Kauni Woes
The Wool Peddler shawl is blocking right now and I am a bit upset about it. I like the pattern, love the color, but after multiple washes and rinses the yarn stinks like sheep in a disturbing way. I've had unskirted merino fleeces that smelled less foul than this yarn.
If the offending odor doesn't fade away, I don't know what I am going to do with the rest of my Kauni. I swapped some yarn I wasn't using with a Canadian knitter on Ravelry so in addition to a good leftover from the blue cone, now I also have two big skeins in a beautiful brown color palette. Keeping my fingers crossed here.
I wonder why I haven't seen any mention of the smell issue on other blogs. I know that I am highly sensitive to smells, but surely this is too much to go unnoticed even by normal people.
Another feature I could do without is the presence of guard hairs and vegetable matter. I suppose I have grown rather spoiled by knitting lace for a year using supersoft yarns. That'll teach me…
Comments
I haven't blocked it yet, but I'm knitting a sweater with Kathmandu Aran. It's a really annoying yarn to knit with, especially because of the chaff that constantly needs to be removed. Yet plenty of other knitters seem to love it. Go figure. I know I will never knit with it again. So I'm in real sympathy with you. Good luck!
Posted by: Katie K | January 27, 2008 5:48 PM
Missed you yesterday. Hope all is well.
Posted by: theresa | January 27, 2008 7:44 PM
How odd. I haven't seen anyone mention this problem. Does it smell bad when it's dry? If not, then you might just grin and bear it during blocking (use noseplugs).
Posted by: fleegle | January 28, 2008 2:11 AM
My bet is that once dry , the smell will be gone . I have often noticed that pure wool can smell terribly bad when wet and not when dry . Keeping my fingers crossed for the smell and more .... VBG
Danièle with lots of EK Kauni in her stash
Posted by: Danièle | January 28, 2008 3:49 AM
put the shawl in a bag with a sheet of unscented fabric softener and leave it in there for a couple of days; or, you live in a warm climate, yes? if you're not afraid of it fading, hang it outside in sunshine for a day or two and see if that helps -
Posted by: margaret | January 28, 2008 6:55 AM
Really? This is the first time I hear about a yarn stinking *after* washing! Can't think of any solution ... but maybe let it hang in well-ventilated area for a while after blocking?
Posted by: Agnes | January 28, 2008 8:21 AM
Hello,
I just happened upon your site while looking up the Japanese Kanji for "awake" and I'd like to say you're incredibly talented!
I enjoyed looking the photos of all your creations and the shots of the cats were humorous too. Keep up the excellent work!
Take Care,
* Jen
Posted by: Jennifer Seeley | January 28, 2008 10:16 PM
Sorry for the issues you're having! If you don't want to knit with the brown, I will offer to swap or buy it from you! If you're interested, e-mail me at knitternutter at gmail dot com.
Posted by: Lotta | January 29, 2008 8:58 AM
You could try putting a dryer sheet in the bag where you keep the yarn. Or add some essential oil (lavender, eucalyptus?) to the rinse water. I hope you solve the problem because the color of that yarn is amazing! So rich and autumnal... it would be a shame if you couldn't knit with it.
Posted by: Beth S. | January 29, 2008 12:15 PM