Everyone has them on their clothes at some point. Pills are small, round balls of fabric that can form when you wear clothes or use Blankets frequently. There’s a common myth that the quality of the fabric is the deciding factor, but unfortunately, every piece of clothing will eventually develop pills. Pills form in areas where there’s a lot of friction. Examples include the areas between the legs, under the armpits, and at the elbows.
Preventing Fuzz and Pilling
Still, there is some good news. There are definitely things you can do to delay the appearance of lint and pilling on your hand-knitted items.
Choose yarns that naturally decrease shedding and pilling
Unfortunately, it’s a fact that some types of yarn pill more quickly than others. For example, wool tends to pill more quickly than cotton. If you already know you’re going to knit a pair of pants or crochet a cardigan that you’ll wear a lot, it might be wise to keep this in mind. Want to learn more about yarn compositions? Click here.
hand washing instead of machine washing
No matter how tightly you crochet or knit your projects, it’s generally wiser not to put them in the washing machine. The roughness and friction of the washing machine cause pilling to set in more quickly. Instead, wash your knitted and crocheted items by hand. Do you still want to wash your handmade items in the washing machine? Then check the yarn label very carefully to see if this is allowed and what the maximum washing temperature should be.
Dry your knitted items in the open air
After you’ve washed your blanket or garment, it’s tempting to quickly toss it in the dryer. Don’t do this! The dryer causes even more friction than the washing machine. Instead, hang your knitted items up to dry—preferably outdoors. That way, they’ll not only dry quickly, but they’ll also smell wonderfully fresh.
Put woolen clothing and accessories in the freezer overnight
This might sound really strange, but it can definitely be very effective. That’s because woolen clothing has the property of decreasing the likelihood of pilling when exposed to cold. The cold also eliminates static from your sweater or cardigan—which is, of course, an added bonus. Just put your knitted or crocheted item in a plastic bag and leave it in the freezer overnight. It’s that simple!
Removing lint and pills
Sometimes, you just can’t prevent fuzz and pilling. You might even have found your way here via Google because you’re looking for a solution to remove fuzz and pilling. At Yarnplaza.com, we sell a few super handy tools that will make pilling disappear like snow in the sun:
use Wolkam
The lint comb, also known as a fleece comb, is ideal for removing lint and pills from your hand-knitted sweaters and hand-crocheted blankets. It’s easy to use. Place the garment on a flat surface and hold the lint comb upright. Then move the lint comb over the garment with light, even pressure.
This might just be the easiest option. A lint shaver, also known as a lint remover, works like a handheld vacuum. But it has a plate with tiny holes in it. The device sucks up the pills as you run the perforated plate over the fabric, much like a shaver. Because the pills are sucked up immediately, you get a super neat result. If you knit a lot of clothes, this tool is a must-have in your crafting collection!
