wash yarn and repair afghan

[Raecee]

I have afgans that were made for me 10-15 yrs ago by Grandmothers:hug , and I would like to wash them but am unsure of what detergent if any I should use, and how best to dry them. Also, one of them has lost a bit of yarn.. should I go in a repair it as best I can or should I just leave it be ( I believe it wa knitted not crocheted ). Thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated .

[MarvieN]

Rachel, you should be able to wash them in your usual laundry detergent... I am assuming they are acrylic yarn? Then dry them on med or low setting. You don't want to hang them on a clothesline, as they'll stretch, but you can lay them flat (on a bed or carpet) to dry if you don't want to put them in the dryer.

 

If they aren't acrylic then your best bet is to treat them delicately and avoid the dryer (if it's wool it'd felt) but I'd bet they are made of acrylic.

 

As for the repair question... I have to leave that to someone who knows more than I do on that subject. I've never tried to repair a crocheted (or knitted) item... though I think it can be done, I just don't know how to go about it.

 

Btw, welcome to C'ville! I've read a lot about you on Kari's blog and at one point I read your's too, but I lost the link when I switched computers. It's great to have you here =)

[Linda]

If you can obtain a yarn that somewhat matches you might try to repair them. I have previously repaired a bedspread made with #10 thread, and on another occasion, took 2 single size spreads removed the edging around them, joined them after removing some motifs so the pattern would look right and then added back the edging to make a queen/king bedspread. I used the thread I had removed to redo them. I would be careful about washing it without some type of repair to be sure your hole doesn't get worse. Hope this helps...

[Stephanie]

You could use any detergent, but I usually use Woolite for handmade items because I know it doesn't have bleaches in it for whitening. Also, I probably wouldn't put it in the dryer unless it has been before because it can ruin some fibers.

 

As far as repairs, I've repaired both knitted and crocheted afghans (heck, I'm the only one in my extended family that does either craft). Try to find a yarn that reasonably matches. I am presuming that you don't know how to knit. If it is knitted, you can do one of three things. You can darn it like you would socks OR you can find someone who knits and have them reknit the section. OR you can have them knit a swatch in the same stitch and then attach the swatch yourself (like a patch).

 

Variagated yarn is the hardest to match up for hidden repairs. When you are making projects, see if there is somewhere in the afghan that you can store extra lengths so that if repairs are needed later, there is some matching yarn to do the repairs. I've been doing this since my very first afghan - not all designs lend themselves to it, but usually somewhere in the border...there's a place.

[crochet.sandie]

Woolite is a good choice because the afghan is so old. The ones I make I just throw in with my regular detergent on a GENTLE cycle. I use All Free and Clear. I've never had a problem. I would repair it before washing not to make it worse.

 

Make sure it is not wool, though if you wash in cold water, shouldn't matter for washing, but it WILL matter for drying.

 

For acrylic you can use dryer on a low setting. It will take longer but won't be as harsh. I have no reason for that. That's just what I do. If you dry it on carpet, I'd put a sheet under it or it will pick up all the little things that might be on your carpet (unless your carpet is a lot cleaner than mine LOL)

[Raecee]

Thanks for the heads up. The afghan is about 13 yrs old is was made by my Grandma for me. I also have a quilt that she hand made, but it is pushing 20 yrs old and is now on my daughter's bed. I have been blessed to have so much that she has created.

Marvie, Dont sweat my blog addy, I don't write much there cause it seems so much easier if I just mention it to Kari and she does it on her sight. Otherwise, I am either here or at Valvereplacement.com .

 

The yarn is just basic everyday regular yarn... I do believe that she used all her scrap yarn to make the ghan for me. It is not the prettiest of colours,but she does beautiful work. I just wanted someone else's thoughts before I did anything.

 

Rachel C.

[xantha]

Good luck with that, Rachel! I have an afghan my mom made me that I need to repair still -- I have matching yarn for it finally, but I am a bit afraid I can't do it justice! heh. I'll be interested to see how it looks after you repair it!

[Aggie May]

:think How big are the holes on your afghan?

If it is not too big, (remember they always look bigger than they actually are) you could try weaving over it like a darn then make some patches, flower shapes or similar and them all over your afghan. Other shapes like triangles, squares circles would be good too.

You may need to put one on each side where the hole is but the rest can just be at random. Of course it would depend where on the afghan the hole is. :cheer

Have fun.

Colleen

[Raecee]

No the holes aren't very big.. that is why I thought I could and will repair them. But the ghan has never been washed ( have taken care that they aren't dirty ) so I to check before hand what the consenses was here on the care of before I did anything

[CrochetAtTheLake]

Over 20 years ago, my late mom crocheted a king size bedspread for me and I've been using it ever since. I just throw it in the washing machine with regular detergent and throw in the dryer on low setting. It always comes out beautiful...of course it tries to shrink a little, but once on the bed, it stretches back out. I think it's an acrylic yarn, but it comes out great even after all these years and as a bedspread, it gets lots of wear. It always comes out nice and fluffy.