Storing your hand crafted projects

After you have put a lot of effort into handcrafting beautiful things, it is important to preserve that beauty as long as possible.  Improper storage and laundering are the most common causes of damage to crocheted and knitted items and often result in the item being ruined.  So how do you properly store and care for your hand crafted items?  Basic care instructions regarding washing is generally noted on the yarn label.  Read our tip from August 2020 for help understanding the yarn labels .

So here goes:
1. Never hang your hand knitted/crocheted garment as they will lose their shape – instead fold them or roll them up and place them on a shelf.  This applies regardless of the fibre used in your garment.

2. When storing woolen items away for a period of time – make sure they are clean and dry. Fibre-eating pests are attracted to stained fibres and dirt particles while damp fibres will rot.

3. One lady I know recommends never washing items made with pure wool unless it contains a visible stain – instead place your item inside a bag and place it flat in the freezer – this eliminates odors and keeps it free from mould and fibre-eating pests.  Similarly for cotton items – if you are located in an area that experiences a lot of mould, store these items in the fridge.

5.  When putting your winter woolies into storage  during the warmer months, the objective is to prevent creepy crawlers like moths and insects from sneaking their way in. .here are some methods used:

• fold garments flat and place these in ventilated plastic hampers, with tissue paper between the layers,
• fold garments flat and place them between acid-free tissue paper (available from dry cleaners) in a cedar
  chest or in plastic sweater boxes with a cedar block or chips near them,
• fold items and place them inside a cotton pillow case sealed tightly (as moths don’t eat through cotton).
• fold your items and stack them in an air-tight container to keep the bugs out (although, I have heard that
  sealing them in air-tight containers can cause the characteristics of the yarn to change, as animal fibres
  need to breathe.
• do not store items in plastic bags – particularly if you are in a hot and humid environment.  The cotton will sweat and develop mould.
• place herbs such as lavender, cedar or rosemary close to or with your stored items.  Either place a sprig or two of the herb in the tub, basket or bag or use cotton wool soaked in the oils —both are natural moth repellants. Be careful to wrap the cotton wool so that it doesn’t leak onto your projects. Replace when the smell disappears as this indicates they have lost their potency.  If during one of your checks you do find a moth, don’t despair – get rid of the moth and immediately place your item in a bag in the freezer for at least 48 hours. This will successfully kill any insect larvae and/or eggs. Once removed from the freezer, wash the items again before placing them back into storage.
• avoid moth balls as they can actually cause damage to some fibres.
• put your items away in a cool and dark closet – not sitting in direct sunlight or heat.

6.  When giving hand crafted items as gifts, don’t forget to include care instructions