Softening Yarn - A Guide
So I have been meaning to write this up for a few days so here we go! Have you ever worked with Red Heart Super Saver (or any other cheap acrylic yarn) and found it too stiff and scratchy once you finished your item? Yeah, that's what tends to happen with it. But don't despair! There is a way to soften it up that doesn't use fabric softener (which is bad for your washers and dryers) and is inexpensive. What you're going to do is go to the dollar store or Walmart and buy the cheapest conditioner you can find. Once you have that, you are good to go. Take your finished item and get it wet in the sink or tub (depending on the size of the item). You want it pretty saturated and good to go. This will make the item heavy, but it'll be worth it. Use whatever temp water makes sense for the yarn. I used warm water because I wanted to make sure it opened the fibers up a bit. Then take some of that cheap conditioner and just work it into the fibers of the item as if you were conditioning your own hair. Work it in pretty good so that there are no clumps of conditioner floating in the water. Fill up the basin of what you're using to wet the item with just enough water to cover the item and let it soak for about 5 minutes. You might need to go longer if it's a bigger item, but you can eyeball it. Once you're done with that soaking, drain the water and rinse the item out pretty good. Try and wring out as much water as you can without distorting the stitches. Lay flat to dry or take this time to block your item. I let hats just dry a bit on a towel and then tossed them in the dryer on low for a bit so they dried faster. This is up to you. Once it's dried you're good to go! Ta-da! Now your item is nice and soft and easy to wear or use without sensory issues!
