How To Care For Your Lovely Cashmere And Other Yarns

We are posting backwards on this blog (datewise) because we think the first several blogs are very important and probably the information needed the most.  So to read the newest blog you just need to scroll to the end.

Be sure to keep watching on great ideas for caring for your cashmere and projects as well as information about fibre blooming, storing your garments and what to do when your garment needs a revamp!

Also, if you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or post a topic on our Knitter's Addiction forum.  We are here to help!

It is a treasure to have a cashmere garment.  It is even more of a treasure when you spent time making your own cashmere item.  Since it has taken one little goat over 4 years to produce enough fibres for the one sweater or jumper you spend hours creating, you should take care of your cashmere!!

It is best to hand wash your cashmere items.  I occasionally take my items to a good professional cleaner but this is a rarity.  I do this because sometimes you will get a stain that you just cannot get out with a simple hand wash.  With stains, it is best to take the item to a cleaner as soon as possible so that the stain does not set in.


If you do take your items to a professional cleaner, make sure they are a reliable one.  There is nothing more heartbreaking than picking up your article and finding it damaged.  If your cashmere is cleaned with too harsh a dry cleaner, the cashmere fibres will be dried out and can break easily, therefore ruining your garment forever.

Woven articles can be taken more often to the cleaners whereas knitted/crocheted items are better off with a good hand washing to clean after wearing. 

The simplest way to hand wash is as follows:

1. Fill a clean sink or washing tub with cold to tepid water and some gentle detergent (See below for my secret detergent suggestion that works wonders with cashmere!).  Do not use hot or warm water as this can cause shrinkage.

2. Put your item into the water and gently squeeze until the item is thoroughly wet.  Do not ever wring or twist your item as this can cause damage.  Also, never beat it against a rock or allow anyone else to beat it against a rock...this has happened to one of my sweaters when I was traveling...all I can say is that it was thoroughly cleaned but I was never able to wear it again!

3. Massage any spot that need extra cleaning with a little bit of gentle detergent.  (Again keep reading for a great suggestion for a gentle detergent)


4. Let the item soak for about 5 minutes.  Do not be alarmed if the water has some of the item's colour in it...this is perfectly normal for most dark or rich colours.

5. Drain the sink or tub and rinse your item with clean, cold to tepid running water.  Rinse thoroughly then gently squeeze the excess water out....but again please do not wring or twist your article.

6.  Now lay your item flat on a towel to dry.  As you lay the item down, be sure to reshape it to the proper measurements it should be.  This will avoid any stretching or wrinkles.  Please DO NOT hang dry your item as you will wind up with a stretched out mess.  Also, DO NOT put your item in your dryer as you will surely shrink it.  One other thing...be cautious if laying it in the sun to dry.  If the sun is super strong your item can fade in colour.   

If you want to remove more water before laying the item flat, you can roll it in a dry towel and gently squeeze your item.  Then lay the item on a different dry towel for drying flat.


NOW MY SUGGESTION FOR A FABULOUS GENTLE DETERGENT IS.....BABY SHAMPOO!

I know this sound crazy but it works like a dream.  Baby shampoo is made of the gentlest of detergents and it is great for hand washing.  I have never found another hand washing detergent that comes close to the results you get with baby shampoo.  In addition to this, it is also usually cheaper and smells way better!  Give it a try...you will love it!  


One Last Side Note...

Some of the cashmere blend yarns can be washed in your washing machine’s hand wash cycle (if you have a good machine).  I do not do this often but in a pinch I have and the item came out fine.  Just be sure your spin speed is extremely low to avoid damage.  If in doubt about your machine’s ability, it is best to just stick with hand washing.  After all you have spent time making these items so it would be a shame to not have them last long!

If you have any questions be sure to post a comment below or on our Knitter's Addiction forum.  We are always happy to help!

• Do not over soak:  Most items are almost 100% clean in your washing machine in the first few minutes and with hand washing items are clean within 5 minutes...so there is no need for your items to be in detergents any longer than this.  I usually soak for about three minutes with great results.  If you soak too long you run the risk of having bleeding, fading or even stretching out of the fibres of your item.  Also, if you happen to have added embroidery or embellishments (like fancy buttons or beads) to your project, they can start breaking down if they are in soapy water too long.

• Be mindful of water temperature:  Make sure the water is not too hot or not too cold.  Hot water can cause felting as well as increase the chance of fading or colour bleeding.  If the water is too cold it may make it harder to get out stains.  If you are really concerned about fading or colour bleeding, it is better to stick with cooler water than warmer water.  I always use cool to tepid water.  (But not ice cold water!)

• Separate Colours:  I think this is pretty obvious...but always wash your colours separate from your whites. If you are hand washing a whole bunch of things then make sure you change your water often to ensure you keep your whites bright.  Also, make sure you clean out your sink or bucket before you start your hand washing.

It is not commonly known, but cashmere will "bloom" after it is washed.  Blooming is a characteristic of some yarns where after they are washed, the fibres fluff up and look fuller. This actually makes the cashmere softer and softer with each wash.  This effect can also be seen with other "crinkled fibre" yarns like wool. 

Without realizing it, many people love cashmere because of its blooming effect.  This effect actually results in a softer more beautiful finished project as it is worn and washed over its lifetime.  Many people have been the lucky receiver of a family heirloom sweater made of cashmere that is so incredibly soft...this is the result of blooming over time.
 

When a fibre blooms, it actually increases in diameter and a very subtle "halo" effect results.  To compensate, the overall length of the yarn may shorten but they do not shrink.  The fibres just crinkle back up to their natural state.  To explain this better, you can compare it to those days where you painstakingly straighten your hair and then step out into the humid outdoors...what happens?...your hair usually goes soft and frizzy again!  The same thing happens to some yarns.  Since the fibres are spun smoothly and tightly, once they are exposed to the "elements" they will regain some of their original condition. 


The amount of blooming will depend on the fibre content of the yarn.  For example, a yarn made of 100% cashmere will usually bloom differently than a yarn with 50% cashmere.  If the cashmere is blended with a wool yarn, you may find it to bloom even more than the 100% cashmere! The amount of blooming can also vary between every batch of yarn due to variations in spinning and dyeing techniques.  You will be amazed at how sometimes fibres can bloom drastically and other times they barely change.


As a rule of thumb, it is always good to make a swatch before beginning any project.  Most people will knit their swatch and then just block it to see how the yarn knits up.  With natural fibres it is always good practice to then wash your swatch to see if there is any blooming which could affect the overall density of your project.  At Knitter's Addiction, we suggest you wash your swatch several times to see how much your yarn will bloom.  This will help you decide if you need to adjust your pattern or needle size to ensure your finished project is absolutely perfect.  

Knitter's Addiction wants to help you be successful in all of your projects so please ask us if you have any questions!  You can always post a comment to this blog or in our forum and we will answer you as soon as possible.  Posting comments will also help others who may have the same question.

Today was such a hot day that it made me wish it were autumn.  I love when the air turns crisp and we can dig out our lovely sweaters and jumpers to start to wear again.  Getting to wear cashmere sweaters almost makes winter worthwhile!  (Though where I live by the time July/August rolls around you are ready to pack your sweaters and jumpers away and pray for some sun!)

I love when you get to unpack all your lovely cashmere items...but it is always disappointing to pull out something that has been attacked by moths!  So here are some helpful hints to store your items properly.

1.  Make sure the item is clean, dry and free from any stains.  Any food, oily stains, dirt or sweat can attract moths like a big flashing neon sign, so you want to make sure your items are clean.  If necessary, give your item a quick hand wash and allow it to dry thoroughly.

2.  Store your items in a plastic container that has a strong, sealable lid.  You want to make sure it semi air tight....you want it to still be able to "breathe" a little so I would not recommend a completely air tight situation.  I sometimes use plastic or muslin garment bags in addition to keeping my items in a plastic container.  Another great storage place is in a cedar chest (but not many of us are so lucky as to have one of these in our homes).


3.  It is best to use some moth repellant in the storage container.  There are many natural methods of repelling moths if you do not want to use mothballs.  I have found that you can tie some cloves, lavender, rosemary, thyme or cedar chips into a cloth sachet and put this in the storage container.  Make sure you do not place these directly onto the knitted items or they could possibly stain (which is another good reason for putting your items in plastic or muslin bags prior to storing).  One advantage I have found with using cedar chips, is that they seem to absorb excess moisture...so you may want to consider these if you live in a humid or damp area.

For the lucky ones with cedar chests...you do not have to use any additional moth repellent...these are the absolute best place to store items as they will naturally repel moths and other bugs.

Also, I know a few friends who store their items with a tissue which has been doused in their favorite perfume.  This seems to work as another alternative to moth repellent....but I personally do not do this as I like to stay as natural as possible (and you never know what might be in a perfume). 

4.  Now you can store your container in an area of your house which is not exposed to much sunlight and is dry.  You want to avoid storing knitted items in damp places or you may find they are damaged and mildewy when you unpack them months later.  Also, if they are exposed to repeated sunlight the colours may fade.

If you take care with storing your cashmere and knitted items properly you will extend their life and have them for winters to come....so it is definitely worth taking the time to do this correctly!

Some of us have an old sweater we just cannot throw out...yet it is too dreadful to wear as is.  Or some of us are really good at finding some great old sweaters at the op-shop or thrift store.  So how do we "jazz" these old garments up to make them something great?

To revamp that old sweater you can do the following:

• You could change the buttons
• You could add buttons or embellishments to your sweater
• You could cut your sweater down the front and add a zipper to make it into a great cardigan

• You could embroider a design onto the sweater
• You could add some ribbons or cords to make a tie around the waist or around your arms (if it is a short sleeve sweater)
• You could add a new colour or cuffs to the sweater using fabric or knitted/crocheted pieces you can sew on
• You can felt it to use in other projects (See the next few ideas!)
• You could cut out parts of the sweater and sew it into things like mittens, leg warmers, squares for a blanket or even use as part of your pet's bed (they will love you for it in winter!)
• You could use the sweater to cover an old cushion or pillow (this is great felted)

• You can use it to create some soft toys
• You can create a handbag or a great hat from the felted sweater pieces
• Or you can always unravel the old sweater and re-knit the cashmere into a new project.  If the fibers are wearing thin you could multi-strand it with more cashmere or another yarn when knitting which opens you to a whole range of possibilities with colours and designs!

Anyone have anymore ideas?   We would love to hear about them on our Knitter’s Addiction forum thread “Odds and Ends.”

One of the best ways to get some great cheap cashmere yarn, is to recycled it from an old, out of date sweater or a sweater you find at the op-shop or thrift store.  Unraveling an old sweater is not hard to do...you may need just a little patience the first few times you try it...but once you have your pile of recycled yarn, you will see it was definitely worth the effort.  The only tools I suggest you use are a seam ripper...which can be purchased easily at any craft store or haberdashery.




The following is an outline of how to unravel that sweater

1. Gently remove any labels and tags with some very sharp scissors.  You can also use a seam ripper to do this (which is much easier).
2. Using a seam ripper, start at the bottom edge of a seam and begin ripping it back slowly stitch by stitch.  If you are lucky, you will find that perfect spot that you can actually just begin to pull the seam back without using the seam ripper. You know you have found this spot because you can easily pull the seam out without any issues.
3. Repeat step 2 for all of the seams.
4. Now your sweater should be in all its pieces now.  Pick up one piece and cut the "bind off" edge.  You can alternatively look for the woven in ends and then start pulling apart the "bind off" edge. (I personally find it quicker and easier to just cut this edge...but you do lose a tiny bit of yarn if you do it this way)
5. You should now be able to grab a strand of yarn and begin pulling.  The yarn should begin unraveling easily.  I suggest using a ball winder if you have one to wind the yarn up as you unravel it.  Otherwise, just wind the yarn into balls.
6. Now your recycled yarn is ready to use for a new knitting, crochet or weaving project.

A few little tips:

• On your first go of unraveling a sweater, you will find it easier if you try a sweater made with a thicker ply yarn.  Thinner yarns may break easily or cause you some headaches if you are not used to them.
• Make sure your sweater has not been seamed together with a machine (called serging) because it may have resulted in cutting each row...this means that you will wind up with a pile of little strips of yarn instead of a long continuous strand.  It is ok is the shoulder seams are done this way as you will only lose a little yardage.
• Unraveling some fibres or yarns, such as 100% angoras or really furry yarns, can be really tedious and most likely will end up in knots or breakage...so you may not want to waste your time trying to recycle these yarns. You may wind up so frustrated that you throw the yarn out in the end.
• I would not bother with unraveling anything with lots of colour changes because you will not get much of one single colour out of the hard work you will have to put in recycling the yarn from a sweater like this.

We have all been given a sweater that we love but it just does not fit well.  Or we have made a sweater that just was too big.  Or we have found a great sweater from the op-shop that we need to adjust to fit.  So how do we alter our sweater?

The following steps are an easy way to alter your sweater so that it fits perfectly.  I unfortunately do not have any photos right now but I will add some next time I alter one of my projects.


1.  Turn the sweater inside out and put it on.  

2.  Pin the areas you would like to take in.  Remember to gently grade any seams that you want to fit a little more snuggly (usually you will want your sleeps slightly tapered in).

3.  Baste the seams (with a sewing machine or by hand...though with a sewing machine you will do this very quickly!).  Basting is a temporary seam that is made with long, removable stitches.  This helps you check that you will wind up with correct sizing.

4.  Re-try on your sweater to ensure you have altered to the size you desire.  Make any size adjustments necessary.  Be sure to check that you have left enough room in the bust and across your back.  I usually do a few arm motions to check for any areas that may have been made too snug or may be too loose.

5.  Sew over the basting.

6.  Now trim the edge leaving an allowance of about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch (about 1 to 2cm).

7.  To ensure that you do not have fraying, it is recommended that you place a zigzag stitch over the edge where the fabric has been cut.  Or you can alternatively serge the edge.

Now you should have a fabulous fitted sweater ready to wear.  This is a very easy process and can be used for many of your knitted or crocheted items.

Piling is those nasty little fuzzy balls that are the result of wool or cashmere fibers being rubbed too hard.  This is a common effect seen on many new knitted items which results from friction against the fabric...so when you wear your gorgeous cashmere or wool items you should avoid carry a heavy purse over your shoulder or be careful with heavy coats!   

After the first clean piling should not be as much of a problem as long as the yarn is made up of more long fibers versus short fibers.  We have taken care to ensure we have more long fibers in our cashmere because we know how much of a nuisance piling is.    

Do not confuse piling with the natural effect of cashmere blooming...you want the effect of blooming!  Read my other blog post on this effect if you are interested.  

Gently remove the small fuzzies of piling with sharp scissors and then clean your item with a good hand wash. Remember to not rub your item too abrasively when hand washing! Cashmere is meant to last a lifetime!