About the fringe on garters...

[AKScott]

I see my favorite pair of garter flashes is starting to fray. I noticed I had about four threads longer than all the other ones, on three of the four ends available.

I was hoping I might find some "short" threads in the mix to pull on, but alas the knitting is starting to come undone, but only one stitch.

Hot glue? I would have to replace them if I can't fix them, the look is already a bit disheveled.

Thanks.

[Father Bill]

What about a couple of rows of stitching across the garters and then even them out with embroidery scissors? I'd avoid glue. Stiffen them up and make them unpleasant to use.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

When I occasionally get a thread coming loose and hanging longer than the others, I just trim it with scissors.

[creagdhubh]

When I occasionally get a thread coming loose and hanging longer than the others, I just trim it with scissors.

Yep, me too.

[piperdbh]

If they're knitted, and a stitch has come loose, it means the yarn has broken. Find the two ends and tie them together. If the garter is woven, and a thread has come loose, just trim it with scissors. You might put a drop of Super Glue on the end of the garter to prevent further fraying, but it will always look wet.

[TheOfficialBren]

I knotted the ends just behind the fray on mine. Problem solved.

[AKScott]

I guess I'll have to study on this some more. It looks like the stitching is some variant of what I know as "crochet", IIRc a good yank will undo the whole thing.

[Dale Seago]

When I occasionally get a thread coming loose and hanging longer than the others, I just trim it with scissors.

Yep, me too.

So do I.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I wish I had a picture of the way these are made; it's pretty neat. Basically, a knitting machine is set up that knits two narrow bands joined by a web of unknit yarns. So, imagine a scarf of sorts where only the long edges were knit together, connected by loose threads in the middle.

The whole thing is cut down the center, freeing the left and right sides from each other, so you now have a long knit "rope" of sorts with a long fringe coming off of the side. That is what is used to form the fringe for the garters.

The garters themselves are knit in one long continuous length, which is then cut to size. Finally the small fringes are sewn on by hand to finish the whole thing.

I do have a photo of one of the machines the garters are knit on (complete with the world's longest garter coiled at its base).


And the fringe being sewn on. If you look on the table to the sewer's left you will see a brick red garter. Hanging down to her feet on her right is a coiled length of the fringing, which will be clipped after she finishes sewing it to the garter.

[Hopper250]

A 0 crochet hook might fix that, or a needle would probably be best. Get as close as you can to the loop and use the needle to pull it though. Then do the same thing back under itself if there is still extra thread.