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Hands Occupied

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How to wash hand knits

August 26, 2015 Leave a Comment

The care and keeping of yak yarn with Allure.

Blocking and caring for hand knit items is important. I’ve shared basic blocking and color setting tutorials in the past, so today, I want to share tips for maintaing your knitting, particularly if it’s a piece done in a fine fiber like yak or cashmere. I mean, after all the hard work of making your own creation, why not take the best possible care of it?

Click through for tips for finishing and blocking knit hats!

The hat on the left hasn’t been blocked. The hats on the right have been blocked with Allure fiber wash.

Knit garments need washing because they are clothes. They get dirty. The problem is that when you’re looking down the barrel of a cashmere shawl or a yak hat (ahem), you might feel a little intimidated. Heck, a lot of non-knitters are scared of simply laundering half of their clothes, especially wool sweaters, so it’s totally understandable that even as a knitter, you’re intimidated by washing something you spent a ton of time making.

I really like Allure Fiber Wash for laundering my knits for a few reasons. For one thing, it was actually developed by the folks behind Bijou Basin Ranch yarns, so they know their fine fibers well. (Fun fact: the developer is a chemist, and she worked for OxiClean in a past life. No joke.) Another reason I like Allure is that it’s a no residue, no rinse wash that works on hand-knit and delicate fabrics. It is biodegradable, made in the United States, and doesn’t involve animal testing. The no-rinse factor means that I’m using less water in the laundering process than with other cleaners, so that’s a nice bonus too.

The care and keeping of yak yarn with Allure.

How to care for knits made with yak yarn

Supplies

Allure Fiber Wash
cold to lukewarm water
2 bath towels (hand towels are fine for smaller items like hats and mittens)
clean sink or mixing bowl

Directions

My laundering process is somewhat similar to my blocking process. Fill a clean basin/sink/mixing bowl with enough cold-to-lukewarm water to submerge your knit item. Place your item in the water and add 2 capfuls of Allure for every gallon of water used. Gently stir the Allure among the water to help evenly distribute it, but don’t go crazy and agitate your item too much. Let sit for 10 minutes.

How to block a knit hat

After the 10 minutes, gently lift your item from the basin, supporting it from the bottom. Since Allure is a no rinse wash, you can lay the item straight down on a towel. Do not wring out the knitwear! Instead, roll it up in a dry towel, and press on the towel to remove excess moisture (see my blocking tutorial for tips on this). Finally, lay your item flat on a second, dry towel to air dry, flipping it occasionally as needed.

A tip for handling wet knitwear – don’t pluck it out of the water or let it hang off your hands too much. This can cause weird stretching while the fibers are wet simply from the weight of the water. Crazy, right? 

How to block a knit hat

Finally – voila! Your hat is beautifully, quickly and easily cleaned. While I prefer the fragrance free Allure due to my secret superhero power of smell (the struggle is real, my friends!), it also comes in two other scents. I really like Allure, particularly when it’s time to launder delicate fibers.

Delta Hat knitting pattern by Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied #deltahatkal

#DeltaHatKAL prizes!

If you’re doing the knit along and are curious about Allure, you’re in luck! Two of the prizes for those who finish knitting their Delta Hats in Bijou Basin Ranch Yarn are Allure sample packs, which feature all 3 scents.

PS: In case you missed it, the grand prize for the KAL is two skeins of Bijou’s newest yarn, the 100% cashmere Xanadu, in the winner’s choice of color.

Click through for tips for finishing and blocking knit hats!

This post is part of the current knit along with Bijou Basin Ranch and yours truly! Yarn and fiber wash pictured were provided by Bijou Basin Ranch & Allure. 

Filed Under: Giveaways, Reviews & Sponsored, Knit Along, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: bbrhandsoccupied, block a hat, blocking, delicate fibers, deltahatkal, how to block. allure fiber wash, how to launder knits, laundering knitwear, yak yarn

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010
🧶 Really into intarsia
Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop the latest patterns ⤵️

Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts
Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the S Wow! I am floored by the awesome response to the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest. Thank you. 🙏🏻❤️ If you love this pattern & didn’t know already, we are going to be doing a knit along (KAL) from October 1-29 featuring this spooky sweater vest & lots of tutorials, especially for the intarsia part. 
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Later today my newsletter will be coming out with additional Knit Along details, so if you’re not already signed up, now is a great time - the 🔗 is in my b1o. 
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Pictured: My Spiral Hill Sweater Vest pattern from the new Nightmare Before Christmas knitting book by @tanisknits. Model is wearing size 1 with 2” of positive ease, knit in @brooklyntweed Imbue Worsted. Vest images via @insighteditions 
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#spiralhillsweatervest #handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmasknittingbook
At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater At long last! I can share the Spiral Hill Sweater Vest, my contribution to the new book Disney Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Knitting Guide to Halloween Town and Christmas Town, out now! 🎃💀 
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I’m hosting a knit along (KAL) October 1-29 for anyone who’d like to knit this vest along with a group & learn a little about intarsia while we’re at it. I’ve got weekly tutorials planned to help you knit this worsted weight sweater vest, and there’s a prize package giveaway at the end for KAL participants too. Details are on my site - you know where to find the 🔗 I think. 😉
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Book by @tanisknits 
Publisher @insighteditions 
Yarn @brooklyntweed Imbue 
Find it wherever fine books are sold. 
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#handsoccupied #nightmarebeforechristmas #intarsia #sweatervest #knittingpattern #knittingbook #spiralhill #knitting_inspiration #knitting
Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs Since there was some interest in stills of my WIPs closet after this weekend’s quick tutorial, here are few. ✂️ The tutorial is one post back in my feed as a video.
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As you can see, I didn’t worry about the wire hangers all being perfectly uniform, but it doesn’t matter to me. Also, this closet holds a lot! Despite that, it is already at capacity. Since the hanging bags don’t appear to be recyclable, I want to reuse them as long as possible. Who knows, maybe this will be a way to limit my WIPs? 😅
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P.s. In the third photo you can see how I use this system to store the original swatches, scraps, yarn ball bands, & notes from a design project all together. 
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#handsoccupied #wips #craftstorage #yarnstorage #yarncrafts #knitting_inspiration #craftstudio #craftroom #craftcloset
How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with jus How to convert a closet into WIPs storage with just a few supplies ✂️
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When I was a librarian, we would use these hanging bags to circulate books with audiobook CDs. They came to mind when I wanted to develop a filing cabinet-like system for my differently-sized WIPs. To fit in my studio closet, a standard bedroom closet, they just needed custom hangers. 🤙🏻 
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HOW TO MAKE THE HANGERS
1. Carefully cut approx. a 9” (23 cm) length of flexible 3 mm aluminum wire.
2. Near the end of a large knitting needle or dowel, wrap the wire around it as you would a twist tie. 
3. Bend the other end into a hook shape, perpendicular to the circle shape you just created. 
4. Hang like a hanger in a closet, as shown. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadelife #knitting_inspiration #craftcloset #craftroom #craftroomorganization #craftroomstorage #craftroomdecor #crocheter #latchhook #knittersofinstagram #wip #wips #hangingstorage
It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! T It’s time for the monthly review and giveaway! This go around, get to know two new sister yarns from @manosyarnsusa, Marla and Sami, and enter to win a skein of each to try for yourself. 
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What makes these yarns sisters is that, while dyed differently, they’re the same weight and come in intentionally coordinating color palettes. For my review, I opted for a sky-inspired combo of Sami in Natural and Marla in Nube. 🌧️ 
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Check out the full review & enter the giveaway at the link in my bio. 
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#handsoccupied #yarnreview #manosdeluruguay #knitting_inspire #crochet #yarngiveaway #knitters #yarn #crochetersofinstagram
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