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Marisa’s Pearls: Should wool sweaters be ironed and how?

Posted on by Lorenza Il Filarino
come striare un maglione di lana realizzato ai ferri senza rovinarlo
09
Nov

Learn how to iron wool knits

Here is the topic of the new installment of Marisa’s Pearls.

marisa's pearls, lots of tips for making your own sweaters and knitted garmentsIroning a woolen garment also requires great care and attention to avoid making it felted.

Here are some steps to take to care for our beloved handmade wool sweaters and more:

  • First of all, much attention should be paid to the temperature of the iron.
    By now all irons on the market have programs with the appropriate temperature for each type of fiber, personally, however, I set the one for wool a tiny bit lower than the one indicated.
  • Carefully lay the garment on the ironing board making sure to match all the seams and especially to even out the two halves (the one in front and the one in back) to avoid one being longer than the other.
  • Cover the garment with a light cloth perhaps even a large handkerchief. This is to prevent the Wool from being touched directly by the iron.

If our woolen garment is particularly wrinkled, we canslightly dampen the cloth and iron over it very carefully because even cloth that is too wet can felt or warp our sweater.

But did you know that even a sheet of newspaper can be helpful?

I sometimes put a sheet of newspaper over the shirt instead of the cloth and get an outstanding result; of course it does not have to be a glossy paper but that of, for example, a newspaper.

But if we are talking about a woolen knit made in the knitting needles and just finished, do any special arrangements need to be made?

If it is a new mesh, you may need to adjust the measurements a little.
For example, it may happen that the work turns out a little bit too tight or, if we have made the front with an operated stitch, such as braid stitch on the needles or other knitting stitches that constrict, it may turn out to be tighter than the back and this would not lead to a beautiful effect.
One solution to avoid unraveling our sweater and remaking it, we can try to widen it a little with the iron to bring it to the desired width.
Of course, it is an ‘operation that must be done very carefully, so as not to worsen the situation and risk deforming it!
Tell us about yourself…
Are you used to ironing your wool bees?

Bye and see you next time

Marisa