Yarn Not Colorfast

ChasingJoy · 10-23-2006, 04:21 PM

Hello to all.

I used a beautiful Sugar n Cream yarn in potpourri to make a baby blanket recently. I bought enough yarn for 2 blankets and gave the first one as a gift. When I washed it, I discovered that it wasn't colorfast. The beautiful cream color turned to white and all the pretty speckles of various colors practically vanished. The pink ones were still visible but I made it for a boy!

Ok, I've made the second blanket now for myself. I've been reading that vinegar will make it colorfast but I need some details about this.

How long do I soak it in vinegar before I wash it?

How much vinegar do I need? Do I dilute it with water or use nothing but vinegar?

Do I have to soak it in vinegar before each washing or just the first time?

Do you have any other advise???

Thanks so much for your help! I don't want to destroy my own beautiful blanket and I don't want to have to hang it on a wall as decor!

Mel

Yarnlady · 10-24-2006, 12:49 PM

Cotton is relatively easy to dye. I like to use the tie dye dyes available at Joann's and Michael's. I've never had much luck with setting commerical dyes that didn't work. Salt is the operative with Rit dye. Vinegar is for protein based fibers like wool, hair, silk, etc.

ChasingJoy · 10-24-2006, 12:57 PM

Can anyone help me? I didn't use any dyes. This is cotton yarn that I purchased (commercially dyed I guess) that doesn't hold it's color. Someone at Joann.com in the comments section recommended the vinegar and said it works but I need details. How much? How long? How often? It's a baby blanket. It's going to need washed often.

Thank you,
Mel

knitaddict · 10-24-2006, 04:30 PM

I've honestly never heard of that technique before. Would it be possible to go back to Michael's and try to talk to the person who suggested it? Maybe she can give you more details.

gardenmommy · 10-24-2006, 05:51 PM

I think fading is just the nature of Sugar N Cream.

One of the tips here says to soak the item in vinegar before washing, but I'm not certain if you'd have to do that EVERY time you washed it or not.

http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml;$sessionid$YEA4NTQAADOAWP4SY5LRIHR50 LD3UEPO?CATID=94982&PRODID=11813&st=11

Here she talks about the "vinegar experiment"

http://stephanieknits.blogspot.com/

THis also says that vinegar won't do a thing for cottons

http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/settingdye.shtml

cocoa · 10-24-2006, 05:57 PM

Hi,

It's a technique that is used for color fastening fabrics, some also use salt. You could do a google search for exact measurements.

I would use about a cup of vinegar white or malt should do. You could either soak your project or pop it in the w.machine. I Wash my clothes all the time with vinegar as it kills mold spores and makes the fibres really soft it's excellent on towels.

Dee.

cocoa · 10-24-2006, 06:05 PM

Hi again,

If you go further down the page the ingredients are listed.

http://www.mrsstewart.com/pages/hwgpages/hwgspecial.htm

Dee.

ChasingJoy · 10-25-2006, 02:26 PM

AWESOME! Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to explore some of those links now.

I returned to the comment at joann.com but the user id's weren't linkable to send a message. I was disappointed about that. I emailed customer service at joann.com to see if anyone there could help me. I will post the answer if I receive one that is helpful from them.

Thanks again and happy knitting.

Brvfan · 10-25-2006, 08:02 PM

Let us know what you find out. I know that some cotton yarns will fade quit a bit.

Debby

ChasingJoy · 10-25-2006, 08:21 PM

Below is the response I received from joann.com. I thought it was pretty crappy customer service and I'm considering not ordering from them again. At the very least they could have pretended to have asked around and told me that no one had a suggestion. I could have accepted that much better.

Dear Melissa. ,

Thank you for your e-amil. Unfortunantly we do not offer this information on Joann.com. You can try to do a google search on this item.

Please let me know if I can be of future assistance.

Thank you for your interest in joann.com,
Samantha
Customer Care
www.joann.com
www.joanndesigns.com
www.joannart.com

Joann.com ranked the number one online destination for crafts & hobbies by Internet Magazine's Top 400 Guide, 2005.