How To: Dealing with Stiff Circs
Every knitter who uses circs knows the struggle of wrestling with the cords of cheap circs. You take them out of the package, expecting the cord to unwind only to end up with this:
Ugh.
Seriously the worst.
And it’s not like they’ll gradually soften and straighten as you knit – no matter how much you pull, that spiral stays.
Except, I figured out how to make it go away.
(Or rather, my father suggested it to my mom who then tried it, found out it works, and then told me… but anyway…)
All it takes is a little bit of hot water and about 5 minutes total.
All you do is heat some water to boiling (or near boiling)*. I just put it in the microwave for about 4 minutes.
Once your water is hot, dip your cord in the hot water for 10 seconds (make sure you don’t put it in far enough that the joint between the needle and the cord touches the water – make sure it’s JUST the cord), take it out, and pull it straight.
Hold it straight for 30 seconds until the cord cools – essentially what you’re doing is melting the cord ever-so-slightly and allowing it to resolidify in its new, straight form.
If it’s still not uncurled enough, dip again and repeat the process.
And that’s it! Now you have a nice, relaxed circ cord!
