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I'd love to hear from you! :)

$\"Gravatar\"$ having problem with georgia vincent's gaaa square (specifically row 8 - but may be somewhere ealier). do you know if there are any errenda's that have been published? I've tried 7 times and everything I know and it still is not coming out correctly. I followed and used both the written form as well as the graph. no help and ended up with the same stitch count error. hope you can help!
linda lucente | Homepage | 08.17.09 - 1:30 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ I like this aran piece a lot! Just beautiful.

I also machine wash most of my knits, for the same reason--I almost ruined a sweater (50% Alpaca) with my own hands. After that I always tried to stay away from alpaca yarns.
Iris | Homepage | 06.27.07 - 2:16 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Wow, your squares are beautiful!!! I've been lax in reading blogs lately, and I really need to come by yours more often. You make such gorgeous things. I cannot wait to see the finished afghan. It has to be spectacular.
Melissa | Homepage | 06.19.07 - 3:21 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Another gorgeous square!

My dad was a textile engineer and he always used to tell me gentle machine washing is MUCH better for delicates because as you found out, wet fabric can be so fragile it's better for the fabric for the machine to do the work (especially the spin cycle!)
Debi | Homepage | 06.15.07 - 11:46 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ It may not have been your fault on the hubby's sweater. It may have been poorly made yarn. Alpaca requires a lot of twist, and what I see in commercial yarns a lot is a definate lack of twist.

The best way to wash an alpaca sweater (with no stretch memory btw) is to just soak it in hot water, rinse...use a bucket with holes, or a collander so you're not lifting it to put stress on the fibers.

Toss it in the washing machine to spin out excess water and lay flat to dry.

Most handwashing with exotics works well that way.
Laurie Wheeler | Homepage | 06.15.07 - 9:43 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ That square had a seriously odd shape before it was blocked! Thank goodness for wet blocking indeed. It came out beautifully. $\"\"$
Opal | Homepage | 06.14.07 - 12:52 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ I have a front loader. I use the handwash cycle and things turn out ok.

Dryel is great for freshening up dry clean only clothes, but you still need to have real dry cleaning done every now and then since Dryel doesn't actually clean the items. You basically put the clothes in a big bag, put the damp dryel cloth in the bag and toss it in the dryer for 20 minutes. I use it a lot for my suits for work that I wear for a few hours every now and then and never really get dirty.
twig | Homepage | 06.14.07 - 5:47 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Goodness, that needed some serious blocking. I love seeing all of your squares--very inspiring!
Rose | Homepage | 06.13.07 - 9:23 pm | #

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