Commerce
Last time we chatted about the critters of the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival. This time, let’s talk about the loot. Now, I’m normally rather restrained at these events. I just don’t go through much yarn (and when I do knit something, I like it to be in a yarn I can use for a pattern, and that imposes a whole new set of constraints on my shopping). But I did find a few goodies.
The first is some long, wooden dpns. I used to think I didn’t care for wooden dpns (and I still don’t like them at small sizes). But then, when I was at the Japanese dollar store in San Francisco, I learned the error of my ways. Really long (like 14 inches) dpns are amazing for hats and cowls and just about anything else. The only thing I don’t like about them is they’re hard to find.
Until now.
One of the stands at the fair had them (plus shorter ones, plus crochet hooks, plus regular needles…plenty of good stuff to be had). It took every bit of my self restraint not to just get a set in every size. I somehow managed to limit myself to just one set of 7s, 8s, and 9s.
They’re from Twin Birch Products, and the only thing that kept me from buying them all was the reassurance that I could get more on their website if I found I needed them. I’m sharing the link with you only on the condition that you promise to leave some for me and not buy them all for yourself.
Now I also bought a bit of yarn too, but here the story is a bit more complicated. First, let’s see the pretty.
Beautiful, aren’t they? That top one is a 80/20 targhee silk blend in a lovely dk weight that will be perfect for thick socks. And the bottom one is a corridale fingering weight with one of the prettiest dye jobs I’ve ever seen. I suspect it will become some cuffs and a cowl. They’re both absolutely lovely.
And they smell.
Not like sheep (which I would understand), or vinegar (that’s cool too), but like strong perfume or incense. At the fiber festival (outside, in a stiff breeze, with the scents of critters and food vendors in the air), it was noticeable but subtle. Once I got them home, it was a punch in the face. There is no way I could work with the yarn in that state.
I tried emailing the address on the card to ask if they had any suggestions (or if I could replace it with unscented yarn), and my email bounced. Then I tried going to the website listed on the card, and it’s down. So I turned to twitter (and got lots of helpful suggestions).
I tried hanging them in the sunshine for a day or so. No luck. I tried washing them with my favorite wool wash. No luck. I tried a soak in vinegar, then a few more in wool wash. That took care of one of them and helped the other, so I’ve not given up hope. But really, it’s turned from ‘yarn I was really excited about and totally wanted to cast on’ to ‘huh, I wonder if this can be salvaged or if it’s a total waste of time and money.’
Now I realize I’m maybe too picky. I hate almost all scented things and have a rather enthusiastic sense of smell. So I thought I’d ask you guys. How do you feel about scented yarn? Have you ever gotten rid of or stopped buying a particular yarn because of the way they smell (I have actually stopped using one company’s yarns because they put a scent on them, and it means I can’t comfortably work with them or wear the things made from them)? Do you have any other suggestions to get the scent out?
I really want to use this yarn, it’s beautiful, I just need to find a way to fix it first!
I can’t use much that is scented. I’m pretty sensitive to smells, but DH is very sensitive. I finally found a perfume I can wear and there is no way I’m changing it.
I probably would have had to put it in a bag and destash before this point. You have much more determination than I.
Have you tried coffee? Ground, unused coffee place in a small muslin sack so it won’t touch yarn will absorb most smells. We kept hundreds of stored book and papers in book boxes over the years with good results. The only caution is that the coffee can’t get wet and stain the yarn…so perhaps in a plastic box with a “sachet” of coffee for a week might do the trick.
I also do not like scented things. If it smells, I won’t buy it unless it is easily washable (as in throw it in the washing machine on my way in the door). I wash fleeces in Dawn, and the scent lingers for a loooong time. Rewashing helps.
Perhaps an unscented laundry detergent might work?
I find Unicorn Power Scour usually takes care of sheepy smells in wool. In fact I did wash some store brand gray yarn before I could knit with it. However I bought some herbal essential oil drops for deterring insects and washed some of my knitted items with it before storing in plastic bins. The scent was much stronger after storage. I am finding the more I wash the items the less they smell and airing out helps. I only used one drop so if you figure this out please let me know.
Scent on yarn will chase me out of a booth at a fiber event so fast. Sometimes it even means I leave that part of a building.
The classic treatment for mildew in books is an airtight container filled with cedar shavings (dog bed filler). Put the books in open, close the container and set it away for at least three months. When the container is opened plenty of fresh air and a bit of sun to remove the cedar smell Worth a try?
It depends on the smell and the strength of the smell – I’d avoid yarn with a perfume/fake smell, especially if it was strong. If it was a more natural smell, and only lightly scented I’d likely buy it. But I don’t see why scent should be added to yarn…
I’m with CatieP, why scent yarn? I’m not super-sensitive but don’t like “fragrances” much. I’m especially puzzled by the popularity of those plug in things that smell up store or houses like fake flowers. Lately I’m into natural colored yarn and don’t mind a bit of good clean animal scent to it. Try activated charcoal (from an aquarium store) in a plastic bag to absorb the smell. What’s wrong with smelling like yourself? I don’t get it but then I’m getting old and grumpy.
I am getting more and more sensitive to smells as I get older. A good honest sheep smell makes me smile, but a fake, strong perfume, nope. I’ve lived through too many migraines to let perfume set me off.
Sounds like you’re getting good suggestions. I guess we all have a good excuse to bury our noses before we buy now.
Two suggestions! 1. line a plastic bin that has a tight cover with paper towels. Then a layer of good old charcoal. Then a layer of newspaper, followed by paper towels, then the yarn (untwisted and spread out. Close up for a few days, and open up for a sniff. If still smelly, you might change the charcoal and paper and close up again. 2. Give it a GOOD and long hot water soak with a generous douse of Synthrapol. I’d let is soak all day, the rinse (will take a lot of rinsing to remove all the suds), spin and air dry. If still smelly, repeat. Might take a few times to remove all the fragrance/whatever molecules. Good luck! 🙂
Scented yarn? Just ridiculous. It would go on my blacklist along with all those awful plug in “air-fresheners” and the dreadful dangly things people hang up in their cars. I’ll happily bury my face in yarn with a genuine sheepiness, but I’m fussy in my choice of perfume, and certainly don’t want cheap scent imposed on me. I call that yarn treachery!
I am totally with you on the scent thing. I am going to suggest something to you which I have not tried, but plan to try. I just listened to an audiobook called ‘the Power of Habit’. In it was a story on the invention of and the failed marketing attempts for Fabreeze. Fabreeze is an unscented molecule which absorbs oders into its molecular structure. The active ingredient in Fabreeze is order less and colorless. The company had to add scent to it to get consumers to buy it. But the still do manufacture unscented Fabreeze (I had to order it online). It just arrived this week. I plan to use it to decontaminate my college boy’s oders. It is worth a try. Up until I listened to this audiobook, I thought Fabreeze was another ‘Glade’ type product which covered up odors. Ok then….love your blog and your writing style–super love your knitting adventures. Rita
You found it!! I, too, have heard that story, and thought unscented Febreeze was a thng that no longer existed. Thanks for mentioning it, and prompting me to go looking for it again. I may just have to get some for us, too. Thank you!
How awful!
I do understand your frustration, because I can get a sinus headache just walking down the detergent aisle in a grocery store; I would have to return, or pitch that yarn. I doubt I could be in the same room with it, much less knit with it.
Which is a crying shame, because they’re both beautiful, especially the Corriedale.
I’m with you. I can’t tolerate most perfumes. I get terrible sinus headaches and I end up feeling angry that others impose their scents on me. Winter is the hardest because of the enclosed spaces. I’m fine with natural essential oils. Anyway, despite the gorgeousness of the yarns, I would have a hard time dealing with it. There are good suggestions here. I hope one of them works for you!
Wow! I never heard of scented yarn. That would be horrible as several people I know are allergic or highly scents-itive.
I don’t get it either. Why detract from a beautiful yarn?
I did a quick search on Ravelry. Relatively few projects for this yarn, but no one I saw had any complaints about the odor. Maybe this was a new thing for them, or just an experiment. Would like to know what happened to the company, though.
I am very sensitive to smells and have hung yarn in the garage for a couple of weeks as it was part of a club and came with some scented soaps. Soaps in the garbage and yarn to the garage.
No, I say NO to scented yarns. Wool smells so beautiful on its own. As a person with a neighbour who has the annoying habit of burning incense, I can definitely say it is not pleasant.The only thing I can tolerate is a light touch of essential oil like lavender, rosemary or tea tree
I generally can’t smell very well. It’s kind of odd, but has come in handy more than once in my life when there was something gross in the air. If there’s a very strong smell in the air (think toxic), I can smell it and have a low tolerance, but I spend a great deal of time smelling nothing. If I could smell perfume on a yarn, I’d have to get that cleared up right away. ugh! Glad you got it sorted!
Yarn Daze yarn itself is not scented. The people who dye the yarn also make handmade goat milk soap and everything gets packed and displayed together, so the scent in the yarn is just because it’s been stored near scented soap. I have lots of Yarn Daze yarn and although I’m sensitive to scents, their yarn hasn’t bothered me a bit. The scent has diluted out considerably just by leaving it in the open for a while. Yarn Daze makes beautiful yarn – some of the loveliest I’ve ever seen, so I thought I’d speak out in their defense.