How to Keep Crochet From Fraying

You went to the trouble of crocheting something; now keep it safe.

A little fraying along the end a piece of cut yarn is fairly typical, and generally looks fine. In fact, a small amount of fraying can help disguise any unevenness in the cut ends. Other loose ends from your crochet work can be woven into the fabric and hidden, where any fraying helps keep the yarn in place. However, if you don’t treat your crocheted items gently, you might end up with yarn that’s fraying in the middle of the work and it’ll be impossible to fix it without unraveling and redoing the crochet stitches.

Instructions

1. Keep your crocheted fabric away from all hook-and-loop-fasteners; the hook part of the fasteners will catch on the yarn anywhere in the fabric and fray it. For example, if you wear a crocheted scarf with a jacket that has hook-and-loop fasteners, take special care to tuck the scarf inside your jacket where the hook-and-loop can’t reach it.

2. Treat your crocheted products gently, keeping them away from abrasive surfaces that could rough up the fabric and fray it over time. This means always hanging or carefully storing the crocheted items so they don’t get stepped on, abraded or repeatedly stretched back and forth.

3. Wash your crocheted products following the care directions that came with them, or for the yarn used to make them. Usually this means washing them by hand. If you must machine-wash your crocheted items, place them in a mesh lingerie bag and wash them separately to reduce abrasion. Don't wash your crocheted items with rough items like jeans, and anything with a zipper or hook that could get caught in the crochet stitches and start cause them to fray.

Tips & Warnings

• Be especially careful when washing items crocheted from untreated wool. Don’t wring, twist or rub these fabrics. Not only can this sort of treatment stretch them permanently out of shape, but it may also cause the wool fibers to fray and lock together, which is the start of the felting process and cannot be reversed.

• If you’re trying to keep the cut ends of fringe from fraying, dip each strand into Fray Check or fabric glue. Either product should keep the ends from fraying, yet allow the yarn to stay flexible.