a few weeks ago i rediscovered this jumper in the bottom of my cupboards and was totally smitten with it all over again. what i noticed when i wore it though, was just how bad shape it is; i bought it off ebay, and it was clearly well-worn by its original owner, and with loads of wear comes loads of bobbling - a pretty unsightly look on such a pretty jumper, no?
with this in mind, and the fact we're now all frantically pulling our knitwear out of hiding for the next instalment of "winter in the uk", i thought i'd share with you all my number one tip for keeping your favourite jumpers and cardis in tip-top condition this season.
de-bobbler c/o george at asda
the de-bobbler is my actual favourite device ever. i remember my mum had one when i was a child, and i used to love helping her remove the bobbles from her well-worn winter clothes. i was a boring kid with no imagination, ok? the reason bobbles appear on fine knits is not just from over wear, but also over washing, and wearing too-many layers. when one fabric rubs up against another, over time the friction causes the fabric to raise and bunch.
the de-bobbler is kind of like a lawn mower for your jumper. you just turn it on and in a slow circular motions just navigate it over the area of the fabric that's affected by the bobbles. it's not an instant process - something i remembered only after getting frustrated that it didn't seem to be working, but gradually, and with a bit of patience, the bobbles start to be chewed up by the meal teeth and leave the jumper sleeve looking as good as new!
a thrifty mrs has another, similar idea for removing bobbles without having to invest in a de-bobbler (although, they're not even that expensive on amazon!) - providing you have yourself some velcro rollers hanging about the house of course (don't we all?). even if not, these are usually about a pound in your local cheap shops, so could be a nice and easy way to keep your winter woolies looking spiffy long after the season ends.
do you have your own tips for saving your favourite knits from the bobbles? i'd love to hear 'em!
