Utopia - Knit & Purl Restorative Hand Balm

$15.00
Scent

You definitely don't have to be a knitter to appreciate this hardworking hand salve. Made with a rich blend of plant-based ingredients including shea, aloe, macadamia, and arnica oils, it's designed to condition dry, rough skin while leaving your hands comfortable and ready to get back to whatever you're making.

The concentrated, relatively dry formula makes it especially useful for fiber artists. Smooth a small amount over rough fingertips, cuticles, or dry patches without the overly greasy feel you don't want when you're about to handle beautiful yarn or fiber. Start with just a little and add more as needed.

And it doesn't have to stay in your project bag. Use it on dry cuticles, elbows, knees, or other rough areas; apply it before pulling on your garden gloves; smooth a tiny amount over flyaway hair; or use it as a protective balm on exposed skin during cold, windy weather.

Packaged in a reusable 1.5-ounce tin that's easy to toss into a project bag, purse, or travel kit—and once it's empty, the tin makes a pretty handy home for stitch markers and other tiny notions.

Available in an assortment of fragrances as well as an unscented option.

Technical Specifications

• Product Type: Moisturizing Hand & Skin Salve
• Featured Ingredients: Shea, Aloe, Macadamia & Arnica Oils
• Net Weight: 1.5 oz
• Formula: Concentrated Salve
• Packaging: Reusable Tin
• Options: Assorted Fragrances & Unscented

Why We Love It at A Show of Hands

This one really does belong in a project bag. Rough fingertips and delicate yarn aren't a great combination, and we love that you can work a small amount of this salve into a dry spot without coating your hands in a heavy lotion.

It's also one of those wonderfully multipurpose products you'll find yourself reaching for well beyond knitting—cuticles, dry patches, garden-worn hands, and whatever else needs a little extra moisture.

Perfect For

• Dry and rough hands
• Fingertips and cuticles
• Knitters, crocheters, weavers, and stitchers
• Project bags
• Garden-worn hands
• Cold and windy weather
• Dry elbows and knees
• Travel and everyday use
• Gifts for makers
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Gather and craft Join us in our store for crafting, to ask questions, or dream up new projects!
Pay with Apple Pay We offer Apple Pay as a swift and secure way to make a payment at checkout.
Order online, collect in-store Choose in-store collection at checkout to pick up your order at select Fresh locations.
Gather and craft Join us in our store for crafting, to ask questions, or dream up new projects!

We’re here for the love of it and the fun of it. For the craft that connects us to something older than any of us.

Fiber Information

Yarn Weight + WPI

Yarn weight refers to the thickness of a yarn. Thickness determines appropriate needle or hook size, finished fabric density, and yardage requirements. Standard weight categories from thinnest to thickest: lace, fingering, sport, DK, worsted, bulky, super bulky.


Weight labels on yarn are approximate. Wraps per inch (WPI) gives a more precise measurement. To measure WPI: wrap yarn snugly around a ruler for one inch, without overlapping strands or stretching. Count the wraps.


WPI reference:

  • 30+ WPI: lace
  • 20–28 WPI: fingering
  • 14–18 WPI: sport
  • 11–14 WPI: DK
  • 9–11 WPI: worsted
  • 7–8 WPI: bulky
  • Fewer than 7 WPI: super bulky

WPI is most useful when a label is missing, when substituting yarns, or when working with handspun yarn.

Gauge and Sett

Gauge is the number of stitches and rows per inch in a knitted or crocheted fabric. It is determined by yarn weight, needle or hook size, and individual tension. A pattern’s gauge is the measurement the designer used to calculate sizing. If your gauge does not match the pattern, your finished dimensions will differ. A small difference over many inches makes a big difference in fit.

To adjust gauge: a smaller needle or hook produces more stitches per inch; a larger needle or hook produces fewer. The goal is to match the pattern’s gauge, not its suggested needle size.


Sett is the weaving equivalent of wraps per inch (WPI). Sett controls how open or dense the finished woven cloth will be. A standard starting point for sett is half the WPI for a balanced plain weave. Twill structures generally require a slightly closer sett; lace structures a more open one.


Both gauge and sett are starting points that need to be confirmed by sampling. Calculate first, then verify with a swatch. Record what you find; your future self will thank you.

Wet Blocking

Blocking is the process of wetting a finished piece, shaping it, and allowing it to dry. It evens out stitches, sets the final dimensions, and for lace, opens the pattern fully.


For protein fibers (wool, alpaca, cashmere): soak in cool water with a small amount of wool wash until fully saturated, typically 15 to 20 minutes. Gently press out water without wringing. Roll in a towel to remove excess moisture. Lay flat, shape to finished measurements, and pin if needed. Allow to dry completely before moving.


For lace pieces, blocking wires threaded through edge stitches produces cleaner lines than pins alone.


Fiber-specific notes:

  • Wool holds its blocked shape well once dry.
  • Silk and silk blends block well and dry quickly.
  • Linen and cotton do not respond to blocking the same way protein fibers do, but wet finishing still softens and settles the fiber.
    Steam blocking is appropriate for fibers that should not be fully saturated. Hold the iron several inches above the surface. Do not press down on wool -- direct pressure and heat flatten the fiber's loft.

    Block to finished measurements, not to the dimensions of the piece as it came off the needles or loom.