Wool-Ease Yarn Scarf - Worried about washing it!

#1

I finally finished my very first scarf (admittedly, with the help of a rectangular Knifty Knitter Loom after several attempts using needles because I needed to get this done in time for Christmas) and I used a Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. The scarf came out pretty thick and dense (picture attached) and now I’m wondering: Will washing it help stretch it out a little and make it less dense?

I’m also worried about machine washing it, even in cold water, because I’m scared it’ll mess up or undo…I’d like some reassurance or tips on washing/drying it please!

#2

It look’s perfect and the color is great! Nicely done.
I wash wool by hand. Just some mild soap like Ivory Liquid and cool water in the sink. Gently squeeze the suds through the knitted piece. Rinse several times in cool water and spin briefly on the spin cycle of the washing machine. Then lay the item out flat to dry. Or since this is the first time, you can pin it out to size and let dry completely.

#3

Lion Brand’s Wool Ease has [I]much less wool[/I] than you would expect. Certainly less wool than I expected when I purchased it early this year to make crocheted hats (before I learned to knit in May).

Wool-Ease consists of 80% acrylic and only 20% wool. What this has meant for my hats is that they behave much more like acrylic hats and much less like wool hats, so…

I’ve machine-washed them in hot-, warm-, and cold-water loads. I’ve let them dry flat, hung them on the line, partially dried them in the dryer and finished them on the line, and completely dried them in the dryer. Any and all combinations of these. No felting, although perhaps a little wear (I wear a hat or a scarf every day due to a combination of bad hair and bad shoulders, so I can’t work with my hair), but I can always make more hats! :slight_smile:

Recently, I finished my first Fair Isle hat. I made it from 100% wool yarn (Stitch Nation, not vastly expensive stuff, but I don’t want it to felt the first time I clean it, either!). After I block the Fair Isle hat and wear it a few times, I’ll hand-wash it and let it dry flat on a towel, turning it a couple of times. No machine-washing for it! But, again, the Fair Isle is 100% wool. Definitely not Wool-Ease.

DCM

#4

With worsted weight woolease I found that the sts do relax with washing and drying, it won’t harm the scarf to try that. It’s got very little wool in it and what is there is probably superwash so it won’t damage it, it’s supposed to be machine washable. Just put it in with warm water and dry on medium heat or for about 15 minutes and it’ll be fine.

#5

Your scarf looks very nice. On the “undo” worry. It won’t come undone if you used decently long tails everywhere and worked them in properly.

#6

As long as you’ve woven in your ends properly you shouldn’t have any problem. I’ve tossed that yarn in the washer and dryer. It can pill a bit though so if you hand wash or at least lay it flat to dry it shouldn’t be a problem. It won’t felt.