Our store associate, Suzette, has some great tips for washing and storing your knitwear.

When warm weather hits in late May or early June, it is time to put hand-knit woolens away for the summer. It is an active time of year for the small gray wool moths, and I have way too many sweaters! Here are a few tips I have come up with to make the process a little easier and more pleasant.

First, I sort through the pile, setting aside all the ones I know I have worn a fair amount. Moths love to munch where any food has splattered, so being a cook, I always include the sweater I was wearing to cook Thanksgiving Dinner. I hold each one up to the light to make sure there are not any holes already. If I find one, I carefully stitch it up using a matching cotton thread and a sewing needle. I find it easier to use thread because it is thinner, and I have made many invisible mends right in the fronts of cherished old sweaters. It is important to do this mending before you wash them so the holes don’t get larger. With any luck, you won’t find any holes.

I always end up with about 12 sweaters to wash, so I start early in the morning on a dry sunny day. I have a top loading washing machine, so I fill it with cold water and pour in about 3-4 tablespoons of Eucalan wool wash. This product is fabulous because it restores some of the natural lanolin to the fibers and it doesn’t have to be rinsed out. I turn the machine off and put in about 6 sweaters, pushing them down with my hands until they stay well under the water. After letting them soak for 30 minutes, I push them down a few more times, and turn the machine to the final spin cycle (no agitation!) The sweaters emerge clean and ready to be put outside in the sun. Then I put in the second load of 6 sweaters. If I am hand washing just a few sweaters in the sink, I soak them for the same 30 minutes and then carry them in a dishpan to the washing machine to spin them out. The final spin gets a lot of the water out and the sweaters dry much more quickly. Of course there is the roll it up in a towel and jump on it method too!

To save having sweaters drying flat on towels on every floor of my house, I spread a canvas drop cloth or tarp in a sunny spot outside and lay the sweaters out, patting them into shape. I usually turn them over once, and they dry in around 4 hours. I have never had any trouble with fading, but of course, something very delicate might be better off inside. So at the end of the afternoon all the sweaters are clean and dry

and ready for storage.
Any tight storage container will do. I use plastic storage bins and plastic bags that I close tightly with twist ties. Moth-balls are very effective, but I really can’t stand the smell, so at the top of each bin or bag I place two or three pieces of cedar wood. I bought a package of thin cedar boards (which are designed for lining a cedar closet) at Lowes*. I sawed them into 8 inch lengths – they would probably cut them for you for a small fee. I did use a little 150 grit sand paper to smooth off the corners so they wouldn’t poke through the bags. I have reused these same pieces of cedar for many years. If the smell fades, I just rub them with a little sand paper to reactivate the oils in the wood. When I open the bags in the fall, the sweaters smell fresh, and the cedar aroma fades quickly.

* Ever True 4 foot Aromatic Red Cedar Wall Panel Molding – $29.78- plenty of wood!
Amazon also sells cedar products, including drawer liners for around $11.00 but there is much less wood.

Hi Everyone!

The winner of the Eucalan Gift Pack is Kelly. Kelly’s tip was: “I just learned the easy way to wash my woolens (in washing machine with eucalan, soak overnight, spin in the morning, block/lay out to dry) and it was just.so.easy!  I love easy cleaning!  I also recently discovered the joys of 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 dish soap (the translucent, handwashing kind) as a cleaning spray for the tub/shower walls.  Spray on, leave for a bit, wipe off.”

And the winner of the Getaway Gang is Jasmine Liska. Jasmine’s helpful tip was: “Whenever I boil water for tea, I pour a bit of hot water onto the stove top to loosen the oil and whatnot that has spattered onto the stove.  It makes it a lot easier to clean!”

Please contact me at mkubasekDOThaberATyarnDOTcom with your contact information.

Thank you so much to everyone for sharing your cleaning tips. There are some wonderful tips in the comments, so if you haven’t already checked them out, make sure you do!

Happy Cleaning!

With Spring in full force, there has been lots of spring cleaning going on. It seems like every day more of us are bringing in selections from our own stash clean-outs to pass on. I’ve packed up most of my sweaters, but before that, they got a little bath in Eucalan.

Eucalan has shared with us a Gift Pack and Getaway Gang to give away to you, but more on that later.

If you’ve never tried Eucalan, it is a no-rinse delicate wash that is available in four scents: eucalyptus, lavender, grapefruit, and unscented. It is great for washing your woolens, but it has many more uses! From your delicate handwash clothes to drapery, it’s a wonderful cleaning product that you don’t have to rinse out (so it saves on water too).

Check out this introductory video from Eucalan for more information:

Now for the giveaway! One random commenter will receive a Eucalan Gift Pack that includes 3.3oz bottles of each of the four scents, and one random commenter will receive a Getaway Gang that includes a sample size of each scent, plus a small sewing kit, Eucalan Lint Remover Sheets, and Eucalan Stain-Treating Wipes.

This week the staff is buzzing about…

1. Classic Elite Fresco has been sadly overlooked in my opinion. A lightweight yarn with a beautiful color range that has a beautiful halo of angora. This yarn is perfect for colorwork (we used this in Nancy Bush’s Estonian Mittens class) as well as simple projects that showcase the yarn. I made the store sample Capistrano cowl by Fiber Dreams in my favorite color (#45)! Hannah Fettig also uses it in her Knitbot Lightweight Pullover pattern, so soft!! > Cara S.

2. I love flipping through the fall issues of knitting magazines, and it’s even more fun when I see a name I know!  Our very own Elisabeth Parker has a design in the Fall 2011 Knitscene!  I really enjoy working with Elisabeth, and this cozy menswear-inspired cardigan is adorable in pink and brown and very much her style. > Tina M.

3. A trip to the beach always involves knitting…be it a day or a week…knitting is right by my side. Hopefully I am not driving so I am able to get in some quality time with my needles. I realized this summer that Eucalan is also a staple in my packing. I not only use it to block items while I am away but I am counted on to have it in case anyone needs something washed quickly and I always rinse out my bathing suit after being in the ocean or the pool. > Lise G.

4. Classic Elite Tobaggan – This new bulky yarn is a soft plied bulky yarn with a lofty stitch. I knit the Elf Hat as a store sample from the new Toboggan booklet (#9147). With a single skein of this new squishy yarn you can make this cute pixie-ish little hat too! Your next bulky project will be perfect and cozy in these brilliant colors.> Cara C.

5. Louet Baby Camel Top – Super soft, warm and longer staple than the camel down, this luxurious fiber is currently on my medium weight Schacht spindle, and I’m loving the smooth draft and I can’t wait to ply and finish the yarn! > Ashley F.