Washing Finished Projects

[jingle125]

It seems that I should throw my afghan in the wash before I give it away, to get rid of the stiffeners and make sure it's clean, but I'm a little afraid to do it. I've tucked in the ends as best I could, but I never quite got them all really secure in there (and I don't expect I'll be able to). Is there a real danger that it'll start to unravel in the wash? I knotted off the ends as best I could when I was making it, but I can't help but be a bit paranoid.

[kat]

i have thought about posting the same question. i am not sure of the best way to wash my things either, and would also love any info from our pros.

[Empress Busy Bee]

I just toss them in and then if anything needs fixed, I can see it and fix it.

I've really not had much unravel just because of washing. There was usually some other reason.

[RebeccaVelasquez]

my thoughts:

i'd much rather have a gift come apart in my hands than in the person i gift it to

[CraftyChristine]

Again, I agree with Rebecca. I think it's actually better to wash it before you give it to the recipient so you can fix anything that might come unravelled. Just a tip: when you're tucking in your tails, try to split some of your stitches and weave the tail through them. When you wash it, the yarn you've split will go back together some and will secure your tails better.

[threeolivemartini]

i wash my things in a large mesh bag.. so IF it does come undone the ravelling is confined to that bag.. i wash in gentle cycle.. that helps too ..

[kat]

one more question... can u wash any type of yarn?

[diamond]

I always wash all my crochet before giving it away. That way if it does come unraveled, shrink or any other problem, I can repair it. I always feel if a person washes something I've made and something happens to it, then they will think either I didn't do a very good job or feel bad that they ruined a handmade item. When you wash it first, you know how it will hold up and can give washing instructions to the recipient. I wash in cold water & gentle cycle and spin dry on a delicate cycle with no heat.....just enough to dry it. And I always use a gentle liquid laundry detergent like Dreft for Babies, or some other gentle liquid detergent and I use some type of fabric softener...usually the sheets that go into the dryer to help soften an item. Just keep in mind what type of yarn you used and go from there. Wools & cottons will shrink. The cotton won't felt but wool will. Acrylics won't shrink but still wash them in cold water on a gentle cycle.

[diamond]

P.S. I also always put my items in a white zippered pillowcase when I wash & dry. This way it protects the item from fraying and because the pillowcase is lightweight cotton (usually) the water & air go right thru it and the pillowcase helps agitate the item inside gently.

[HookandCrook]

I wash per the instructions on the yarn wrapper, check for ends that might have come loose and fix. Then wrap and give away.

 

Something I learned the hard way, make sure you leave at least 6 inches per end. Then I use a needle and weave them back and forth, and as CraftyChristine said, I "split" through some stitches. I've never knotted since my first ghan ... and those knots came out. I was panicked.

 

One more tip ... I always give the recipient one of the yarn labels with the washing instructions on it.

[MommaChelle]

I wash most of my things first. If you have color changes, as long as your ends were tied together and then weaved in, it shouldnt unravel. The ends might come out of it's weaving, but you can just do a quick run over of the item and re-weave in any ends that are peeking out.

 

I mostly wash my items in cold/cold, on handwash cycle (or delicate if there's no handwash cycle) with fabric softener. I dont like using dryer sheets in the dryer when drying the item (on delicate, low heat). I use mostly acrylic based yarn so after drying the crochet item (stop it after about 20 minutes to check because it doesnt need a full drying cycle), I keep checking on it during the drying until the item is dry. Then I will hang or lay flat over night.

 

 

I've been thinking about starting a new thread on which yarn brands wash/dry well in the machine - because a yarn like bernat boa says to lay flat to dry, however, I have machine dried it and it came out beautifully. Boa is on the stiff side prior to washing, and comes out super soft, fuller, and nice and shiny

[MommaChelle]

Pickles, I always knot my ends. When knotting them, I pull on them after tying in a knot to make sure they dont slip out. I've never had a problem.

[kat]

I've been thinking about starting a new thread on which yarn brands wash/dry well in the machine - because a yarn like bernat boa says to lay flat to dry, however, I have machine dried it and it came out beautifully. Boa is on the stiff side prior to washing, and comes out super soft, fuller, and nice and shiny

 

i think that would be terrfic! it would us those of us who are still crocheted challenged in some areas.