I decided to try washing the hand knit Christmas socks I had done in the washing machine today. I had always hand washed them until now.
It was one of things where, I decided to give it a try considering we used to wash 100% Cashmere sweaters in the washing machine (and put them in the dryer) when I worked at the studio about a decade ago.
I figured if I used a shorter wash cycle, warm and cold water, the extra delicate cycle and wool wash, it couldn’t hurt them right?
They are now air drying on my drying rack and came out just fine with the precautions I did take.
It’s going to make my life a whole lot easier and save my hands knowing I can put them in on the gentlest cycle and warm water then air dry them.
While they were washing, I did go through the Laundress New York Wool and Cashmere Shampoo I have and did get rid of the ones who’s lots are part of the recall, just to be on the safe side.
I know I have talked about how much I have loved the Wool and Cashmere Shampoo from the Laundress New York. I have been looking into what is best for washing woolen goods, and I have found that using a wash that contains lanolin, which is the oil naturally found in Wool is actually better for it, I am not going to be using the Wool and Cashmere Shampoo anymore.
Eucalan was one of the top brands I found that contains lanolin, as do Kookaburra wash and Outback Gold, all of which I have some of in my wool wash stash. This also explains why what had been my favorite yarn shop while it was still in business, as do many other yarn shops I have been in, carry Eucalan wash.
Yesterday afternoon I finished up my pair of “Road to Rhinebeck 2022” socks, two days after Rhinebeck ended, not that I got to go anyway.
This was the second year I ordered the “Road to Rhinebeck” sock set from Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm.
The finished product
The main colorway is “Road to Rhinebeck 2022” and the accent colorway was called “All the Wine”. They came as a set and are no longer available to order. The yarn base is the Coquette base.
The Coquette base my favorite yarn base to order colorways on from Bumblebee Acres Fiber Farm. I like this base because it is a 3 ply fingering weight so it knits up the thickest, cosiest socks without being too thick.
This morning, just before sitting down to write this post, I washed up this pair of socks as well as the pair of Crackling Fire socks I finished recently. I used the Wool and Cashmere Shampoo by The Laundress New York to wash these socks. The scent is called Cedar, but I don’t know exactly how cedar specific it is, but it has an amazing woodsy scent to it that I love. I love this wash for new socks. For socks I have worn and need to wash I prefer using the original Kookaburra wash that has and smells like tea tree oil or Outback Gold wool wash that also has tea tree oil. I prefer either of these two for socks I have worn because Tea Tree Oil is an antiseptic / anti bacterial / anti fungal properties to help kill any funk that might be in my socks and want to grow and cause problems for my feet.
Monday evening, I hadn’t really felt like finishing up the Road to Rhinebeck socks so I cast on the first of many Christmas socks. I decided to start with the yarn called “little drummer boy” it is the darkest of all then Christmas yarn I recently ordered, so I decided I would tackle it first before our weather and days get much darker and dreamer, leaving the brighter colorways to work as the days get even shorter and rainy.
With the socks I just cast on, I went back to my good ole’ trusty wooden needles that I prefer. I definitely do not like metal needles.
As I have had time to use different wool washes on different projects and types of projects, there are three that have stood out to me.
My Top 3 picks are:
1. The Laundress Wool & Cashmere Shampoo (can be found here)
2. Eucalan Wrapture and unscented wool washes both can be found here (Wrapture can also be found here) (unscented can be also found here)
3. Kookaburra Tea Tree Wool Wash (can be purchased from here, here or here)
I prefer the laundress wool and cashmere wash for items such as shawls, hats, and scarves, that you don’t wash super often. It has the Cedar scent which helps protect the wool from bugs and moths going after it and damaging the garments. I also store all these goods in airtight containers with cedar blocks.
I prefer using the Eucalan for when I wash each pair of socks for the first time. I like the consistency of the wash for getting into the socks and helping pull up the excess dyes, waxes and other chemicals that the yarn was treated with, in the dying and spinning process.
Lastly, I prefer the Kookaburra tea tree wool wash for washing socks. Beings that I wash my socks after each time I wear them, I like that the Kookaburra tea tree wool wash contains tea tree oil which helps to get rid of microorganisms that get in the wool and can harm the wool itself or cause skin issues on your feet. It is also biodegradable, which also makes it good for taking along on the trail when hiking, or while travelling, so if I were to need to wash a pair of socks while I was out, and it couldn’t wait until I got home, this wash is more environmentally friendly. There is a lavender scented one as well, but I prefer the tea tree scent, as it is more woodsy, and would blend in better while out hiking.
Now that the warm weather is upon us, whenever I get a pair of socks done, I wait until there is going to be a sunny day with a high temperature above 80 degrees Fahrenheit and preferably below 30% humidity, to wash and dry them. I like to pin my just washed socks to sock blockers and hang them outside on the clothes line to dry. It’s not as easy and takes longer to dry them in the winter, and I have to find an alternative way to hang them to dry. I have yet to really wash a lot of socks in the colder months, though I have a few ideas of how to dry them during that period of time, which if I resort to, I will have to write about and post pictures of. Beings that the weather is more ideal for hanging washed socks outside to dry, I am able to do so.
I love being able to hang my socks out side to dry on hot summer days, because they dry a lot faster, and there is something about hanging outside that helps decrease the amount of wool wash scent that is left in the socks when I bring them in. While I love the scent of Eucalan Wrapture Woolwash, but sometimes it can still be very strong and over powering. I have noticed that when I am able to let whatever I have washed with it, dry outside, the scent that is left behind is not as strong as tends to be when I have to let it dry indoors.
While I personally detest the heat, and am currently camping out in a nice cool, air conditioned house (because it is 95 degrees outside), it has been a perfect day to wash and then hang socks out to dry. While I would typically say I would rather be at the beach, the beach is as bad as it is here in the valley, which is weird. It shouldn’t be 95 degrees on the Oregon Coast, 75 maybe, but 95 is just down right nuts. It’s crazy when the coast is hotter than Eastern Oregon, which was the case in some places today.
Today I finally got the pair of 100% Merino Wool socks I have been working on for the past week and a half done.
I am interested to see how I like (or possibly don’t like) these socks in comparison to the other socks I am working on.
These socks were a pain in the rear to knit up, since the yarn was two strands and kept separating, and one ply of the two was longer than the other and kept looping and slowing me down. The yarn was also super stiff to work with, which didn’t surprise me. It has softened up since I washed it, but it was still annoying. I didn’t have as many issues with the Palette Yarn.
Beings today has been a little bit warmer (though it has been average for where we should be this time of year) and not pouring rain, I decided to put my socks outside on the line to help them dry as quickly as possible beings that those I live with don’t appreciate the smell of wet sheep.
I had used the eucalan wool wash in Eucalyptus and Grapefruit, as I ha done single use pod in each, and I can only get about one sock washed with each. I had bought the single use pods to see if I liked the scents, and actually use them to wash wool. Honestly I prefer Eucalan Wrapture for washing wool. Though the lavender or unscented would be fine to. The wrapture is my favorite of the scents, and it has lanolin in it which is good for wool.
Beings that I got them done early enough in the day, it is time to start another pair of socks!
Today, I spent the day washing the woolen accessories I have knit up. Today is the official first day of fall, and it certainly feels like fall. I decided to spend the day washing, and letting my woolen wears air dry. Many of which I have yet to wash since I made them. Over the past year I have learned why you should wash your woolen accessories. When they are new, and never been washed before they still have all the chemicals and waxes in them that they were produced with. Washing them gets the chemicals and waxes out. Chemicals are used to treat the wool for various reasons. Waxes are used especially on wool’s that are used for machine knitting so that the wool knits up, and holds up better when being used on a machine. The waxes help the wool’s slide through the carriage and over the needles so much easier. Some of the yarns I had used at my previous jobs were so full of waxes that within 20 minutes my hands were sticky from the waxes. We washed everything at the studio, which was where I really learned about how to wash wool. Through that experience I learned that once the garment has been washed, and much of the chemicals, and all the waxes and stuff are washed out, the garments are so much softer. I have found that with my own knit goods, once they have been washed the first time they are so much softer.
After the first time I wash my wool, I only wash them when they absolutely need it. Wools don’t need to be washed very often after the first time, and when they do, they need a very delicate hand wash, or the gentlest setting on an HE Washer that does not have an agitator. Agitation = one of the worst things you could do to wool. You will also want to use a wool wash when washing woolen items. I would recommend either Eucalan Wrapture which is made with Jasmine Oil and enriched with Natural Lanolin, though any of the Eucalan line of no rinse delicate washes would be fine (I am just familiar with the Wrapture line). I like the smell of the Jasmine oil, which is also a natural antiseptic (helping to get the chemicals and any germs and such out that you wouldn’t want on your skin) The Lanolin in the Wrapture wash also helps with adding some water resistance to your woolen items. I have also used The Laundress Wool & Cashmere Shampoo, this is what we used at the studio with the garments that we made.
I always lay my washed woolen items flat on old bath and beach towels on a hard surface like the floor. It usually takes them several hours to dry. I sometimes even will use two or three towels underneath each item so that there is more layers for the moisture to go.
I figured today would be a good day to wash my woolen wear, because it actually is feeling like fall, yet is warm enough to open out the house to get fresh air in, and help my garments dry. It is also to help air out the Wet Sheep smell. It honestly smells like a wet sheep in the living room, so I am hoping it gets aired out by tonight. Having the Wet Sheep smell with having washed wool is a given. I don’t mind the smell so much, but I don’t think the other people I live with want to come home to the smell of wet sheep. This time of year is perfect for opening up the house anyway. It is overcast and cooler, but not pouring down rain.
The Knitter's Notes 
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