How do I soften stiff (cheap) yarn?

I crocheted an afghan from cheap acrylic yarn, and it's very stiff ... not soft
and cuddly. Is there any way to soften it up?

I've tried running it through the washine machine. It's a little bit better,
but not much. Should I just keep washing it with lots of fabric softener?

Any suggestions (other than buying better yarn and starting over!) will be
gratefully accepted.

"Donna Levin" wrote in message
...
I crocheted an afghan from cheap acrylic yarn, and it's very stiff ...
not soft
and cuddly. Is there any way to soften it up?

I've tried running it through the washine machine. It's a little bit
better,
but not much. Should I just keep washing it with lots of fabric
softener?

Any suggestions (other than buying better yarn and starting over!) will
be
gratefully accepted.

Hi Donna!
Okay, I've had the same problem... as I tend to buy cheap acrylics for the
throws and scarves that I sell, and use the good stuff for family and
friends, LOL.
Here's MY recipe:
First take about a cup of fabric softener and put that in a spray bottle,
fill the rest with warm water. Spray both sides of your afghan till it's
slightly wetter than damp. Throw it in the dryer with a fabric softener
sheet and one dry towel. Tumble on FLUFF (no heat) for a couple of
minutes, then put it on your LOWEST setting for a couple of minutes....
bounce back and forth between LOW and FLUFF.
If it's still not as soft as you like... BTW, this USUALLY does work, but
some yarns are even more resistant... THEN do this:
Start your washer with warm water and dump in 1 cup of table salt and 1 cup
of vinegar. When you're sure the salt is dissolved, change setting to
COLD, and fill the washer all the way up, now add your afghan. SOAK for at
LEAST one hour... the longer the better! When you get to rinse, DON'T add
softener, add 1./2 cup vinegar instead.
NOW dry it with fabric softener sheets. (I use 4)
Hope this helps!
Noreen



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Thanks!
Recovering from cheap SEX at the hobby shop - bought a pile of acrylic to
learn Fair Isle/ Nordic traditional knitting. Real lopi is on order. Looks
like I need to make some sets of bigger DPN.

RCTY taught me to knit faster by holding the yarn in my left hand. With a
strand of yarn in in each hand, I should be able to knit real fast : )

Aaron
"Noreen's Knit*che" wrote in message
...

"Donna Levin" wrote in message
...
I crocheted an afghan from cheap acrylic yarn, and it's very stiff ...
not soft
and cuddly. Is there any way to soften it up?

I've tried running it through the washine machine. It's a little bit
better,
but not much. Should I just keep washing it with lots of fabric
softener?

Any suggestions (other than buying better yarn and starting over!) will
be
gratefully accepted.

Hi Donna!
Okay, I've had the same problem... as I tend to buy cheap acrylics for the
throws and scarves that I sell, and use the good stuff for family and
friends, LOL.
Here's MY recipe:
First take about a cup of fabric softener and put that in a spray bottle,
fill the rest with warm water. Spray both sides of your afghan till it's
slightly wetter than damp. Throw it in the dryer with a fabric softener
sheet and one dry towel. Tumble on FLUFF (no heat) for a couple of
minutes, then put it on your LOWEST setting for a couple of minutes....
bounce back and forth between LOW and FLUFF.
If it's still not as soft as you like... BTW, this USUALLY does work, but
some yarns are even more resistant... THEN do this:
Start your washer with warm water and dump in 1 cup of table salt and 1
cup
of vinegar. When you're sure the salt is dissolved, change setting to
COLD, and fill the washer all the way up, now add your afghan. SOAK for
at
LEAST one hour... the longer the better! When you get to rinse, DON'T add
softener, add 1./2 cup vinegar instead.
NOW dry it with fabric softener sheets. (I use 4)
Hope this helps!
Noreen



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"Agres" wrote in message
...
Thanks!
Recovering from cheap SEX at the hobby shop - bought a pile of acrylic to
learn Fair Isle/ Nordic traditional knitting. Real lopi is on order.
Looks
like I need to make some sets of bigger DPN.

RCTY taught me to knit faster by holding the yarn in my left hand. With
a
strand of yarn in in each hand, I should be able to knit real fast : )

Aaron

Aaron, glad YOU can use my tips as well, and happy to help whenever I can!
Hugs,
Noreen



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Noreen,

Doesn't the afghan smell like vinegar after you've soaked it and rinsed
it in vinegar?

Janise


"Noreen's Knit*che" wrote in message
...

"Donna Levin" wrote in message
...
I crocheted an afghan from cheap acrylic yarn, and it's very stiff ...
not soft
and cuddly. Is there any way to soften it up?

I've tried running it through the washine machine. It's a little bit
better,
but not much. Should I just keep washing it with lots of fabric
softener?

Any suggestions (other than buying better yarn and starting over!) will
be
gratefully accepted.

Hi Donna!
Okay, I've had the same problem... as I tend to buy cheap acrylics for the
throws and scarves that I sell, and use the good stuff for family and
friends, LOL.
Here's MY recipe:
First take about a cup of fabric softener and put that in a spray bottle,
fill the rest with warm water. Spray both sides of your afghan till it's
slightly wetter than damp. Throw it in the dryer with a fabric softener
sheet and one dry towel. Tumble on FLUFF (no heat) for a couple of
minutes, then put it on your LOWEST setting for a couple of minutes....
bounce back and forth between LOW and FLUFF.
If it's still not as soft as you like... BTW, this USUALLY does work, but
some yarns are even more resistant... THEN do this:
Start your washer with warm water and dump in 1 cup of table salt and 1
cup
of vinegar. When you're sure the salt is dissolved, change setting to
COLD, and fill the washer all the way up, now add your afghan. SOAK for
at
LEAST one hour... the longer the better! When you get to rinse, DON'T add
softener, add 1./2 cup vinegar instead.
NOW dry it with fabric softener sheets. (I use 4)
Hope this helps!
Noreen



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"Janise Ross" wrote in message
...
Noreen,

Doesn't the afghan smell like vinegar after you've soaked it and
rinsed
it in vinegar?

Janise

NOPE, remember, it's only 1 cup in the wash and 1/2 cup in the rinse, AND
you're using 4 softener sheets in the dryer.
My stuff never smells like vinegar, and I do it all the time....
I 'set' bluejeans with vinegared sal****er too, Don will NOT wear the faded
bleachy look jeans, they must be DARK blue, grin.
Noreen



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But I use unscented softener sheets...I also have allergies to perfume-y
smells, in addition to my food allergies which I have recently posted. ;-/

Janise


"Noreen's Knit*che" wrote in message
...

"Janise Ross" wrote in message
...
Noreen,

Doesn't the afghan smell like vinegar after you've soaked it and
rinsed
it in vinegar?

Janise

NOPE, remember, it's only 1 cup in the wash and 1/2 cup in the rinse, AND
you're using 4 softener sheets in the dryer.
My stuff never smells like vinegar, and I do it all the time....
I 'set' bluejeans with vinegared sal****er too, Don will NOT wear the
faded
bleachy look jeans, they must be DARK blue, grin.
Noreen



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Janise Ross wrote:
But I use unscented softener sheets...I also have allergies to perfume-y
smells, in addition to my food allergies which I have recently posted. ;-/

Janise


Hi!

I use vinegar for cleaning. Coming from Italy, I used wine vinegar
first, it worked but it smelled like hell (plus it´s quite expensive
here in Sweden). I used sometimes apple vinegar (cider vinegar?) and it
smells quite better than wine one.
Then I discovered the final solution: attika! I don´t know how it´s
called in English, maybe alcohol vinegar. It´s transparent like vodka
(don´t misplace the bottle LOL), doesn´t smell (well, very very little,
but it´s not nasty at all) and it´s very very cheap! It comes in
different concentrations, 10% and 12%.
I don´t know if it can be used for this pourpouse as well, let´s ask
Noreen...

Hugs,

Anna Maria

Janise wrote:

But I use unscented softener sheets...I also have allergies to
perfume-y smells, in addition to my food allergies which I have
recently posted. ;-/

Janise - even without the softener sheets, after going through the washer there
shouldn't be any vinegar smell. You can just toss a half-cup or a cup of white
vinegar into the wash before the final rinse, or earlier. And vinegar itself
softens acrylic yarns, although maybe not as fast as using the softener sheets
too. The lady who runs the Ship Support project is severely asthmatic, and
highly allergic to smoke and scented fabric softeners. Vinegar is what she's
asked everyone to use to soften/deodorize knitted items - wool or acrylic. MMV,
of course, but you could cautiously give it a try to see if it has any affect
on you. You might need to wash things this way a couple of times before they
really soften up, but it should still work. without sending you to the
emergency room!

Monica
CMMPDX2 at aol
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"Janise Ross" wrote in message
...
But I use unscented softener sheets...I also have allergies to perfume-y
smells, in addition to my food allergies which I have recently posted.
;-/

Janise

I do TOO, Janise! Honest, it doesn't smell like vinegar!
Truly!
Hugs,
Noreen



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