Ilona writes: <<It's not that I'm angry about time and money-waste - I don't know if I ever want to spin (this sort of) wool again.....>>
I had something similar happen long ago, when I'd been spinning less than a year. I made some lovely silvery black 2ply skeins, planned for a sweater vest for my son. We were going on a trip, and I wanted to get the yarn washed before we left so I could knit on the way. Washed the yarn in the sink, hot water, squeezed out the excess water....and the skeins were felted beyond repair. What I learned from that experience is not to avoid that type of wool, but to wash, rinse, and remove water more gently if the type of wool needs it :) In general, fine wools need more gentle treatment than medium or long wools. In my experience, the temperature of the water is not as much of an issue as how much squeezing and/or agitation the yarn/wool gets while it's wet and hot. I wash all my skeins by hand, in the sink, moving them only enough to make sure each area is fully penetrated by the detergent and water. I usually rinse in the sink as well. I don't squeeze out yarn unless it's COLD (under 50 F at least). I do sometimes give a final rinse in the washing machine, with no agitation, if I've got a load of similar stuff, like wool in the final rinse after dyeing. The no agitation part is important. Almost any wool will felt if agitated enough, even in a neutral pH and cold water. You'll note I don't do anything that could be construed as 'shocking' my yarn :) I've never seen the point or need. Holly To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
