We’ve all been there – you’re partway through a knitting project, it’s starting to take shape, and a dropped stitch means you need to unravel your last row. It sounds sensible, but unravelling stitches can often lead to your yarn becoming bobbly, tightly curled and spaghetti-like – known as blocked yarn. This can happen with wools of all types including fine knits and Aran yarn.
If you knit again using this blocked yarn, your project won’t look as good and it can affect the tension in your stitches.
Can Anything Be Done About Blocked Yarn?
Thankfully, yes! There’s a way to treat the crimped yarn to give it a new lease of life. It can take a little while, but it’s totally worth it to save your project and avoid having to buy a new ball of wool.
Where Do I Start?
Start by unravelling the wool and wrapping it into a ball. It doesn’t need to be perfect at this stage. Next, it’s a matter of turning this ball into a loop – the easiest way to do this is to use a knitter’s tool called a swift, wrapping the wool round it in large circles so that it forms a loop. Secure the loop of wool with some scrap wool.
Once this is done, you need to soak your ring of wool in cool water for around 30 minutes. After this, retrieve it from the water, wring out the excess and leave it to dry. Ta-dah! Your wool should look as good as new, without the crimping and zig-zag look it had before.
With so many beautiful yarns on the market, including soft Aran yarn and chunky wool, there’s never been a better time to enjoy knitting. You can visit The Wool Couture Company to have a look at a huge range of yarns. Craft experts Prima have a fantastic array of projects to inspire your knitting
Knowing how to troubleshoot common problems such as blocked yarn can get you out of a fix and make your hobby more productive and enjoyable.