Just before I left for my trip to Germany I bought some cute argyle sweaters at Target. I just recently washed them and let them dry like usual but was surprised to find that they had these little balls of fabric on them. I didn't really think too much of it or notice it until after I had worn these sweaters for a while. I kept wondering why these little pieces and balls of fabric kept showing up wherever I was in the house: in the bathroom sink, on the couch where I had been sitting, etc. And then one night when I was changing into my p.j.s I noticed that the undershirt I had been wearing underneath the sweater was covered, and I mean covered, in lint and little balls and strings of fabric. The undershirt was green but it was so covered with fabric pieces from my black sweater that it looked more gray than green.
After being super annoyed for a while and asking myself What is the deal here? I realized what was going on. And after a quick google search I discovered the term for this. Apparently it's called pilling, and boy do I feel like an idiot for not knowing what this strange and superbly annoying phenomenon was called and for never having heard of it before.
Did I miss that part of Home Ec. where they go through different types of fabric and how they react to being washed or the best way to wash certain fabrics? Do Home Ec. classes even teach things like that? I don't know about you, but that was never a part of any Home Ec. class I ever took. It would have been nice if it had been. Sometimes I feel so clueless when it comes to fashion and fabrics and Home Ec-type stuff. So ill-prepared for future (I hope) endeavors. Regardless, I now know what pilling is and I have just discovered how to remove this annoying phenomenon which is now plaguing me and my favorite sweaters! Here are two articles about it which I hope will be helpful:
http://www.ehow.com/how_113477_remove-pilling-clothing.html
http://missourifamilies.org/quick/materialqa/material13.htm
I plan on following these tips for removing pilling as soon as I can get the comb they suggest. Sadly, until I can acquire this, I will not be wearing these sweaters anymore.
Jocey! The only reason I know anything about piling is cause I worked at a dry cleaners in high school You could also use a think called a fabric "brick." Get the sweater wet and run the brick all over the sweater to get all of the infuriating little balls off. I hope you are well! I miss you!!!
ReplyDelete