HI Gillian :) Washing your wool should not scare you, you did really well and the sweaters look great. I am a knitter and a spinner of yarn, so wool is a fiber I just love :D. I wash my wool, alpaca, mohair sweaters in the gentle cycle in cold water. If I want to felt them, I of course dry them in the dryer, but otherwise, I lay out a towel on top of a yoga mat and "block" the sweater. Holding it to the size I want with pins. It usually takes about a day or so. I also brush them or de-pill them. Your alpaca sweater will stretch out a bit, since it is a fiber that has no memory. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I am in a similar journey, but I have not committed fully to a no buy year as of yet.
Hi Maria! Thank you for sharing your wool experience. I'm definitely a little less scared now and will be washing all of my wool clothing in the machine in the future. I once shrunk a gorgeous Aran wool cardigan by being careless and I think it left me a little scarred 😅 I'm glad to hear that my alpaca sweater will stretch out a bit. I have noticed that it feels a tad smaller whenever I've hand-washed it in the past and was fine shortly after but never knew why so thanks for that info. Wishing you much success on your journey! What areas of your life are you focusing on?
At the moment I am focusing on being content. I now it may sound vague, but I seem to allow discontentment to take root in my heart and I become dissatisfied with my life both familial and creative. I am now working in finding joy in the mundane. I am a caretaker to my disabled daughter, so it is hard to find joy in the everyday work that this entails. I spend a great deal of time indoors due to her disability, so that is also something I am working on. Just going out into the garden is a joy at the moment. I live in the mountains, so winter is slowly making its appearance :) @@uncomplicatedspaces
I don't think that sounds vague at all. I think that is the ultimate goal for living a happy and fulfilled life, as well as getting us through the more difficult times. It sounds like your days are very busy, I am glad you are finding joy in your garden.
ReLly enjoy your videos! I live in Sweden and wool is a must this time a year, we have a shared laundry in our apartment association and the machines has a program for wool that I use together with laundry bags and detergent for wool garments. I hang the sweaters and socks to dry in the apartment and it works just fine!
I often have a “great idea” for upcycling something I don’t wear, then I do it and still don’t wear it. And then I worry that I can’t donate it because I have altered it, so I just end up with these failed diys in the back of the closet for ages, then bring them to fabric recycling.
Hi Gillian I enjoy your videos a lot - thanks! And while i'm watching this one my wool sweaters are in the machine... I wash everything (sweaters made from wool, cashmere, angora, alpaca, coats, blazers etc.) in the machine since decades - it works out great! And i also have a project (changing a sweater into a cardigan) going on... Sending you greetings from Berne Switzerland! Natalie
Thanks so much for watching, Natalie! And I'm so glad to hear that washing your wool clothing in the machine works out well...so much more efficient than hand washing. I love that you're also altering your clothing to make it into something you'll wear more. Good luck with your sweater upcycle!
Thank you - i'll let yoi know how it turns out. And by the way: Since i lost some weight in the past year a lot of my clothing was to big - i shrunk some sweaters and even jeans by washing them too hot - it worked out too. So that way i don't need to buy new clothes! 😉
Amazon sells a multipack of multisized mesh lingerie bags. I use the large ones for my sweaters and wash on cold, gentle. Re-Shape and lay flat on a towel on my table. Someone suggested adding a drawstring to a pillowcase and using the pillowcase as a garment bag.
If you get an idea for an item and you think you would like it better, go for it, especially if you haven't been wearing the item. A sewing machine is helpful but not necessary. There are a a lot of great hand-sewing tutorial on TH-cam. And let go of the fear of it not being perfect...it probably won't be but you'll like it so much more that you won't care 😀 And thank you!
i wash my wool items in the washing machine as well. Just make sure to use only cold water and the right kind of detergent, as most 'normal' detergent can damage the garment by deteriorating the protein in the fibers over time. i once heard the advice that even if you hand wash, it is gentler to use the spinning cycle of a washing machine to get the water out instead of wringing the sweater out with a towel, which trains the fibers more. makes sense to me, and since i heard this i am less nervous about it. love yours videos so far. i used to follow you on instagram but i try to aviod that platform nowadays, so i'm happy to see you here instead :)
Thanks for this advice. I always wondered why people used different detergent for wool but this makes sense. What brand do you use? I'm so glad that we could reconnect here!
@@uncomplicatedspaces I'm in germany, so don't know if we have the same brands available. I normally just buy an eco one at the drugstore, nothing fancy. As long as it says it is suited for wool/silk and the scent is not too strong, it will do :)
Hi, ma'am ! I hope you are doing well. You have great editing skills, it's always a pleasure to watch. I enjoyed the process of you sewing the jacket, that was interesting ! Reusing what you already have by upcycling it so it works for you is always a great idea. I am on a no-buy as well but cold weather struck out of the blue so had to get warmer socks and leggings, my headphones completely died on me so I had to replace them, I have chapping on my feet so I needed a special kind of cream... It's always like this, right ? you're on a no-buy and everything breaks. I don't own anything made of wool. It's too itchy for me and my autism totally rejects those kinds of material (it's unbearable on my skin). Looking forward to your next video. Have a great weekend :)
Thank you! I'm really enjoying learning how to edit videos and I appreciate the feedback. That's great that you're doing a no buy year as well. How far in are you? And it sounds like you made some necessary replacements! Thanks for sharing your experience with wool clothing. I've also gotten rid of wool items in the past because they were too itchy. I hope you have a nice weekend as well.
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HI Gillian :) Washing your wool should not scare you, you did really well and the sweaters look great. I am a knitter and a spinner of yarn, so wool is a fiber I just love :D.
I wash my wool, alpaca, mohair sweaters in the gentle cycle in cold water. If I want to felt them, I of course dry them in the dryer, but otherwise, I lay out a towel on top of a yoga mat and "block" the sweater. Holding it to the size I want with pins. It usually takes about a day or so. I also brush them or de-pill them.
Your alpaca sweater will stretch out a bit, since it is a fiber that has no memory.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I am in a similar journey, but I have not committed fully to a no buy year as of yet.
Hi Maria! Thank you for sharing your wool experience. I'm definitely a little less scared now and will be washing all of my wool clothing in the machine in the future. I once shrunk a gorgeous Aran wool cardigan by being careless and I think it left me a little scarred 😅
I'm glad to hear that my alpaca sweater will stretch out a bit. I have noticed that it feels a tad smaller whenever I've hand-washed it in the past and was fine shortly after but never knew why so thanks for that info.
Wishing you much success on your journey! What areas of your life are you focusing on?
At the moment I am focusing on being content. I now it may sound vague, but I seem to allow discontentment to take root in my heart and I become dissatisfied with my life both familial and creative. I am now working in finding joy in the mundane. I am a caretaker to my disabled daughter, so it is hard to find joy in the everyday work that this entails. I spend a great deal of time indoors due to her disability, so that is also something I am working on. Just going out into the garden is a joy at the moment. I live in the mountains, so winter is slowly making its appearance :) @@uncomplicatedspaces
I don't think that sounds vague at all. I think that is the ultimate goal for living a happy and fulfilled life, as well as getting us through the more difficult times. It sounds like your days are very busy, I am glad you are finding joy in your garden.
ReLly enjoy your videos! I live in Sweden and wool is a must this time a year, we have a shared laundry in our apartment association and the machines has a program for wool that I use together with laundry bags and detergent for wool garments. I hang the sweaters and socks to dry in the apartment and it works just fine!
Thank you, and thanks for sharing!! I've heard of machines with the wool setting...I'll definitely be looking for that if I need a new one.
I love the way the vest turned out and outfit at the end of your video. I think I will try to do the same thing to a cardigan that I never wear.
Thank you! Did you ever try it, and if so, how did it turn out?
The west and neckwarmer looks great - good job! 👍
Thank you! I'm so happy with how they turned out and now I want to upcycle everything 😅
I was really worried about the sweater turning into a vest, but it turned out so cute. It has inspired.
Haha, I was also very worried. I'm glad I didn't ruin it 😅
Excellent job on the sweater vest, Gillian.
Thanks so much, Louise!
I often have a “great idea” for upcycling something I don’t wear, then I do it and still don’t wear it. And then I worry that I can’t donate it because I have altered it, so I just end up with these failed diys in the back of the closet for ages, then bring them to fabric recycling.
Sometimes things are much better in our heads than reality, for sure. It's great that you can bring any failed attempts to fabric recycling.
Hi Gillian
I enjoy your videos a lot - thanks!
And while i'm watching this one my wool sweaters are in the machine... I wash everything (sweaters made from wool, cashmere, angora, alpaca, coats, blazers etc.) in the machine since decades - it works out great!
And i also have a project (changing a sweater into a cardigan) going on...
Sending you greetings from Berne Switzerland!
Natalie
Thanks so much for watching, Natalie! And I'm so glad to hear that washing your wool clothing in the machine works out well...so much more efficient than hand washing.
I love that you're also altering your clothing to make it into something you'll wear more. Good luck with your sweater upcycle!
Thank you - i'll let yoi know how it turns out.
And by the way: Since i lost some weight in the past year a lot of my clothing was to big - i shrunk some sweaters and even jeans by washing them too hot - it worked out too. So that way i don't need to buy new clothes! 😉
Yes, please do! I'd love to hear about it. And way to be resourceful 🙌🏻
Amazon sells a multipack of multisized mesh lingerie bags. I use the large ones for my sweaters and wash on cold, gentle. Re-Shape and lay flat on a towel on my table. Someone suggested adding a drawstring to a pillowcase and using the pillowcase as a garment bag.
Using a pillowcase as a garment bag is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
I wish I could alter clothes but I genuinely have no idea where to start! Your vest turned out incredible 🫶🏻
If you get an idea for an item and you think you would like it better, go for it, especially if you haven't been wearing the item. A sewing machine is helpful but not necessary. There are a a lot of great hand-sewing tutorial on TH-cam. And let go of the fear of it not being perfect...it probably won't be but you'll like it so much more that you won't care 😀 And thank you!
i wash my wool items in the washing machine as well. Just make sure to use only cold water and the right kind of detergent, as most 'normal' detergent can damage the garment by deteriorating the protein in the fibers over time. i once heard the advice that even if you hand wash, it is gentler to use the spinning cycle of a washing machine to get the water out instead of wringing the sweater out with a towel, which trains the fibers more. makes sense to me, and since i heard this i am less nervous about it.
love yours videos so far. i used to follow you on instagram but i try to aviod that platform nowadays, so i'm happy to see you here instead :)
Thanks for this advice. I always wondered why people used different detergent for wool but this makes sense. What brand do you use?
I'm so glad that we could reconnect here!
@@uncomplicatedspaces I'm in germany, so don't know if we have the same brands available. I normally just buy an eco one at the drugstore, nothing fancy. As long as it says it is suited for wool/silk and the scent is not too strong, it will do :)
@@JuJuZitroni Thanks for replying! I'll have to see what's available at my local store. I hope you're having a nice Sunday.
Hi, ma'am ! I hope you are doing well.
You have great editing skills, it's always a pleasure to watch. I enjoyed the process of you sewing the jacket, that was interesting ! Reusing what you already have by upcycling it so it works for you is always a great idea.
I am on a no-buy as well but cold weather struck out of the blue so had to get warmer socks and leggings, my headphones completely died on me so I had to replace them, I have chapping on my feet so I needed a special kind of cream... It's always like this, right ? you're on a no-buy and everything breaks.
I don't own anything made of wool. It's too itchy for me and my autism totally rejects those kinds of material (it's unbearable on my skin).
Looking forward to your next video. Have a great weekend :)
Thank you! I'm really enjoying learning how to edit videos and I appreciate the feedback.
That's great that you're doing a no buy year as well. How far in are you? And it sounds like you made some necessary replacements!
Thanks for sharing your experience with wool clothing. I've also gotten rid of wool items in the past because they were too itchy.
I hope you have a nice weekend as well.
I am so embarrassed to say that I have ruined multiple wool sweaters and scarves… 😭
Me too! I was left emotionally scarred when I shrunk a gorgeous Aran wool cardigan after mistakenly throwing it in the wash 🥲