How to make yarn less scratchy

#1

I finished an alpaca sweater and I am finding it much more scratchy than I expected it to be. I am looking for a recommendation on how to make the yarn less scratchy. I did some research and I found a couple of articles that say, soak it in water with vinegar, and then add hair conditioner! Does anyone know if this is legit? Any other suggestions? Thanks!

#2

Have you washed it yet with a wool wash like Soak or Euclan or a mild soap? That’s the simplest method to start with. Be sure to read the ball band for the yarn and wash according to the recommended method.
If that doesn’t soften the sweater, then hair conditioner may be worth a try. I’ve used it and the results were ok, not great but better than before the wash.

1 Like
#3

Thanks! I haven’t blocked it yet but I will be doing that with SOAK and I’ll see if that makes a difference. If not, I guess I can try the hair conditioner!

#4

Let us know how it works out. There may be more methods posted here as well since this is not an uncommon problem

#5

I’ve used hair conditioner to good effect on Icelandic wool. Is yours 100% alpaca, or is it blended with something else? Alpaca alone isn’t usualy scratchy.

#6

Is there a simple explanation to the difference between hair conditioner and fabric softener? I notice many yarns I buy or browse say not to use fabric softener/conditioner even if a yarn can be machine washed.
I’m interest in the tips for softenig as I have some wool I’ve been putting off uing for myself because I find it scratchy.

2 Likes
#7

Hair conditioner softens by moisturizing hairs/fibers. Fabric softener softens by breaking down and fluffing the fibers so they are less stiff.

3 Likes
#8

Hi. It is Juniper Moon Moonshine, 40% Alpaca, 40% wool and 20% silk. So it’s probably the wool component that is scratchy?

#9

Ah, ok. Wow, makes sense when you say it like that.
I had a disaster when my carer put fabric softener in with my fav hand knit sweater and destroyed it so my first thought when seeing a tip to use hair conditioner was that it would have a similar destroying result - I am now better informed.
Great, thanks.

#10

Yes, the wool and sometimes the blends. Somehow the alpaca component seems not as soft as it should be. I’ve softened finished projects just by hand washing and at most hair conditioner. The only failure was a wool/linen blend which softened slightly but not enough to be comfortable.