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Natural Superwash?

Nov 12, 2015 - 3 min read

Natural Superwash? Primary Image

I wash all of my handknitted socks by hand, even the ones made with superwash wool. Sometimes even superwash wools can get a little tighter, a little fuzzier . . . in short, a little felted in the wash.

Before and after. Did they felt? Read the article to find out.

My Dad felted the first (and second) pairs of socks I gave him, made before I learned about superwash. For the last several years I’ve limited myself to commercial yarns marketed for socks, which so far he has been unable to felt. However, most of these are Merino, and they pill and tend to wear out—not so good for my Dad who likes his socks to wear like iron.

So when Cindy Craft proposed an article exploring the idea that some yarns are superwash without any special treatment, I couldn’t wait to see her results! Hey, better her than me—I wasn’t about to toss handspun socks in the machine.

To my surprise, Cindy broke a second “rule” of spinning for socks: I thought all socks should be made with three-ply yarn, but in her experience singles hold up just as well and are easier to manage in a sock machine.

You can see her results in the Winter 2015 issue of Spin-Off—and try your own experiment . . . if you dare.

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