As a newbie, I wasn’t allowed to add a link in my first post, so here it is:
http://agirlandherneedle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/soften-scratchy-yarn.html
Hi, Minerva, thanks for the link. I’ll have to try that pre-knit softening. For various reasons, I do a lot of knitting with acrylic yarn and used to crochet with it. My cheap acrylic yarn blankets are really quite soft and hold up well. One on my bed must be close to 20 years old, it’s nothing but seemingly endless rows of single crochet. Others are lacy patterns, I did entrelac crochet blankets for my GKs. They all tend to show up in family pictures on Facebook. LOL They are there, getting used, day in and day out, year after year. I recently got some of those steam dryer balls and they really help soften the acrylics and leave very little static behind even w/o fabric softener. When I use fabric softener it’s almost always by putting some on a damp rag and throwing it in the dryer, it works better than dryer sheets for me and uses less than I need if I put it in the washer.
I wonder what Nanaof6 did with her acrylic yarn.
GG, I was wondering the same thing!! That’s a LOT of yarn.
Minerva, thanks for reviving this thread! This gave me some good ideas for using and softening up acrylic!
There seems to ve a fair bit of snobbery about acrylic yarn for clothing.
I just don’t agree: It’s a nice yarn that’s easy to care for and holds its colour and shape reasonably well.
I do love natural fibres, for sure.
My two cent’s worth.
Thank you for the responses, [B]David, Woofens and GG[/B].
Having made the acrylic discovery, (after remembering a complaint on another knitting message board, I checked a few other MBs, only to find that a) the threads were ‘grey-haired’ (anything up to 10 years dead) and b) no one had mentioned softening [I]the yarn[/I], rather than the finished project. Having recently join KH, looking for some other tip, and also reading this thread, which had a few less whiskers, I thought ‘give and take’.
I have to be very budget conscious these days and I also recognise (after 5 children) that washability, non-iron and definitely NO blocking is necessary when new parents both have full-time occupations. (I also have the inevitable STASH to deal with… but we won’t mention that!)
I bet I’m at least as grumpy as you [B]GG[/B] - politics, wars, social welfare, carbon footprints, yarn snobbery which has pushed up the price of even budget yarn, the rise in postal prices which has badly cut the yarn bargains on the major auction site, and a certain baby… who is lower down my scale of priority compared with my first Grandbaby… I thought I’d be dead before becoming a grandma! I’m feeling a bit less grumpy now because I can trawl the free pattern sites looking for cool baby knits. :cheering:
I [I]do[/I] very occasionally buy good yarn… for sox, but usually get it as Christmas presents from my sister in Europe. Everyone (who appreciates my knitting!) gets sox for Christmas and birthdays. I did get one bargain on Ebay recently - 200g of good sock yarn for £5.80, including nearly 50% postage. :woohoo:
One thing, [B]David[/B], that has surprised me (and, as a feminist, shouldn’t have!) is the number of men who are serious knitters, since the New Revolution in knitting. What sort of things do you like making? Do you crochet, too? Have you tried spinning? I have a wheel and indulge from time to time. (Oops, just remembered, fleeces x [I]n[/I] in STASH, but we won’t mention those!) Come on, put in another few cents’ worth. 
I did teach my oldest son to knit when he was about 15, but I don’t think he has done any since. BTW I’m antipodean too, by birth.
[B]Woofens: [/B] I had to chuckle when I read about Nanaof6’s massive windfall. A friend of mine also bought a large joblot of baby yarns for her ‘Craft Fair project’, which has now faded (with a 6th and 7th GC on the way, and now, her very own allotment - green fingers rather than flying needles!) I have knitted a giant diagonal, striped ‘dishcloth’ as a stroller blanket for my GC, in 25 year-old Chunky/Bulky… acrylic of course. The nearest I’ve come to making an afghan. It has turned out fabulous. I’m going to knit a mitred double layer edging, when I get some KnitPro tips and cables (to hide all the unwoven ends!) There is a knitter on the Web who makes beautiful log-cabin afghans and has a great set of video ‘how-to’ tutorials. She has NO STASH!
Thank you all for the friendly welcome… I guess I should have put this in Introductions, but I wanted to thank each of you personally.
Not sure why gender and knitting should ever be a consideration, frankly.
But, as you asked, I knit garments mostly: hoodies, sweaters, scarfs, vests. Most of these I’ve made for myself, but there are two times when I’ve knitted a vest for a sister or a friend.
Being fairly sheltered, even at my age, mainly cause I’m from a really rural area, I am still a bit shocked at the numbers of male knitters, but am glad to see it. I never knew anyone who knit growing up, and anyone who quilted, sewed, crocheted, etc, was female.
[B]David and Woofens:[/B]
I think my surprise (and delight!) in discovering so many male knitters is a generation thing: I grew up in an urban community, where males either didn’t knit, or didn’t mention it. It was very much ‘women’s work’, and it [I]was[/I] work, as they did it to clothe their families, after the heavy chores of the day - it was guilt-free relaxation. However, as a historian and genealogy buff, I know that my Scottish ancesters, in the 1700s, worked in textiles - the women spinning and the men knitting. After the Industrial revolution, the men went into factories and women took over the knitting, as well as spinning, at home - both, occupations that could provide an income into great old age, if they didn’t get arthritis.
I’m sorry if you thought my remark was sexist: it was a simple observation, from the vantage point of many decades. Another happy step towards universal equality!
You can’t take these questions personally, David. Consider these teachable moments. 
I rarely see male knitters, but I know they are around from KH and from the rare sighting at the yarn store. Last night when I was knitting with a group (one was spinning on a mini spinner) at a restaurant the server commented about it. He mentioned that his grandma taught him to knit although he didn’t do it anymore. He was very friendly and it was nice to hear.
Not so long ago women who were doctors, lawyers, mechanics, and lots of other things were considered odd. I still hear “male nurse” sometimes and that seems odd. I’m glad the stereotypes are breaking down more and more. I occasionally see a man in a skirt and it seems odd to me but I don’t care what he wears, it’s his business. Now when men start having babies I’ll consider we’ve really come a long way! :mrgreen: Meanwhile, happy knitting to all and to all a good knit! :woohoo:
Well, to answer the op’s original question…I would tell her to send it over here! I only use acrylic here, due to allergies. I would be very happy to take some/all of it off her hands.
But I hope she’s used some of it by now and is enjoying the results.
knitcindy
I love the teddy bear idea! What great gifts they make and they are soooo cute and fun to whip up.
When I first started to knit all I made was mittens and I only used acrylic.
I’m a yarn snob now and I only use natural fibers or blends because I love them but I must admit, for mittens I would still go back to acrylic.
It can knit up so tight and stiff, perfect for keeping out the wind and snow!
Your husband sounds wondeful, but don’t let him come to the LYS anymore.
I’ve used white vinegar and pickling salt to set color as well.