I've been meaning to post for a while about my finished Victorian Ruby, but a catastrophe has nudged me to cry for help.When I was blocking my Alpine Lace last night, I discovered some holes. Not dropped stitches ... I'm quite happy rescuing those. Not a broken thread ... that's doable. But a plurality of broken threads. My best guess is that gentle squeezing did it in.
There are 5 or 6 holes, scattered throughout the shawl. Can an
yone offer advice as to fixing/not fixing, method of fixing? Potential repairs are complicated by the fact that the yarn is gently shaded from blue to purple over hundreds of yards.Then there's my finished Victorian Ruby, with Kid Silk Haze in a pewter-y color. It doesn't have any recalcitrant holes.
13 comments:
Carolyn, I have no ideas what to do for this and I am just SICK for you. This shawl is so beautiful. If that happend from gently squeezing while washing and blocking I would be very concerned about the quality of the yarn/dye job. I have heard that some types of dyeing can "eat" fibers if done incorrectly but don't understand all the specifics of that. I am so sorry!
Carolyn. I'm broken heart once I saw the holes. I'm so sorry. I don't even know how to fix it.
But my I ask how did the holes get there?
I wish I knew how those holes arrived. The shawl has never been worn, so the possibilities come down to scissors, moths, or yarn disintegration. The edges of the breaks aren't sharp, and I've never had moths and still don't see any moth signs ... so that leaves yarn disintegration. My best guess is that the gentle squeezing to get excess water out of it caused the yarns to separate. It's a fine yarn - close to 1000 yds / 50 grams - and I can't think of any other possibility.
Wow, that is just horrible!!
I don't really know what to tell you. I'd probably try to fix it, but that's up to you.
So sorry this happened! I think you are right, that it may have been caused while wet. The yarn gets so heavy when wet, and can easily stretch too much when you pick it up. The only thing I can think of is to use a thin thread, like a sewing thread, to secure the broken fibers without making the edges of the holes too bulky. Then try to reweave the lace with your yarn. It doesn't have to perfect, just approximate the lace design. You may want to use a lingerie bag when washing it next time and let it drain for a time while it's still in the bag.
What is the yarn that broke?
Ouch, man that hurts just to even look at it. The only thing that I could even possible think of is to try a 'Russian join' with the yarn and see if you can't pick up and simulate some of the stitches to help hide the holes. There's no way you'll get it to match, but at least you won't have the holes. Good Luck!!
The yarn is Graceful, from the Yarn Place. I think, like Hege said, it's an issue of the yarn being weaker while wet. I took some leftovers and soaked them (the yarn bleeds a lovely blue), then took a 10" length and was able to stretch it to 14". I let that dry, and the character of the yarn was quite different than the unstretched piece. It pulled apart just like roving.
My guess is one isn't supposed to severely block this weight of yarn, and if one does it once, don't even think of doing it again.
How would one do a Russian join in this instance? Unravel a bit sideways, to get enough to work with? The yarn really is teensy, almost like two plies of sewing thread. For that same reason, I'm not sure how to go about securing the edges with thread.
It's not going anywhere right now, so I have plenty of time to think about it and research.
Yes, I think you would have to unravel a bit just to give you enough to russian join with. It won't be for the faint of heart for sure, but that's the only thing I can think of unless you just want to 'sew up the hole'. The alpaca I used in the previous post is a two ply and I was able to join it russian style. Now, it might be a bit thicker yarn than yours, but it worked quite well and I was pleased with the results.
I sure would hate to see you 'trash' this after all your hard work. I've made this shaw and think it's so pretty. Good Luck and keep us posted on your results!!
I don't know if this will help you or not, but Jackie E-S has an article on repairing lace on her website:
http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/shawlrep.shtm
I hope that you can fix it!
... the shawl is fixed. There ended up being 8 holes (that I've found), and quite a few spots that will pull apart with any provocation. Pictures of the repair process are on my blog.
I'm glad it's done, and glad it's saved. Thanks, everyone!
I don't know. I'm so sorry.
oh I'm so sorry.
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