Snags in wool and cashmere
What changes on wool and cashmere. A knit is one continuous yarn in rows, so the excess from a pull can be spread back along the row until it disappears. A woven fabric has nowhere to put it.
The method for wool and cashmere
- 1Never cut it: on a knit a cut loop unravels along the whole row, which is a far worse failure than on a woven.
- 2Draw the loop through to the inside with a snag needle.
- 3Spread the slack a stitch at a time in BOTH directions along the row. This is the step that only works on a knit and it is why wool snags vanish and silk ones do not.
- 4Steam and dry flat.
- 5If the yarn has broken rather than pulled, stop and darn it instead. A broken yarn in a knit will run.
What ruins it
Do not stretch the garment across the snag before releasing the loop. On a knit that tightens the neighbouring stitches around the pull and locks it in.
The general case, and what it costs you
The general method, the detection notes and what this does to a garment's resale value are on the snags and pulls page.
Ready to Grade Smarter?
Join resellers who trust GradeThread to standardize condition grading, build buyer confidence, and sell faster.