March 27, 2006
What Not To Wear
Last weekend I watched a few episodes of What Not to Wear. I normally do not watch this show being stuck on L&O. I realized rather quickly that I was a fashion faux pas but thats unimportant. What is important is my mind whirring round the concept of WNTW in regards to knits. Never fear~ I am not gonna turn into a YKW clone.
As you may have gathered I have been spending some time doing knit repair and I have formulated a few rules:
1]Do not ever, ever, ever wear a watch with a buckle closure with a long sleeved sweater. The buckle piece will eventually wear a hole into your cuff*
2] Do not ever, ever, ever wear a belt with buckle closure with your handknit. The buckle piece will eventually wear a hole into your ribbing right round the belly button area
3] Do not ever ever ever carry pens in your sleeve pocket under a cardigan. The part of the pen that hooks over the pocket top will eventually wear a hole into your sweater right round "the girls"
Add these simple rules to your sweater care bag o tricks and you will not spend hours repairing sweaters. At least I am getting paid to do these repairs ;^>
While we are at it~ please, for the love of all that is holy, do not dry clean your knits. I am assuming that you actually use natural fibres. Cotton/linen, sheep/llama/mohair goats/rabbits etc all get rained upon. Really. Silk BTW, especially the high quality reeled silk, is obtained by dropping the cacoon into boiling water and killing the silk worm prior to reeling the fibre. Water will not kill your sweater. Dry cleaning fluids and the extraordinary high heat required by the dry cleaning process will cause your sweater to become brittle. And if you have some overwhelming reason to disregard these rules: make a little yarn bobbin and tack it onto a seam. Preferrably one that doesn't get a lotta friction. So that your washed yarn has faded [dye runoff] along with the garment.
yarny days and knitterly evenings
*one cuff of every sweater I have ever repaired has a teeny tiny hole in it caused by wristbands. I suppose it could be some clasp from a bangle or bracelet but you get the drift. If one always wears a buckle of some sort on their left arm then the left cuff will eventually get a hole. Period
Posted by Elka at March 27, 2006 09:42 PM
Comments
Elka- I so admire your patience. Once I'm done with a project, I don't want to see it again, let alone repair it- good for you.
BTW- I've not made a decision on the baby knitting, but thanks for your kind suggestions- I will consider the bunting. As far as your blanket design, make one and put it out there!
Posted by: Lorraine The Knitting Hammy at March 28, 2006 08:47 AM
hey, is it just me or do things look a little different around here?...
Posted by: Beth S. at March 28, 2006 10:37 AM
also, watches with velcro closures are also a problem. so i quite wearing a watch.
Posted by: marti at April 3, 2006 01:02 PM