Finally someone speaks out against the sweater comb. Even high-end shops like Margaret Howell sell it and I always thought "well, I :ust be using it wrong because mine just snags the fabric". It's a dreadful little thing that damages your most precious sweaters.
It’s always felt odd to me that boutiques and exclusive clothes shops still insist on pushing these, alongside chain stores too. We’d not want to return if the retailer had encouraged us to ruin an item of knitwear! Happy de-pilling 🧶
I'm so glad I decided to watch your video before purchasing a sweater comb! I saw one being used by Martha Stewart and thought it'd be the perfect solution for my lumpy sweaters. I was about to order one when I found your video. Thanks for educating us sweater owners :)
Hi I just pulled a buch of strings from my favorite sweater with the one that looks like a coat hanger, I just found this video and found it very educational, thank you kindly British lady , I'm going to buy myself one of those electric shavers instead
So glad you found it helpful I was pulling strings off this weekend - best to gently ease them out, then cut them with scissors, then depill everything else with the shaver. I was finding the longer ones getting caught in the blades.
I purchased a 100% wool hand knitted sweater at an estate sale for $8 US dollars. It was knitted in West Germany. It was obviously knitted before the wall came down in 1989. It never pilled. It looks brand new and gorgeous.
I am 70 and I didn't know about the little brown one that they sell I have one and was using it all the time, now I will go out and buy a battery depiller thanks again
Hannah, I feel so thankful to have found your video. It was extremely helpful (I'm from Florida and had no clue, though it sounds very useful to regular sweater wearers). Also, it was so well made and you have such a calming, pleasant demeanor that I really enjoyed the process. Thank you! I'm sharing this with my mother.
Thank you so much for this, I have tried looking for things like this in the past, but none used items I already had at home! I will definitely be using these tips!
40 years ago, my woollen sweaters did not need depilling. It was unheard of back then. I think it's caused by very poor quality wool, and now poor quality acrylic. And even expensive knitwear is made of this poor quality wool.
With the shorter fibres and fleeces that make the yarn now it’s more prone to pulling unfortunately. I have found that after a few full treatments it then only needs occasional touching up. 🧶
@@KnitWithHannah Why do they use shorter wool fibres when it causes so much pilling on the garments? The answer must be because it's cheaper. The quality is so bad. Thankyou
I'm so glad you made this video. I find someone who knits and knows about different types of yarns and fibres more knowledgeable and credible than quick viral hacks accounts. 💖💐
Very useful info. I tried the battery operated thingy, did not work, tape, lint brush, lint roller, did not work. The Razor worked! Yay! Thank you for this!❤
Glad you found a way that worked. It can completely depend on the type of fabric to which works better. I switch between battery razor and manual, and will use scissors on some too. Happy depilling! 🧶
Thank you for this!! I have a cardi/jacket in acrylic - quite thick and firm - which i ususlly avoid buying, but i liked it so much and they were in the sale at a fantastic price i bought 2! A year later the camel one is looking disgusting, and was ready for gardening wear and then textile recyling - not any more its not! I have tried all the things before except a razor and for mine it was brilliant, totally transformed it. Off out in it now, feeling warm and quite smart 😄
Hello, thank you so much for the video! 1. Which brand of the depilling machine do you use? Could you send a link? 2. For a bit more delicate/chunky knitwear, would you still use the machine? Xx
I’ve found one is generally as good as another. Mine is a Waken WK-101 For thicker knitwear I do use the shaver, but If the texture is very bumpy and stretching it out doesn’t help I’ll go for carefully using the small pair of scissors.
Hi Hannah, Do you know if there is any particular oil that could be added to the hand wash of wollen hand knits und would more or less create a sealing effect of the wool? Thank you for all your valuable tipps and advise 😊
I've not come across a particular oil for that purpose. There are laundry liquids made specifically for handmade knitwear by companies like Eucalan and The Clothes Doctor. Not trued them myself, but hear they are worth trying. Happy knitting 🧶🎄
On a coat I use a pair of small sharp scissors very carefully for each bobble one at a time. The shaver might work, but it will depend on the fabric that you’re working with.
Is it possible to revitalize an old black sweatshirt with a shaver + dye it with black dye? Should I remove the bobbles first and then wash the shirt with dye? What would be the best order to do this thing?
I have an issue with a cardigan that has pills so large that they won't fit through the holes on the motored depiller. I was wondering if they make ones with larger holes for such purposes.
In these cases I go for individually snipping them off with scissors. Might take a few sessions, but take your time it’ll be done much more neatly and cleanly this way.
I've done this carefully with large adhesive tape. And also (don't tell!) I lick my hand and wipe it over the fabric, which means the lint clumps together thanks to the moisture. Happy de-linting!
I was too, until I investigated why I didn’t seem to have any long-lasting improvement from my efforts. So glad we’re on the right track now! Happy depilling. 🧶
The best option is to use the de-piller before washing and use a low-agitation and low-temperature cycle or hand wash. I have a machine with a wool cycle, which serves well.
Thank you so much! I bought a lovely jacket a few weeks ago but I go to university every day so my jackets tend to bobble in no time, even the new ones. I use razors most of the time but the jackets texture don't seem right to me after it. Is it wrong to use it with heavy jackets? I also bought an electric bobble remover but I think it doesn't work well. Do you recommend a specific brand?
The jacket fabric will make a difference. A coat I had with a loose weave needed individual bobbles cut with scissors. Once I’d done it a few times there wasn’t a problem anymore.
May I please enquire about the benefit of the depill then wash? I’ve done it the other way round. I wonder if the sequence helps? Btw, I could here all day and depill. I find it soothing and makes the garment look new. I’ve got a Phillips, I am not sure if your brand is readily available where I am. Thankyou for your video xx
Hi Jennifer, I talked about this in the declutter love this week, if you’d like to see the full explanation. Basically as soon as you wash something, the warm water and agitation will felt the pills together even just a little bit if you’re washing in hand-temperature and low agitation, so it’ll be more difficult to remove the pills once it’s dry.
My grandmother just knit me the most beautiful sweater, but sadly, after only one wear, it started to make these awful large fluffs, not even pills. It feels like an acrylic yarn. I definitely won't be able to shave it off, and I'm scared to use a batery depiller. But I don't think I'll be able to get rid of it all with a pair of scissors, and if I will, it will take ages 😭
Yes, the newer yarns are more often made with shorter fibres, so the pills appear more readily. The electric shaver will work quite well as the guard is there between the cable and the blade, it’s just a case of stretching out the cables to make it a smoother shave.
Finally someone speaks out against the sweater comb. Even high-end shops like Margaret Howell sell it and I always thought "well, I :ust be using it wrong because mine just snags the fabric". It's a dreadful little thing that damages your most precious sweaters.
It’s always felt odd to me that boutiques and exclusive clothes shops still insist on pushing these, alongside chain stores too. We’d not want to return if the retailer had encouraged us to ruin an item of knitwear! Happy de-pilling 🧶
I’ve already used the comb is there anyway of saving my brand new jumper 🥺🥲 xx
I'm so glad I decided to watch your video before purchasing a sweater comb! I saw one being used by Martha Stewart and thought it'd be the perfect solution for my lumpy sweaters. I was about to order one when I found your video. Thanks for educating us sweater owners :)
What a great find, before you got the sweater comb! So glad you looked it up before making a final decision. Happy de-pilling! 🧶
Hi I just pulled a buch of strings from my favorite sweater with the one that looks like a coat hanger, I just found this video and found it very educational, thank you kindly British lady , I'm going to buy myself one of those electric shavers instead
So glad you found it helpful I was pulling strings off this weekend - best to gently ease them out, then cut them with scissors, then depill everything else with the shaver. I was finding the longer ones getting caught in the blades.
I purchased a 100% wool hand knitted sweater at an estate sale for $8 US dollars. It was knitted in West Germany. It was obviously knitted before the wall came down in 1989. It never pilled. It looks brand new and gorgeous.
That was a good find! bet you'll enjoy wearing that. The quality knits from yesteryear do last longer. Happy knitting 🧶
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I found this video just in time for the change of seasons here in North Carolina, USA. Very helpful!
Great, so glad it found you at the right time! Happy depilling! 🧶
Great advice. Practical, inexpensive and gentle on my treasured woolen knits. Happy New Year!
Happy new year!
Gotta love RUclips. Always learning a ton. Am using a razor on my polyester wool hat and it working awesome.
Oh, yes! You never know is you just stick it in search! 🔍 🔎
I am 70 and I didn't know about the little brown one that they sell I have one and was using it all the time, now I will go out and buy a battery depiller thanks again
Good plan! You may notice that you’ll be devilling less often. Happy knitting 🧶
Hannah, I feel so thankful to have found your video. It was extremely helpful (I'm from Florida and had no clue, though it sounds very useful to regular sweater wearers). Also, it was so well made and you have such a calming, pleasant demeanor that I really enjoyed the process. Thank you! I'm sharing this with my mother.
I'm so glad! Happy knitting 🧶
Thank you so much for this, I have tried looking for things like this in the past, but none used items I already had at home! I will definitely be using these tips!
Hi Carole, yes, let’s not over-complicate! Happy depilling! 🧶
40 years ago, my woollen sweaters did not need depilling. It was unheard of back then. I think it's caused by very poor quality wool, and now poor quality acrylic. And even expensive knitwear is made of this poor quality wool.
With the shorter fibres and fleeces that make the yarn now it’s more prone to pulling unfortunately. I have found that after a few full treatments it then only needs occasional touching up. 🧶
Oh wow thats good to know and wow says a lot about being charged so much for cheap fabric 😐
@@KnitWithHannah Why do they use shorter wool fibres when it causes so much pilling on the garments? The answer must be because it's cheaper. The quality is so bad. Thankyou
I wonder if harsher high-powered washing machines have anything to do with it too?
@@FancyHorseLover I always hand washed woollens, never put in a machine.
I'm so glad you made this video. I find someone who knits and knows about different types of yarns and fibres more knowledgeable and credible than quick viral hacks accounts. 💖💐
Glad it was helpful! Happy de-pilling! 🧶
Thank you so much for this helpful video. I've had a razor to hand and have just used it on my cardigan. It's turned out great! 😊
Fabulous! happy knitting 🧶
Very useful info. I tried the battery operated thingy, did not work, tape, lint brush, lint roller, did not work. The Razor worked! Yay! Thank you for this!❤
Glad you found a way that worked. It can completely depend on the type of fabric to which works better. I switch between battery razor and manual, and will use scissors on some too.
Happy depilling! 🧶
Watching you from Colombia. Tks for the tips.
Thanks for watching! Happy knitting 🧶
Thanks Hannah i will definitely be buying one now.
Great! So glad the video was helpful. 🧶
Iam from TAMILNADU India. Very helpful for me too.👍
Hi Jal, happy knitting! 🧶
This is incredibly helpful. Thank you
I'm so glad you found this helpful! thanks for the comment. :D Happy knitting. 🧶
Thank you for this!! I have a cardi/jacket in acrylic - quite thick and firm - which i ususlly avoid buying, but i liked it so much and they were in the sale at a fantastic price i bought 2!
A year later the camel one is looking disgusting, and was ready for gardening wear and then textile recyling - not any more its not!
I have tried all the things before except a razor and for mine it was brilliant, totally transformed it.
Off out in it now, feeling warm and quite smart 😄
That’s great news! 🧶
thank you for this video. the pilling on my wool beanies has bothered me for a while - now I know the best way to handle it!
You're welcome!
Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🧶
Thank you. Wish I had seen this before buying the Sweater comb and using it !
You're so welcome. No more hassled knitwear from now on. Happy knitting 🧶
Great video, thank you!
You’re welcome! Perfect time of year to do some de-bobbling. 🧶
You just saved me a lot of money! Thank you very much for the video. 🙂
haha! It took a lot of trial and error over years to realise what is and isn't going to do the job! Happy knitting 🧶
Thank you. Very helpful. I know what to do now.
Glad this was helpful. Happy de-pilling! 🧶
I used to have the bad habit of pulling them out while watching TV, on the phone etc. It was hard to break!
I think you may not be alone there! 😉 🧶
very informative....thanks a lot for this video!
Glad it was helpful! Happy knitting 🧶
Hi Hannah,
Thank you for some helpful information😀🧶
KimX
Hi Kim, so glad it was helpful for you. Happy depilling! 🧶
Hello, thank you so much for the video!
1. Which brand of the depilling machine do you use? Could you send a link?
2. For a bit more delicate/chunky knitwear, would you still use the machine?
Xx
I’ve found one is generally as good as another. Mine is a Waken WK-101
For thicker knitwear I do use the shaver, but If the texture is very bumpy and stretching it out doesn’t help I’ll go for carefully using the small pair of scissors.
that is brilliant!! thank you so much
You're very welcome! happy knitting 🧶
Hi Hannah,
Do you know if there is any particular oil that could be added to the hand wash of wollen hand knits und would more or less create a sealing effect of the wool? Thank you for all your valuable tipps and advise 😊
I've not come across a particular oil for that purpose. There are laundry liquids made specifically for handmade knitwear by companies like Eucalan and The Clothes Doctor. Not trued them myself, but hear they are worth trying. Happy knitting 🧶🎄
Thank you, Hannah. 🧶🤓
You’re so welcome! 🧶
Which tool shall i use to remove bobble on my wool coat?
On a coat I use a pair of small sharp scissors very carefully for each bobble one at a time.
The shaver might work, but it will depend on the fabric that you’re working with.
Thank you so much this helped me sm
I'm so glad to hear that. :D happy knitting!
Is it possible to revitalize an old black sweatshirt with a shaver + dye it with black dye? Should I remove the bobbles first and then wash the shirt with dye? What would be the best order to do this thing?
Shave it first definitely. You might find you like it then, without dyeing, but unlikely the other way round.
Good luck! 🧶
Thank you so much, so helpful! 💗
You're so welcome. Happy depilling! 🧶
I have an issue with a cardigan that has pills so large that they won't fit through the holes on the motored depiller. I was wondering if they make ones with larger holes for such purposes.
In these cases I go for individually snipping them off with scissors. Might take a few sessions, but take your time it’ll be done much more neatly and cleanly this way.
What an excellent video, thank you :)
You're very welcome! Happy knitting 🧶
So what’s the best way to remove lint (not depile) a wool sweater?
I've done this carefully with large adhesive tape. And also (don't tell!) I lick my hand and wipe it over the fabric, which means the lint clumps together thanks to the moisture. Happy de-linting!
Thank you! I am shocked some of the tools I been using were actually damaging the fabric.
I was too, until I investigated why I didn’t seem to have any long-lasting improvement from my efforts. So glad we’re on the right track now! Happy depilling. 🧶
Question here...is there a particular way to wash things to avoid bobbles
The best option is to use the de-piller before washing and use a low-agitation
and low-temperature cycle or hand wash. I have a machine with a wool cycle, which serves well.
Would the battery depiller work on a garter stitch hand knit sweater?
Yes, I use them all all knit-stitch patterns.
Thank you so much! I bought a lovely jacket a few weeks ago but I go to university every day so my jackets tend to bobble in no time, even the new ones.
I use razors most of the time but the jackets texture don't seem right to me after it. Is it wrong to use it with heavy jackets?
I also bought an electric bobble remover but I think it doesn't work well. Do you recommend a specific brand?
The jacket fabric will make a difference. A coat I had with a loose weave needed individual bobbles cut with scissors. Once I’d done it a few times there wasn’t a problem anymore.
May I please enquire about the benefit of the depill then wash? I’ve done it the other way round. I wonder if the sequence helps? Btw, I could here all day and depill. I find it soothing and makes the garment look new. I’ve got a Phillips, I am not sure if your brand is readily available where I am. Thankyou for your video xx
Hi Jennifer, I talked about this in the declutter love this week, if you’d like to see the full explanation. Basically as soon as you wash something, the warm water and agitation will felt the pills together even just a little bit if you’re washing in hand-temperature and low agitation, so it’ll be more difficult to remove the pills once it’s dry.
My grandmother just knit me the most beautiful sweater, but sadly, after only one wear, it started to make these awful large fluffs, not even pills. It feels like an acrylic yarn. I definitely won't be able to shave it off, and I'm scared to use a batery depiller. But I don't think I'll be able to get rid of it all with a pair of scissors, and if I will, it will take ages 😭
Yes, the newer yarns are more often made with shorter fibres, so the pills appear more readily. The electric shaver will work quite well as the guard is there between the cable and the blade, it’s just a case of stretching out the cables to make it a smoother shave.
Zen
Happy debobbling! 🧶
There's supposed to be a heatwave next week! X😊
I can't believe it's got so warm again! 🥵