ve encountered has been extremely thin knit and has run. I’m thinking this may have been a fluke. I can’t see it having become so popular if it ran all the time. It was not at all itchy. I’m thinking I will give it another try.

I’ve had very good luck with wool blend suits that are lined. They wear well. And if they are blended with rayon or something and lined seem to always be comfortable.

I can’t even be in the room with an angora sweater. I don’t know what that’s about.

I am about to give up on lining these three sweaters that belonged to my grandmother. They are 100 percent wool. And even lined, they itch me like I am on fire. I find this so sad. They fit me perfectly. And I really prefer to keep them.

I wonder if I can justify consoling myself with a cashmere sweater or a silk scarf.

Related posts:

• Acrylic Yarn is Yukky