I thought I was gonna have this guy done today but I had a problem. I put his eyes in and was sewing his nose according to directions. The more I handled him the more the black cotton seemed to smear into the white. I looked at my fingers and they were turning black. Oops!
Thank goodness the safety eyes were backed with metal washers because I could use my pliers to get them off and fix them again. I've tried taking several pictures but the smearing isn't showing up well. Trust me I see it!
I'm not the only person who has had this problem. This type of cotton, which comes from a good company, is often used for dish clothes. With certain colors people have had my problem. When you want to set colors you usually use vinegar. I found a recipe online that recommended 8 cups hot water, 1/2 cup table salt and 1 cup vinegar.
My biggest concern was ending up with a spaghetti mess. I let out the yarn in big circles around the bowl because the solution wouldn't penetrate otherwise. I let it soak for a while and then rinsed it carefully under the tap for a while without agitating it. You'll notice I marked the end of the skein so I could find it again. I took my time winding after it soaked. With the winding hand I used my fingers to squeegee the yarn as I wound.
As you can see from my fingers and the remaining water I need to redo this process.
That's what I'm doing now. I'm going to make sure my rinse water is very cold this time and that I rinse longer than 30 seconds. Stay tuned!
Oh holy crap, what a lot of work! I hope the new yarn doesn't bleed and doesn't require a bath!
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