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Have you ever wondered how to treat recycled knitting yarn to remove kinks from previous stitches?
If you have ever had to undo some knitting, either your own or from a garment you are recycling, you would have seen those kinks in the yarn as you wind it up. Having researched this I discovered that you should really remove them as it can affect the gauge and how the finished work looks.
I also discovered that there are gadgets like yarn winders and swifts that you can use to make this job a great deal easier on your hands – no more aching hands from winding balls very tightly!
Contents
Here are some Notes as a Summary
Unpick the seams of the item you’re recycling. A seam unpicker tool and small crocket hooks will help with this task.
Unravel into a Ball
Either unravel and wind it manually into a ball or use a ball winder/
Attach the loose end to your ball winder and wind the handle to start making up a ball.
Convert the Ball to a Hank
Once you have a ball of yarn, the next step in the process is to convert that ball into a hank. Why you might ask? Well, although it is an added step, it does make it easier to wash your yarn more thoroughly. The better you can wash the yarn, and do a thorough job of it, the more successful you will be at straightening the yarn at the end. This will ultimately affect the quality of what you will create at the end of it all.
Wind the yarn around the swift and secure with a knot. Then wind it from the ball to the swift using the handle provided.
Using bits of scrap yarn tie the end of the hank up so it does not come loose. Place a few more ties around the hank on the swift to keep it in place. Remove the hank from the swift.
Wash Hank in Wool Fabric Detergent
Now wash your hank in some detergent suitable for wool fabrics. Agitate the hank gently to ensure it all comes in contact with the detergent. Leave it in there for around 30 minutes to fully absorb.
Squeeze Yarn Out Gently & Leave To Dry
Take it out, and squeeze gently. Carefully place it out onto a towel. Now roll the towel up and stand on it to get the water out of the yarn. Finally, hang it up over a shower rail or on a clothes hanger to dry.
Rewind the Hank into a Ball
Lastly, when it is dry, you need to then place it back on the swift and rewind it into a ball again.
So as you can see the process to remove the kinks is not difficult, it’s just a little bit of effort. I think it is well worth the effort to do especially if you are recycling a natural expensive yarn like cashmere from a charity shop purchase. The ball winder and swift will require an investment of course but will repay you in time saved.
To find out about other useful knitting equipment view these posts
