Hey, hey, hey!Is everybody ready to delve into the exciting world of sweater mending and crochet hooks??? Well??? Are you?
I know. I need everyone to calm down now. This is the exact sort of thing that could cause a flash mob. Keep your breathing slow and regular and you should be fine.
This kind of reminds me of the time I discovered ornamental potato vine grew an actual sweet potato. They aren't the same as a regular sweet potato but still ... I couldn't sleep for days from the excitement of it. I practically got a nosebleed.
That's just how excited I get over getting something from nothing. I get the same kind of thrill from fixing things. So if a sweater gets a pull, I don't get upset. I get a crochet hook.
Fixing a Pull
This will take no longer than 10 seconds to accomplish once you have your sweater and crochet hook in hand.
Materials
- Sweater with a pull
- Crochet hook
- If you have a finely knit sweater you'll need a teensy tiny crochet hook . The bigger the sweater the bigger the crochet hook you can use.
2. The offending pull.
To make things really easy, buy a latch hook.
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3. To fix the pull just insert the crochet hook on the underside of the knit and poke it through right where the pull is on the other side.
4. Then pull the crochet hook down through the knit being careful to hook the pull. Pull your hook straight through the hole you originally poked it out of.
5. The pull you had on the outside of your sweater is now on the inside.
6. And the outside looks perfect once again. It is fixed.
If you have goosebumps, don't be alarmed. It's a perfectly normal reaction to something as awesome as this. And I use the term awesome, the way it's supposed to be used. In reference to things that inspire awe. Niagara Falls, The Great Wall of China ... sweater fixin'.
Video
There are other ways to try to pull the thread through (a needle, a straight pin, pushing it with a skewer, giving it a dirty look). The crochet hook or a latch hook just makes the job a lot easier.
And NO, do not cut the thread once you pull it inside the sweater. Your entire sweater will unravel when you least expect it, leaving you naked and alarmed. To make matters worse, it will probably be in an establishment with fluorescent lighting.
Cool!
Thanks!
If you have any tips about *truly* getting rid of wool moths that feed on those sweaters, PLEEAASE let us know!!!
There is a tool that makes it even easier. My mother called it a snag nabbit....I don't know what the stores call it. It looks like a 3 inch or so heavier needle, but instead of an eye at the end, It has a surface like an emery board. You put the sharp end through the sweater where the snag is, and the rough end grabs the snag and pulls it through.
Simple way to fix the pull. In your instructions, under step one I think you meant , the thicker the yarn, the larger the crochet hook.
I do love reading about "a pull" but please know I am quite restless to get Mr. & Mrs. Snacks updates. I have 4 friends who are subscribed to your newsletter and we have discussed this among ourselves. We are are very curious (and jealous) of your winged guests. Happy Spring.
Don't worry, an update soon! ~ karen
As a knitter, I tell you there is a better way...
Yes, it still involves a crochet hook. But what your goal is, is to reunite and smooth the full thread that pull came from.
Most pulls are only part of a strand of thread. And you want to have all the strands of that thread once again lying smoothly with in the knit fabric. It works with both a snag that involves the entire yarn or just one single fiber of that yarn..
This Youtube video shows her fixing a much larger snag than the one you fixed so it means a few more steps. But it once more smooths the full strand of yarn and you don't then have the snag sticking out on the back side of the fabric
That's how I do it!
Hi Ann. I'm a knitter! But most people aren't going do that to fix a sweater and yet most people have a sweater with a pull they'd like fixed. This is what/who this technique is for. :) ~ karen!
There’s also an actual tool that was invented for this called a Snag Nab-It. No idea if it works any better than a crochet hook or any of the other choices, but the name is fun!
I swear... the things ya' learn fondly following a Canadian blogger..... who'd a thunk it? Now I guess I'll have to hit up Amazon for a crochet hook, using your link of course.