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Hands Occupied

Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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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 & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and 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

Yarn craft designer & author. Into intarsia knits, latch hook, color & vintage-modern style.
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Sunday stitches with June. ☺️ . Yarn: @brookly Sunday stitches with June. ☺️
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Yarn: @brooklyntweed Arbor
Pattern: in-progress by yours truly 
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#handsoccupied #intarsia #colorworkknitting #intarsiaknitting
When it’s August & the crew has the day off, the When it’s August & the crew has the day off, the only thing to do is a Knitflix marathon! I hadn’t seen the latest season of Stranger Things and had a TON of knitting to do, so we decided why not make a day of it? For non knitters, this is a pretty accurate depiction of what a dream day looks like for maker types. (Plus or minus a cranky but cute house pet.) 
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What does your dream knitting day look like? 
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Just making this for fun & to see how it feels to distill a yarn day into a short video like this. Big thank you to Jamie & Mariah for being my friends, even though they said “it’s okay if you don’t tag me in this.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 
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#knitflix #knitting #knittingwithfriends #intarsia #handsoccupied #knitsocks #chicagoknitters
Are you looking for some late summer reading picks Are you looking for some late summer reading picks? Here are 3 fresh titles for makers of all ages - full reviews are on my bl0g, along with a giveaway for a copy of Knitstrips! The 🔗 is where you’d think. 😉
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) / Knitstrips by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar (@ik_knitstrips) / This Long Tread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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#summerreading #bookshelf #readingrecommendations #handsoccupied #booksformakers #craftbooks
New on the blog today! This former Librarian revie New on the blog today! This former Librarian reviews three making-related books for kids, teens & adults. And there’s a copy of one up for giveaway too! 📚 
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To Make by Danielle Davis (@writesinla) with pictures by Mags DeRoma (@magsderoma) / Knitstrips (@ik_knitstrips) by Alice Ormsbee Beltran & Karen Kim Mar / This Long Thread by Jen Hewett (@jenhewett) 
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I’ll share preview page-through videos for these this week too, but for now the written reviews are at the top of handsoccupied dot com along with my search bar if you can’t find ‘em. All giveaway details are listed in the review post. 🤙🏻 
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(^ I heard a rumor that if I tell you to exit this app, no one will see this post, so plz forgive the song & dance just in case it matters. 🙈)
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#handsoccupied #summerreading #booksformakers #booksforcrafters #books #knittersofinstagram #craftbook #knittingbook
I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitti I think about the wrong side of my intarsia knitting kind of like some embroiderers do: I get (probably too) excited when the back’s neat and tidy. Are you this way? Is it just me? 
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Pictured is the wrong side of a large primary color intarsia swatch I knit for an upcoming design in @brooklyntweed Arbor. When I pulled it from my studio, I thanked my former self for talking the time to knit, weave in ends, & block a clean swatch already. As critical as they are, I’m excited to not have to make one today. I’ll advocate for swatching all day long, but I won’t pretend it’s like the funnest step in the process! 😆🧶
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#stopswatchandblockit #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #handsoccupied #knitincolor #knitdesign #handknits
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