[Nfb-krafters-korner] Good article to read

[Blindhands at aol.com]

_http://www.needlecraftuniversity.com/_ 
(http://www.needlecraftuniversity.com/)    
eNewsletter 
December 2009 
Hi Joyce, 
 
In this issue: 
 
- Article of the Month - Removing pills/balls from sweaters
- Featured  Classes
- New Schedule
 
Article of the Month - Removing pills/balls from sweaters 
 
Have you ever made a sweater where after one wear, you notice that little  
round balls show up especially under the arms and on the sides of the  
sweater?
 

It is disheartening as these pills/balls cause your sweater to look old  
and worn out. What is the cause of this problem? Usually it's loosely spun  
yarn
and short fibers that have made their way to the surface of the yarn. If  
you are not spinning your yarn, the best way is to be careful when you  choose
the yarn. If possible, buy a skein of yarn, make a swatch and wash it  
several times. Rub the swatch on itself and other fabric and see if there is  any
pilling. Then decide if the yarn is good enough for investing time and  
money to make the sweater. 
 
In case you have already made the sweater, hand-wash your sweater inside  
out as friction causes pilling. The less friction, the less pilling you will  
have.
A simple but time-consuming way to take care of the balls is to take  them 
off one by one. Another recommendation that I have seen is to wrap masking  
tape
to your hand and run it over your sweater. The little balls stick to the  
tape and will come off easily. When the tape is not sticky anymore, use  
another
piece of tape. In addition, the hook side of a Velcro should work  too. In 
using tape or Velcro, consider the yarn type as some yarns are more  
sensitive
and you need to be more careful. There are sweater shavers on the  market. 
I have never used them myself, but a few friends who have tried them are  
very
happy with the results. 
 
Another product is a sweater stone. This natural stone is lightweight  
pumice which helps in removing loose pills and balls. It can be used for many  
years
and is very cost effective. For more information about sweater stones,  
check out: 
_www.sweaterstone.com_ (http://www.sweaterstone.com)   


At the beginning is the website where you can sign up for the newsletters  
and find out about their online classes.
 
 
Keep on Krafting!
 
Joyce, Wisty and the doxie kids!!!