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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 (she/her) is a craft book author & designer specializing in yarn crafts. Her work combines vintage and modern design elements, prioritizing color and graphic motifs. 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), and I’ve been helping yarn crafters untangle various techniques on the internet since 2010. I got my start here, as a blogger, and since then I’ve shared more than a few tutorials here and on YouTube as I’ve grown as a pattern designer. 🧶 

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Heidi Gustad 🧶 knitting & yarn crafts

handsoccupied

Knitting & yarn crafts designer 🧶
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Stay up-to-date 💌 & shop new patterns ⤵️

POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern POV: Showing you how my new Bevelled Tank pattern fits with no ease vs. 4” of positive ease. There’s a bit more length to the cotton (brighter color) sample, but both are cropped and feature shoulder seams designed to sit an inch back onto the shoulder instead of on top, giving it a little swing. Length is easily adjustable for folks looking for less of a crop. 
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Pattern: Bevelled Tank by @handsoccupied for @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn summer 2024. Available for free from Hobbii at the 🔗 in my profile.
Yarn pictured: @kelbournewoolens Skipper and Camper. 
Dress form is adjusted to a 36” chest and ~5’3”ish in height. 
Human has a 40” chest and is 5’5”.
Both skirts are vintage.
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #handsoccupied #intarsia #handmade #knitting #colorwork
Let’s talk about fit and ease! . During the Beve Let’s talk about fit and ease!
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During the Bevelled Tank design process for @pompommag, I knit 2 samples using 2 different @KelbourneWoolens yarns. One was in Skipper (100% cotton, second photo) and the other was in Camper (100% 2 ply wool). The Skipper sample was knit for a 36” bust, which measures in at 40” with 4” of positive ease. And I knit the Camper Sample for my 40” bust with a 44” finished measurement. (BTW, I’m 5’5” for folks that find that measurement helpful in visualizing fit.)
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Based on the size chart for the Bevelled Tank, that means I knit one size 3 sample and one size 4. As designed, I conveniently fit a size 4 as intended with 4” of positive ease. When I wear the 3, there is no ease at all because the garment and my body are both 40” in size. Comparing the 2 garments, you can see how the fiber content (cotton vs. wool) and fit (no ease vs. 4” of positive ease) makes a difference in the look and feel of the finished garment. 
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These samples are a great way to compare what ease looks like on different bodies. While I can fit both a size 3 and 4, the garment with no ease feels more like pajamas or a bralette when I wear it. On the other hand, when I wear the one with 4” of positive ease, I feel comfortable enough to wear it to work, even as a crop top. Plus, it leaves me with enough room to layer it with a nice button down if I’m not feeling the cropped look one day. 
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I’m curious - how would you style this tank? Would you modify it with a few stockinette rows for added length? I’m so curious now that this pattern is finally out in the world. :) 
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #bevelledtank #handsoccupied #knitting #intarisa #handmade #kelbournewoolens #croppedsweater #summerknits
After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m ba After a 6 month hiatus, I am happy to say I’m back with a brand new pattern in 9 sizes, and it’s FREE as part of @pompommag x @hobbii_yarn’s summer design collection! (Link is in my bio.)
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In my December newsletter, I announced that I was soliciting test knitters for a pattern that had originally been selected for the summer ’24 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. However, the magazine ceased publication after its spring ’24 issue, leaving in-progress designs unpublished. (It happens.) As a result, I’d begun the long process of editing, testing, and photographing the pattern for independent release through the Hands Occupied pattern shop and Ravelry.
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Before I was done with that process, Pom Pom Quarterly’s former editors reached out with an exciting proposal for the pattern. Post-magazine, they’ve begun to partner with yarn companies to produce high quality pattern collections. They wanted to include designs from the would-be current issue of Pom Pom Quarterly in a new collection for Hobbii yarn, including my Bevelled Tank. I worked with the same technical editors I would have for the magazine on this one, and as you can see from the photos, Pom Pom’s team did an amazing job of styling the garment to the beautiful standards they’re known for.
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You can learn more about the pattern on my blog and get the free pattern from Hobbii yarn - links to both in my profile. I’ll post sizing info in the comments for quick reference too. 🧶
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#pompomxhobbiisummer2024 #knitting #intarsia #sponsored #colorworkknitting 
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Photos: @dianascarrunz 
Model: @angel.jade_
Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vi Here’s a nice throwback for you: my take on a vintage knitting pattern from 1938 called the Fernlace Pullover. A pattern so nice, I knit it twice.
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Yellow version 💛: knit with Despondent Dyes’ Vintage Vixen Sport after attending a @squidneyknits vintage knitting retreat in 2019 & learning *so much*. Paired with a self-drafted circle skirt pattern. 
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Blue version 💙: knit with @eweeweyarns Ewe So Sporty in Sky Blue. Paired with the 1940s Boardwalk Duet sewing pattern from @decades_of_style 
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Head to my stories for 🔗🔗 to the handmade wardrobe blog posts I wrote about each take on the Fernlace Pullover, working with a vintage pattern, where to find vintage patterns (including the one I used), & some thoughts on sizing. 
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Image descriptions available in alt text. 
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#handsoccupied #handmadewardrobe #fernlacepullover #vintageknitting #vintageknittingpatterns #knitting_inspiration
Frogging is a word in the knitting world that mean Frogging is a word in the knitting world that means to rip out your knitting. It’s called frogging because frogs say “ribbit,” and when you’re tearing out your knitting, you will “rip it” out, and that sounds like ribbit. No really. 🐸 Did you know this fun fact? 
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P.S. I did like this design concept, but to make the pattern more knitter friendly as well as more wearable, I am making some tweaks to the construction. Excited to share when it’s ready! 🥰🧶
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Yarn: @blueskyfibers Woolstok North in Morning Frost & Highland Fleece 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #frogging #blueskyfibers #knittersofinstagram #blueskymakers #knittingvocabulary #bsfmakers #knitdesign
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