5 ways to refresh and care for your handknits this summer
Something I like to do during the summer months is take care of my winter knits. It might seem odd to be thinking about your winter woollies when the sun is blazing and it’s over 30 degrees, but this is actually the perfect time for a winter woollies freshen up!
If any of your jumpers or cardis need washing now is a great time as the drying time in summer is shorter than in winter.
It’s really nice to pull a fresh woollen out of the cupboard at the start of autumn, so grab your favourite woolly jumper or cardigan and get it ready for those first cold days.
Washing
Depending on the yarn used, hand knits don’t need a lot of washing. If you’ve using a raw merino yarn it will have retained the ‘self cleaning’ properties of the fibre.
You might find the cuffs and neckline need a little freshen-up, however. Long sleeves can get grubby around the cuffs and close necklines can easily get make-up on them.
A hot summer’s day is the perfect time for a winter woolly wash!
Add some essential oils to the wash mix for extra freshness - I like to use a dash of eucalyptus or lavender.
Make sure you dry your knits flat, in the shade - the Australian sun is very strong and you don’t want to fade your knits! If you have a Pop-Up Dryer this will help reduce drying time even more.De-pilling or shaving
Removing the fluff from your knitwear is another great way to freshen it up. Pilling is a given with knitwear, and the softer the yarn you use, the more likely the fabric will experience some pilling. However, the good news is it’s easy to have your knitwear looking fresh and new with a quick shave/de-pill. (And pilling stops after a while!)
There are several types of tools around for de-pilling. I’ve tried using a razor - great caution is needed for this and it’s honestly not worth the stress! I’ve also used an electric jumper shaver, which worked quite effectively but I still had to be cautious with - if too much pressure is applied the shaver can catch up the stitches and cut them.
My favourite tool to use is the Cocoknit Fuzz Off Comb. I love this tool! It’s very effective but blunt enough to be very safe for knitwear - there is no chance of cutting your stitches with this tool! I’ve used this on lace wool knits with great results, along with chunkier knits.Adding the fluff back into mohair
If you’ve knit a fabric with fluff or a ‘halo’ to it, you don’t want to de-pill. If your alpaca or mohair knitwear has lost some of its fluffy appeal use a soft brush to put some life back into the fibre. With a soft brush, gently sweep across the stitches until the desired fluffiness is achieved. The Cocoknits Sweater Care Brush is purpose-designed for this and is gentle on luxurious stitches.Reshape shawls
Want to bring your shawls back to their just-finished glory? Block them! A good soak and blocking to measurements, just like you did when you’d just cast off, will have your shawl looking spectacular once again. If you originally soaked and blocked your shawl semi-aggressively (stretching out with pins) it will only need to be re-blocked every few years.
When I re-blocked some of my shawls prior to a show I was delighted with how gorgeous they looked again. Lace details become very crisp once again and picot edges shine. You’ll espeically notice the difference if your shawl is knit with a high merino percentage - this fibre loves to bounce back over time.
Mending
You might discover a worn patch in your favourite jumper during this process, and now is the perfect time for some mending. Elbows are often the first place on a jumper/sweater that begins to show wear and tear. If the fabric is beginning to thin you can mend it after washing, but if stitches have already frayed and a hole has grown you’ll want to mend it ASAP.
There are many wonderful mendy resources available free online - from traditional, simple darning methods to gorgeous ‘visible’ mending. A Darning Mushroom makes the job a lot easier - we have these gorgeous handmade ones available that are the right size for socks, elbows and other tricky spots.
Do you have any hand-knit care tips to share? Or maybe you have a question? Leave them in the comments below!
You can explore our Blocking & Care tool collection here.
Until next time, happy making!
Sarah
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