soaking and blocking (and a giveaway)

I've been doing a lot of this lately, which is a good thing. There's nothing like giving your sweet new baby sweater a gentle, loving dunk in the sink. But plain water isn't enough for your sweet new baby sweater. You have to use Eucalan. I have used Eucalan for a few years now and it's a must-have for your soaking and blocking process.

You don't skip this part, right? (Right?) Because you owe it to yourself to finish out these last steps properly on that amazing handmade garment that you spent so much time knitting. A good soak in a bowl or sink filled with lukewarm water and wool wash will do wonders for how your hand-knits look and feel. Really.

Last month at TNNA, I was one of the lucky attendees at the Marly Bird Designer Dinner and received a swag bag of epic proportions. In that bag was a sweet little bottle of Eucalan's new scent, Wrapture by designer Kristin Omdahl, infused with the essential oil of Night Bloom Jasmine. It's as good as it sounds. It not only smells wonderful but also has a ton of benefits. All of the Eucalan scents have natural moth inhibiting properties, and the lanolin and essential oils act as natural fabric softeners that will make your sweater extra soft, also allowing the fibers and stitches to lay really nicely. Wool wash cleans and softens your hand-knits with amazing results ... and you don't have to rinse.



Typically, I use Eucalan the 'traditional' way – soaking my garment in a sink or a bowl of lukewarm water (with one teaspoon of Eucalan per gallon) and then laying it out to dry. However, sometimes I knit sweaters that require a bit more care. Sometimes I'm wary of completely submerging them. With these delicate garments, I add a couple of drops of Eucalan into a spray bottle of water and boom, I'm ready to dampen and block my sweater. Eucalan is a no-rinse wool wash so it's perfectly okay to spray it on your garment and let it soak right in!

So. Would you like to soak your next finished project in Eucalan? I know you would. (Giveaway time!)

THE PRIZE

A Eucalan Getaway Gang pack

Pack includes: 2 each of the individual use single use pods (Eucalyptus, Lavender, Grapefruit, Unscented, Wrapture), 

6 stain-removing wipes, 1 pack lint removers, 1 nail file and 1 sewing kit in a re-usable vinyl zipper bag.

HOW TO ENTER

   • Comment below telling me if you're a hard-core wool wash user, or a first-timer!

   • Like Eucalan on Facebook or follow them on Instagram.

THE RULES

    •    Giveaway is open to US and CAN residents only

    •    Giveaway is open until Sunday, July 12, 2015 at 11:30 PM CST.

    •    Comments must include a valid email address or Ravelry ID so I can contact you if you are the winner. :)

    •    Winner will be chosen via random number generator and will be contacted within 48 hours after giveaway ends.

A huge thank you to Eucalan for this wonderful giveaway. Good luck and thanks for reading! :)

Eucalan winner!

Last week, I finished and soaked and blocked my 30 Day Sweater in some lovely eucalyptus Eucalan. And Eucalan was kind enough to offer up a Gift Pack of their products as a giveaway, so it's time to announce the winner!

This set includes one 3.3 fl oz bottle of each of the four original scents – Eucalyptus, Lavender, Grapefruit and Natural/Unscented. These little bottles are about to upgrade someone's soaking and blocking routine forever. In the best way.

I drew a name on Monday night (sorry for the wait) and the lucky winner is Island Jen! I happen to know that she's a pretty talented knitter so I hope she enjoys this gift pack. (I'll be contacting you to get your mailing address, Jen.) Thanks so much to everyone who entered and happy knitting!

finish and soak and block

So, I finished knitting my little sweater for Bowie for the 30 Day Sweater Challenge (more pics soon), which means I've reached that exciting time that every knitter looks forward to. Soaking and blocking!

You don't skip this part, right? (Right?) Because you owe it to yourself to finish out these last steps properly on that amazing handmade garment that you spent so much time knitting. A good soak in a basin/sink filled with lukewarm water and rinseless wool wash will do wonders for how your hand-knits look and feel.

I soaked Bowie's sweater in a large mixing bowl with a teaspoon of Eucalan's eucalyptus wool wash. Which smells wonderful and has a ton of benefits. Not only does it have natural moth and flea inhibiting properties, but the lanolin and essential oils act as natural fabric softeners that made this sweater extra soft, also allowing the fibers/stitches to lay really nicely. Wool wash will clean and soften your hand-knits with amazing results and no rinsing. 

  
Here's the soaking and blocking process I used, adapted from the 30 Day Sweater course.

• Soak finished garment in lukewarm water with one teaspoon of Eucalan per gallon for 15-30 minutes, gently squeezing out all air bubbles.
• Remove the garment and squeeze out excess water, being careful not to twist or wring fabric.
• Lift garment, supporting it from the bottom so it does not stretch and lay it on a clean, dry towel.
• Roll the sweater in the towel burrito-style and push down (hard) on the towel from end-to-end. Remove sweater.
• Fabric should feel damp but not saturated.
• Lay out your sweater in your desired finished shape, making sure to smooth all wrinkles. Pin down if needed. (I didn't this time, but for some hand-knits, I do.)
• Let dry completely, away from direct heat or sun. (I usually lay mine out on a second clean, dry towel.)

 

The absolute hardest part of soaking and blocking is waiting for your garment to dry. But usually (depending on your climate/humidity) it will be totally dry in one or two days.

Would you like to soak your next finished project in Eucalan? I know you would. Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win your own Eucalan gift pack. This set includes one 3.3 fl oz bottle of each of the four original scents – Eucalyptus, Lavender, Grapefruit and Natural/Unscented. Winner will be drawn on Monday, November 4th at 12:00 am CST. Thanks for following along on my 30 Day Sweater progress and good luck!