I bought a shirt this summer. Second-hand, nothing special, just to have at home, because it was nice and soft. It had a nice faintly orientally-inspired pattern, white on blue, and sparkly bits.

I washed it a single time, and the pattern disappeared. There are traces of it, but I really can’t call it a pattern any more. And the sparkly bits started falling off. Some were gone (probably down the drain with the washing water) and some were only barely hanging on, and others were loose enough to be poked off with a finger.

Now it’s all asymmetrical and weird and I want the remaining sparkles off. Most are still sticking quite strongly to the shirt, but not all, so I keep poking at them to see which ones are ready to come off. Like picking a scab on my knee. Can’t help it.