Over the past couple of weeks, I've gone back to working on the Tinkerbells shawl, knit in a heady blend of kid mohair and silk. I cannot get over how ridiculously soft this yarn is!!! As my friend pointed out, the name of this yarn, Cloud Silk, is the name of the two softest things!!! The halo from this crazy fuzz of knitting is absolutely delightful, and after winding up a second ball of it today, it was all I could do to stop myself from squishing my face right into it!! I completely understand the latest craze that is knitting with mohair held double with other yarn to add that beautiful halo, and even knitting sections of a garment in just silk mohair for an incredibly light fabric.
However, I am also learning some more things about mohair as I go. I am learning that frogging mohair is not an action to be done lightly... All those beautiful, long, wispy fibres that give that fantastic halo, are also likely to get caught when trying to pull out stitches. The simple approach is to just not make any mistakes in my mohair knitting... Easy, right?!
I also have no idea how to care for mohair... Do I just let it be wet for a while, and then let it dry again? will it really be cleaner? How are all these people who are making mohair garments also wearing their mohair garments without irritation?? I discussed this with some friends. and our best theory for cleaning it is to spray some fabric freshener into the air, and then wave the mohair garment gently through.
Is there a better way? Can mohair knitting be frogged without losing the gorgeous halo?! If you know, please tell me!! I'm nowhere near finishing this shawl, but i’d love to know how best to handle it as I knit, and when I'm done, I'd love to know what sort of care it needs!