Washing and Blocking Wool and Other Animal Fibers

Need some help washing your wool garment? Or maybe you have something made of other natural animal fibers, like alpaca, llama, cashmere, etc ?  Here are a few of my top suggestions and a few links to help you learn more about the process.

What kind of detergent to use? My preferred wool wash is a brand called Soak. A few drops into a basin are all that's needed. It doesn't require any rinsing and it comes in pleasant scents, including scentless. Other popular wool washes are Eucalan and Kookaburra and can be found online or at your local yarn store. 

In a pinch, you can also use baby shampoo.  Just be sure to rinse your knit carefully.  Run the water into the basin and then put your handknit into the water.  Water should never be poured over or water ran from the spigot straight onto your hand wash only knits.

Here's a link to a post I did about washing wool.  This is more specifically geared towards washing wool diaper covers, but it details the specifics of how to be delicate with your knits and how I roll out them to dry in a towel. Please use COLD water for your most delicate handknits.  

Tin Can Knits has a great simple guide to washing and blocking as well.  

Here's a quick video if you are more of a visual learner. 

(She's missing the part where you roll the item in a towel before laying out to block. I also don't roll my knitwear around in the water. A simple push down into the water is enough.)

A few last tips on washing.

   * Handknits don't require washing with every wear.  I often wear a handknit for the entire season before washing.  After wearing allow your handknit to air out a bit before putting it away.  

  * A bottle of wool wash will last for a long time, so don't let the sticker shock scare you from buying a bottle.

A few last tips on blocking.

    * Always use rust proof pins to block. Quilters T pins or daisy top pins are great so you can see them.

    * It takes a bit of time and space to block your knits, but its worth it.

    * Lace will look like a mess after its washed. So blocking is required. 

    * You can block on any surface that allows the space to spread out your knit. Many people lay a towel on a spare bed and block there. Rubber interlocking mats are inexpesive, easy to use and store. The cheapest ones are the ABC mats found in the children's section.  An ironing board is a great surface for a small item.  Just remember that it may take some time to dry your item.

   

Hope these tips help to de-mystify hand washing and blocking wool handknits.  While there is some time and effort required, it's a very simple process and a worthy investment in the life of your handknit.  

~Melody

I'll be writing about how to store your knits next!

Inspire Me: Celtic Cables

Here's a screenshot I took from one of my latest Google searches. 

I've been focusing a lot of time learning about these beautiful intricate looking celtic cables, sometimes called knotwork.  Its been quite the math lesson to learn how to design the perfect cable.  Last week I was reading articles from a mathematician and this week I've been focused on geometry and how that applies to the symmetry I so love in my designs. It is positively hilarious that I used to hate math. In high school math made me miserable. Now I know its because I didn't fully grasp how those concepts could apply to a real life situation.  I'll be honest, sometimes math still baffles me.  I do have to take a few breaks between my studies just to let my brain rest.  Every time I have a "breakthrough ah" moment, I say a quick mental thank you to all the math teachers I've had over the years. (Ms. English would be so proud.)

Isn't it strange how easy it is to discredit something that's super challenging in the moment? More often than not, we just focus on the difficulty and not what future rewards it might bring. Tonight I'm thankful for all those difficult days and nights studying mathematical concepts and what seemed like endless hours of completing problems that surely no one would ever need to use again.  Now all the hours I put into figuring out a problem end in the joy of finishing my knitting. Challenges can indeed bring joy in the end.

A Housekeeping Note: I'll making a few changes to the blog.  Inspire Me posts will now be made twice a month instead of weekly. 

To Darn or Not To Darn

I have a handknit sock dilemma. HOLES! Likely created by a lovely little insect in my sock drawer.

I'm faced with a decision to make, to darn or not to darn. There are many methods for darning holes in your knitting; Swiss darning (duplicate stitching), weaving a patch, re-knitting a section, etc. There are specialty needles, darning eggs and even yarn marketed specifically for darning.   All techniques are relatively easy and require just a few tools. Unfortunately, all methods of darning (minus machine sewing in a patch) require a considerable amount of time and concentrated effort.   Here is a great reference if you'd like to learn how to darn.

So how does one decide if darning is actually worth the time or not? Above you can see my socks. The arrows point out the holes placement. Honestly, when I first found these holes my immediate thought was to pick up the stitches a few rows above the hole, rip out the rest of the sock and re-knit them. I put my socks away for a little while, so I could think about what I wanted to do.  

Here's my basic question list for evaluating whether to darn:

1) Is this a simple knit or something complex?

If my item is a pair of plain handknit socks or a hat, I consider those simple knits.  For something like lacework in the middle of a shawl, I would more than likely consider that too complex to darn.  I might find a way to secure the stitches around the hole and prevent further damage to the shawl, but not try to recreate the lacework.

2) Where is the hole located?  Will that affect how the item wears?

In the pair of socks above, one sock has a hole right in the heel gusset.  I would have to be very careful no change was made to the tension of the sock in this area or it may not fit well.  Socks need to have free range to move and bend with the pivoting of your feet.  This particular hole is near the hinge point of my foot. I may also feel the darned area with the pressure of a shoe.

3) Is this yarn one of a kind or can I buy more?

Typically I place a high value on hand dyed or handspun yarns and might choose to rip out and knit a new item from the salvaged yarns to have a "complete one of a kind" item. If I could buy more, I might be more inclined to fix the hole and order a new skein in the future if I wished.

4) Do I still have some yarn scraps to repair the hole? Or will color differences of a comparable yarn choice bother me?

It takes a bit of yarn to repair the hole.  I typically try to save small scraps of all my sock yarns just for darning any future holes.  On occasion though, that little scrap gets used in another project or I may need every yard to finish my project.  Sometimes you have to substitute in another yarn or even a different stripe color in self-striping yarns.  I always evaluate if that will be ok for me personally.

5)How old is the item with a hole? Is there a sentimental attachment?

Have I worn this item for a while?  Do I feel like I got my wear out of it and am ready to move on? Knitted items, just like other clothing made from fabric, come to the point where they are threadbare and unwearable. If you've worn a sock for a few years, it's only a matter of time before it develops another hole. I usually repair them 3-5 times before considering them too old.  The particular pair above have only been worn about 5 times, so these are newbies. I also started these while I was in labor with my son and worked on them during those long nights in the hospital before we got to come home.

6)If I can't or decide not to repair the hole, can I use the yarn in another item?

Sometimes a hole represents an opportunity to make something new.  This could simply mean just ripping out the yarn and knitting something new, but there's a lot more if you open your mind. You can salvage parts of your item and turn them into something useful.  A non-repairable sock can be turned into a number of things; cuffs, small change purses, sock puppets for the kids, patches to needlefelt, etc.  I've saw people take a special motif from a lace shawl, stabilize the edges with a clear thread, starch them and turn them into ornaments. The possibilities are really endless.

What's my decision? 

I'm going to begin with the sock that has the hole in the gusset.  In my opinion, its the sock that will need the most attention to detail. If I'm happy with the darning method I choose, I'll continue on and repair the two holes in the second sock.  But if I decide mid project that the heel will be compromised from my darning attempts, I plan to rip both of the socks back up to the twisted ribbing and knit them again cuff down.  I usually knit socks toe up, so this would make them a new project for me.  I enjoy socks that match each other as closely as possible. 


There's my method for making darning decisions. I do hope that none of you find yourself with insect damage like me or a snag in your knits. But if you do, I hope you give darning a consideration before throwing out those knits.

(PS If you do feel the need to rid yourself of a knit with a hole, please let me or another knitter/crafter know first. We may love to revive that knit into something new.)

       

Designing : Flaws and All

Designing my own knitting patterns is incredibly rewarding. It's wonderful to look at a finished piece and say not only did my hands create that but I also pictured that in my mind, penned that in my sketchbook, drew out the chart and then put it all together with some string and needles.

On the other hand, designing can be incredibly frustrating.  Sometimes you have this beautiful vision in your head for a design and try as you might, your efforts to recreate that just don't seem to measure up.  You know what you want but finding the perfect combo translated into a knitted item is daunting.  There's a lot of trial and error. Many days spent are more in defeat than triumph. As a designer, you have to press on though. For me I sometimes have to lay that design to the side and focus on something else.

On my current design project, I'm being downright stubborn.  I KNOW exactly what I want this hat to look like.  Its not just an ordinary old hat, this one has meaning and a purpose.  I'm designing a hat specifically to honor my husband. In our 15 years of marriage and all my crafting, I've never really made anything for him.  I threw together a set of matching bow ties for him and my son for his 1st birthday party, but it wasn't really for my husband.  This time I want to make something I can be proud of and something that my husband would be happy to wear.  He knows I'm designing this hat for him so the pressure is on a bit more than usual.

I'm the type of person to throw my whole being into the things I make.  I try to use every ounce of my know-how and ability to please the recipient. Perfectionism is both a blessing and a curse.  I have to thank knitting though. It has allowed me to learn that sometimes its ok to let go and let something be imperfect. I'm an imperfect person, with flaws both obvious and hidden.  Showing flaws isn't always a weakness. Sometimes showing those flaws is exactly what someone else may need.  It may be that you, the one showing the flaws, needs to show yourself just how human and ordinary you really are.  The flaws are what connects us all together. Just as in knitting, a flaw may stick out to you, but it may be beautiful to someone else and makes it complete.

Ready for a Healthy Dose of Honesty?

I hope you got to know me a little better during premiere week. It felt very strange to talk about myself that much. However, I wanted to basically highlight all the different parts of myself and how I plan to share that here on the blog.

So now for today...are you ready for a healthy dose of honesty? I started my Christmas gift knitting yesterday. Yes, on December 7th, I began knitting gifts that are supposed to be finished, wrapped and delivered on December 25th. Oi, I'm very behind this year. I have been planning for months. On my calendar it stated that my Christmas knitting was to begin in September. I'm not exactly sure how I got so behind, but here I am in the second week of December without any finished Christmas gifts.

Realistically I will have to downsize my list. I know this, yet I also know that I'll push myself to the very last second in an attempt to finish every project.

So what's on that list? On my needles there's a cotton reuseable Swifter cover. I have yarn pulled from my stash for socks, slippers, a few hats, and several dishcloth sets. There's also a box full of felting fleece set to become dryer balls and covered soaps. This was my previously downsized gift list.

In my design bag, I have the ribbing of a hat for my husband. (In all my years of knitting I've never made him a hat.) Plus swatches and sketches for a toddler sweater design for a friend's daughter.

Needless to say, I have plenty of knitting to fill my down moments. I suppose only time will tell how much I actually finish before Christmas. Anyone in the same procrastination boat as me?

Melody - Fiber Artist

As a child, I explored many different crafting and creative avenues. Much of my sewing skills can be attributed to my mother, who taught me to love and respect the relationship of fabric and thread. She dabbled a little bit with yarn as well. As a teen, I began painting and making unconventional things into something new and purposeful. A few years ago, I began the love affair with all things yarn. I taught myself to knit and the rest...well the rest is my next adventure.

A large part of this blog will focus on my life as a fiber artist. You may ask, what is a fiber artist? Basically a fiber artist is someone who uses fiber as their medium; fleece, yarn, fabric, thread, etc.

Wearing a cowl I designed and knit from my handspun

I enjoy spinning clean fleece/roving into yarn, knitting yarn into a garment and transforming a flat piece of fabric into something wearable with shape. Occasionally I find myself dyeing yarn with some unique color combo that goes along with one of my designs. Designing custom clothing and new knitting patterns for others to enjoy are my latest passions. My patterns will be available to purchase in 2015.

I'll be sharing my latest knitting, spinning and design projects with you throughout the month, along with a few tutorials and techniques posts. You can find all of those linked at the top of the page. In addition, I'll post dates and information on how you can purchase any of my designs and any shows/local sales.