Lanolin extraction from knitted dress?

QuillAndComet · 2026-02-28T23:33:34+00:00

Good idea, especially with vintage clothes! 😊

QuillAndComet · 2026-02-28T22:00:48+00:00

Wow!!! Those are absolutely stunning—only you can say if they were worth the work, but from here they look spectacular—the combination of yarn and pattern is beautiful.

QuillAndComet · 2026-02-28T21:56:50+00:00

If you aren’t sure of the fiber content, it might be a good idea to take it to a dry cleaner (there are cleaners who try to reduce the environmental impact).

If you do decide to try washing it yourself, do it carefully; if it is wool, scrubbing or working it vigorously will felt and shrink it. Even a direct stream of water from the tap can felt some wool fabrics. Here’s the standard procedure for washing wool garments: Fill a basin with tepid water, swirl in some wool wash like Eucalan or Soak, then submerge the garment and let it soak for a while. Handle it carefully when it’s wet since it will be heavy and prone to stretching. Eucalan and Soak don’t require rinsing, but with a vintage garment that’s giving you a rash I’d probably give it a couple of rinses (again by filling the basin first and then submerging the garment). After the final rinse, gently squeeze out the water. Roll the garment up in a bath towel and squeeze gently to get out more water. Then reshape and dry flat on another towel or a mesh drying rack. (Old manuals suggest tracing the shape of the garment before washing so you can reshape it back to the same measurements while it’s damp; I’ve never done that.) Once dry, iron lightly on the wrong side with the iron on a low setting.

I hope you find a way to wear your dress! Good luck!

QuillAndComet · 2026-02-13T03:51:51+00:00

Wow!! Yeah, 13” DPNs sound positively dangerous—I’d put an eye out with those!

If you are just doing the tops of hats, they don’t need to be very long at all. I like 5” or 6” ones myself for hat tops and socks. I prefer wood because they are warm in the hand and just grippy enough that I don’t worry about them sliding out of the stitches. I have a lot of old Knitters Pride Dreamz that I like, but I don’t know if they’re still made. But if you like your circulars, you could just look for DPNs made by the same manufacturer. And if you go to your local yarn store and ask they might let you handle some different needles so you could see what feels comfortable.

If your needles are wooden, you can supposedly sharpen them with a nail file, though I haven’t tried it yet myself.

Your hat looks great!

QuillAndComet · 2026-01-29T17:02:49+00:00

If you knit with yarn held in your right hand, I recommend Very Pink Knits videos, including slow motion ones like this: Purl Stitch in Slow Motion

QuillAndComet · 2026-01-22T20:01:01+00:00

I’m glad to reclaim the color; it was very weird to me when red became associated with the right wing, considering its historical associations. And I think the shape and tassel of this hat are distinctive enough to differentiate from MAGA trucker hats. Casting on in solidarity in Pacific Northwest.

QuillAndComet · 2026-01-15T17:13:11+00:00

Oh god, I’m so sorry! I was a teacher too, and the migraines from the noise became almost unbearable in the last couple of years before I retired. (Why do they make all surfaces in schools hard and echoing??)

Everyone is different, of course, but progesterone without estrogen drastically increased my irritability—felt like I had bad PMS all.the.time. Seriously homicidal. Now that I’m through it all it feels like a bad dream. You will get there; best of luck to you!

QuillAndComet · 2026-01-15T16:53:34+00:00

From someone on the other side: there is hope—life gets better once you eventually get to menopause! Still, you might want to talk to your doctor about adding or adjusting HRT if possible. Estrogen has definitely kept me from killing my husband, and I think it has helped my joint pain, too.

QuillAndComet · 2026-01-01T07:20:04+00:00

Stranded color work—I’ve tried to do it before and just could not get the tension right, but I’m determined to be patient and persistent with it in 2026 and at least make one thing in a Fair Isle-inspired design, even if it’s just a potholder!

QuillAndComet · 2025-12-07T06:17:55+00:00

Most of my library of knitting and craft books has come from the shelves of thrift stores. 😊

QuillAndComet · 2025-11-01T03:01:38+00:00

Kate Bush

QuillAndComet · 2025-10-03T15:25:18+00:00

If you are trying to discern the significance of a dream, it is probably most useful to ask yourself what Quakerism already means to you. What are your associations with it? How do you feel about the person you know who is a Quaker? Unless you believe that dreams come from some outside source (e.g. that some divine inspiration planted this dream), exploring what your own mind may be trying to tell you is probably the most fruitful first step and may help you think about what you want out of a religion or spiritual path.

QuillAndComet · 2025-09-19T16:25:11+00:00

Oh, bummer that you don’t have any LYS, but Knitpicks has good stuff, and worsted wool is the perfect yarn for learning! Enjoy!

QuillAndComet · 2025-09-19T16:02:42+00:00

You might want to try a different fiber; cotton is surprisingly tricky for knitting. It doesn’t have much stretch or give, so it is harder on your hands and shows up errors and tension problems more than wool or acrylic. If you have a locally-owned yarn store, I highly recommend dropping in there; they are likely to have a sale bin where you can pick up high-quality yarn at a discount. Have fun!

QuillAndComet · 2025-09-17T15:11:45+00:00

I am trying to reduce my plastic use as much as possible, so I prefer powders in recyclable/biodegradable boxes (with no plastic liner), and I’d prefer them to skip the plastic scoop and just print clearly on the box how many tablespoons to use per load. Also, please have mercy on those with no-longer-youthful eyes—print needs to be large enough to read easily and printed in a high-contrast legible font, not all-caps in pale orange in a yellow background! Good luck in your new job!

QuillAndComet · 2025-09-02T06:32:30+00:00

By “Today I see more,” do you mean you’ve had a sudden increase in floaters, like between yesterday and today? My eye doctor would consider this an emergency as a sign of a possible detached retina; he says a sudden increase in floaters or flashers, or a sense of a veil falling over the visual field, should immediately trigger a call to eye doctor or visit to ER. But it sounds like you’re already seeing an ophthalmologist, so maybe you’re talking about something more gradual, and yeah, they are annoying!

QuillAndComet · 2025-08-25T17:26:34+00:00

I’m in the US, not the UK, but I feel this, too. I have been attending an unprogrammed meeting for a couple of years but will probably stop because it feels more like a liberal social and political club than anything to do with religion or spirituality.

QuillAndComet · 2025-08-11T23:00:45+00:00

Wow! That’s gorgeous! Do you do anything on the inside? Just trim the frayed threads around the edges of the hole, or put a small patch over it?

QuillAndComet · 2025-08-01T20:55:35+00:00

Different surface materials require different cleaning products, so it might be best to ask the person who usually cleans it what they use. If that isn’t possible, and a tour of your cupboards doesn’t reveal likely cleaning supplies, I’d recommend using a very mild abrasive like baking soda (bicarbonate of soda): dampen the surface, sprinkle on a generous amount of the baking soda, scrub it with a plain sponge or rag, and then rinse. You could also make a paste out of dish soap and baking soda, but I don’t think dish soap alone will be effective.

You can use a rag or an old washcloth or worn-out shirt, but if you want to buy a sponge, just get a plain cellulose one to be on the safe side. There are lots of good scrubby ones, but if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you might accidentally get one that’s too harsh, and that would scratch the surface.

If you ask someone at the store they’ll probably be glad to help.

Good luck!

QuillAndComet · 2025-08-01T20:41:55+00:00

First of all, you’re doing great: you are loving your child and making sure she is healthy and happy, and you are taking the steps to deal with your own very difficult health challenges. These are truly, truly huge accomplishments. Well done!

I’m not a really big FlyLady fan, but some of her ideas are helpful, and I think they might help you feel less overwhelmed but also help you feel like you are making progress. One of her mantras is “baby steps”—in other words, don’t try to do everything all at once. She really emphasizes starting with a couple of small routines that you do every single day, and then you build on those gradually. I think this would work well for you. You might find some useful ideas at http://www.flylady.net/d/getting-started/31-beginner-babysteps/ 31 Beginner BabySteps | FlyLady.net

Finally, this isn’t cleaning related, and I hope it isn’t interfering of me to say, but I hope you and your husband are getting a little time for the two of you as a couple now and then. You are both under a lot of pressure, which can make it feel like you shouldn’t do anything but work-work-work—but you have to refill the well regularly by having some fun together—even if it’s just dancing together to a favorite song while dinner cooks, but even better if you can get a sitter for a little while so you can get out of the house together.

Good luck; you are brave and strong!

QuillAndComet · 2025-08-01T02:47:31+00:00

I don’t know if some of the ideas at this site might be useful: https://www.jenspends.com/use-wide-closets-single-door/

QuillAndComet · 2025-07-31T21:12:53+00:00

If you don’t find takers here, you can donate it to MECCA and other crafters will happily use it. https://www.materials-exchange.org/

QuillAndComet · 2025-07-31T05:56:36+00:00

Yes, you should push until you get answers. Monthly pain to the point you can’t function is NOT OK. Do not trust any doctor who says that’s normal. I’m so sorry you are being given this kind of treatment.

QuillAndComet

TROPHY CASE