We've been talking a lot about organizing and keeping things tidy. While it's satisfying to clean your bedroom closet, it's extra satisfying to to repair any damaged contents within that closet.
I had the chance to clean my bedroom closet last week and took the time to polish my shoes, sew some missing buttons on a few blouses, and rejuvenate my sweaters. Properly taking care of the things you have just feels good and gives you new things to wear without spending cash. Rejuvenate your sweaters now, and they'll be just like new next season!
What You Need To Remove Pills
Materials
A sweater brick! You can order one herefor $1.50. You could also try sandpaper, as Sarah Rae suggested last week.
Instructions
1. Gather all the sweaters that need fixing so you can blast them out together.
2. Lightly drag the brick over the sweater to remove pills. (It's sort of like a pumice stone for your knits.) A ball of fuzz will start to accumulate.
3. Only go over areas that need it which usually include areas that rub together like insides of sleeves.
What You Need To Fix a Snag
Materials
A needle, crochet hook or a seam ripper.
Instructions
1. Turn the sweater inside out.
2. Insert your tool into the same stitch as the snag. Gently pull the snag through. If you do not go in to the same stitch as the snag, you will make an additional stitch. You want to avoid this!
3. To keep the stitch in place, tie it in a knot a few times.
4. Turn the sweater right side out. The snag now lives on the inside of the sweater which no one can see.
Images: Tanya Lacourse
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The sweater I'm wearing right now is in desperate need of a sweater brick... it is the pilliest sweater ever.
Thanks for the tip!
I have an Eddie Bauer sweater stone that I bought about 10 years ago and it is still going strong!
If you are going to use a good seam ripper be REALLY careful. I suggested this once because I do it. But apparently the person I suggested it to while bright didn't think it thru and promptly ripped a giant boob hole into her favorite shirt.
Think first then use tools.
Thanks for the tips! I'm obsessed with sweaters! They are the one clothing item I will spend a lot of money on cuz I wear them all the time. I try to care for them well, but they are very fragile.
The best snag puller is a needle threader, a very small piece of metal with a wire loop. A package of 3 retails for a dollar or two. The wire loop can punch through the finest of knits and won't leave a hole.
Here's a picture of one:
http://tinyurl.com/ydavttk
Thanks for the idea about the needle threader! That is such a good idea...
I stupidly cut a snag in my sweater--any hopes of repairing it?
ricney: http://bit.ly/cLPh53
Darning takes practice, patience, and some similar-gauge yarn and a big-eyed needle, but I think you can do it!
If not, I'll do it for 20 bucks.
I was going to ask if a pumice stone would work instead of the sweater stone, but I'll just go try it on a sweater I don't like that much. Results in a bit!
I suspect that the sweater brick is not only "sort of like a pumice stone for your knits", it IS a pumice stone! Anyway, I just used my (square) pumice stone with excellent results on both a bad-off sweater, and my favorite wool coat.
Pro-tip: Use an edge of the stone, and move it in combing motions, like you are trying to get the snarls out of really messed up hair.
thanks for the update PhoebeArt, how is the risk of "balding" knits with the stone?
I am worried about getting toward the threadbare after such exfoliation. Not just regular pumice, but any form of depilling.
@Laurie
Well, I tried it on a regular semi thin knit sweater and a thicker fluffy one. Both seemed pretty resilient to the process. The fluffier one lost a little of its fuzziness, but not enough to make it not worth the trade off of losing the pills. I think I would do a small test patch before going at it on a very fuzzy sweater with a more delicate yarn, or anything with a more open weave. I also tried the pumice out on a pair of opaque tights that have acquired some pretty unsightly pills from wear under a sweater dress, and although I had to do it while wearing them to keep them from stretching all over the place, it worked pretty beautifully. No pulls or runs, either.
i personally prefer an electric pill shaver - just make sure you do it delicately.
Thanks for the tip, trikitixa! I'll give it a shot...
A couple of the wrists of my sweaters are stretched from pushing up my sweaters when it gets too warm. Any tips on tightening those up?
I am mesmerized by the sweater brick. I can't look away. I love weirdly simple gadgets that actually work. :)
Be careful with the sweater brick- I bought one called the sweater stone (http://www.amazon.com/Jo-Ann-Stores-84459-Sweater-3-2e5X2-2e5-22/dp/B000WUXOT2) and was very excited about it because it was a natural alternative to a battery-using electric sweater shaver. After 30 minutes or more of trying to get the pills off of a sweater (I needed to do the entire thing), my sweater looked worse and the sweater stone had started to crumble all over the sweater and the floor. Thank goodness my sweater was black because I don't know if the stone would have stained it. At this point my sweater may be ruined. Out to get a sweater shaver to see if it can be salvaged.
I use a sweater shaver with great results 9.99 at Bed Bet Bayond and use a 20% off coupon
In the long run, the sweater shaver will deplete your garment less than a stone because it cuts off the pills at the surface instead of ripping them out by the roots.
@ zacxwolf: I'm a seamstress/knitter/fiber geek so I deal with this sort of stuff all the time. I wash all my own wool sweaters and in between wearings I will spritz the cuffs with plain water so they get a little bit wet and that will help "reset" the ribbing so it tightens up again. If it's a cotton sweater you can spritz the cuffs and throw it in the dryer on low for a little bit. The more wet you get them the better. Hope that helps!
I use worn out blade cartridges and my old Mach3 (manual, not electric) shaver. It works really well for me, with attention and care, on all my finer knits. Lumpy cable sweaters and things with raised designs or big, loose knits it's not so great - it can slice the fibers if I'm not careful enough and I have to go so slow that it's not time-efficient.
I use this not only on sweaters but also in the inner thigh area of my jeans and pants, underarm area of all kinds of shirts, etc. It's a great way to extend the usefulness of the blades before tossing them in the recycling.
Just be sure to keep the garment smooth and flat as you work in a small area at a time, do lots of small strokes not long ones. The fabric will wrinkle up and you can snag or slice it.
Thank you Monica! I have the same problem as zacxwolf and I'm going to pick up an extra spray bottle the next time I see one. My boyfriend is an ex-designer and he showed me that same water trick to take out some weird shoulder puckers in a sweater dress I'd foolishly stored on a hanger, but it never occurred to me to do the same thing with my saggy cuffs.