Ahem (clears throat theatrically) *~*~*This Is Why We Wash Our Swatches*~*~*

I knew this was going to change dramatically after I washed it, but this is even more of a change than I was expecting.

This was enough of a change that I knit (and then didn’t block) a second, identical swatch, just so I could show you the difference.

The unwashed fabric is curly (as one would expect from stockinette) and a little crunchy (rough enough that I wouldn’t want to wear it next to my skin, and I have a pretty high rustic wool tolerance). The stitches are significantly more uneven than my usual knitting (the yarn was grabby enough it was hard to get perfectly even stitches), and there were visible spaces between the stitches.

The washed (in hot water! with literal dish soap! and vigorous scrubbing between my fingers!) fabric lays down perfectly flat (I didn’t pin it out, just laid it down) and so soft I keep rubbing it against my cheek to revel in it. The stitches have straightened up, and the yarn bloomed beautifully and filled in all those spaces.

It’s one of the more dramatic transformations I’ve ever seen, and I love love love the way it looks after a wash.

Do with this information what you will, but if this doesn’t convince you to wash your swatches, nothing will.

Here endeth the lecture.