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Category: Material

May 31, 2020

The Many Uses of Thread

Special crochet threads are usually treated threads. They are very soft threads, 100% cotton. And, if you want to make quality items, of excellent quality.

The most important feature of these threads, which differentiates them from thread for other use, is that they are mercerized.

It is a special procedure for treating cotton. It was invented by JhJohnon Mercer in 1844. Mercer was an English scientist who specialized in textile issues. Later, in 1890 the system was perfected by H. A. Lowe. This process involves treating cotton fibers with sodium hydroxide. The mercerization swells, and brings shine and softness to the cotton strands.

The process of John Mercer, from where this word comes, mercerization, achieved a swollen fiber, with a lot of resistance and that managed to make the fiber better at absorbing the different inks and dyes. The problem was that during the application of this treatment, the total volume of material was greatly reduced.

H. A. Lowe's contribution to this system was to retain the tight cotton fiber during the process to prevent it from shrinking. He got what he wanted and also got a glossy finish for crochet threads.

This mercerizing process alters cotton fiber, and causes the walls of plant cells to inflate and transform into reflective surfaces. This causes the silk-like shine and softness of the crochet threads that we enjoy so much.

The current mercerizing system continues to use this process developed more than a hundred and fifty years ago. Some crochet threads have double mercerization, which gives them twice the strength and shine. They are more expensive, but useful when you need threads that have even more quality.

In crochet, in addition to using cotton as a raw material, other materials can be used. We can use wools of different types, such as mohair or cashmere. You can also use materials such as bramante, silk, raffia, macramé (a decorative textile made by knotting and weaving), metal threads: silver and gold, acrylics, fabric strips, leather laces and the list goes on.

There are countless different options in today's crochet threads. They are almost limitless and each one can help you continue to reach new levels of creativity.

An important rule when choosing a ball is to rub it against your skin to feel it in contact with the body. If the touch is soft and warm, it will be a good choice and you won't be disappointed when you make a wearable. This test should be done whenever we buy balls, but especially when we want to knit baby clothes (as even more care is needed), seek out threads you find skin is delicate, soft and smooth to your skin.

Tip: It is preferable to use threads that can be machine washed.

Crochet yarns are sold in 150 gram skeins and in 25, 50 and 100 gram balls. The balls are ready for use when they are bought, but the skeins, must be altered before using them, you will have to make them balls.

The ideal thickness of yarn will depend on the kind of work you plan to do. There are factors that can influence this thickness, such as spinning type, moisture, or storage.

February 16, 2020

The Art of Recycling Clothes

Recycling wool or yarn clothing can be a solution for knitting in crises. Face it we have all been there, but many of us have never taken the plunge.

When I was younger, there were times when there was not enough money left to buy yarn. Depending on the project we have in mind it can be a significant outlay to buy the balls of yarn we need to weave our garments.

I learned then that it is important not to let the crisis stop me! So I came up with a simple solution that allowed me to create the item I had in mind without breaking the bank as it were. How? We can recycle clothes. We can recycle the yarn.

The first place to search is in the closets and storage spaces, those rooms that we have dedicated to storing the output of our projects.

When we look through the clothes we have in storage it becomes apparent why we will not be wearing a certain item again. Though if we look closely we can see the reason why we originally purchased them. In clothes that are no longer worn we can find a wealth of resources for future projects. Things that have fallen out of favor can get a second chance on life.

Before we begin we should be clear that we are only interested in cotton yarn and wool garments, although you could also be served some synthetic fabrics, given they have similar properties.

If you can't find what you are looking for, check the rakes, the cheap ones, the second-hand clothes stores, etc..

The web is also helpful, since you can shop and find the opportunity to recycle clothes that are sometimes completely new.

The garments have to be checked in great detail, first, however. Go over them from top to bottom and front to back. Handmade wool and cotton garments are ideal, but they are very rare. Better to recycle plain colored clothes than multi-colored garments or those made from pieces of fabrics. We want long strands with very few knots where it was joined.

How it is done

With the garment clean, we'll have to start unstitching its parts. We'll look for the seams and undo everything we can.

We will separate all the pieces: the collars, the sleeves, each piece that was previously sewn with a needle.

We'll start undoing each piece from the top, from the last points that were made. Make sure to identify these carefully before you begin.

The most comfortable and sensible way to go about this is to make balls while undoing the parts. That way we won't end up with a mess of threads. In addition, with the tension of the ball, the yarn loses the curly shape it gets when it is knitted together.

The next step is to make it into skeins. There are winders marketed in different sizes, volumes and prices. Slower, more laborious and homemade, but just as effective, will be to use the backrest of a chair or the open and outstretched arms of some "volunteer". My husband was mine for several projects. He watched tv during the process.

We'll wash the skeins again to smooth the thread. If we don't like the color it has, we can dye it in this process. We can also smooth the thread of the skeins with steam.

When the skeins are dry, we'll have to make them into balls again. To do this, we will reuse the different systems that we have seen above: skeins, chair or volunteer.

And now I do think we have everything we need for our next project.