Hmm. Interesting comments on felting and not! In my experience, different wool breeds felt at different rates; therefore, different commercial yarns also felt at different rates. That could be the reason it took your bag so long to get anywhere, Holly! I haven't done any felting with handspun (yet, anyway), but I have definitely experienced VAST differences in the amount of time it takes Galway yarn (a lovely worsted-weight commercially produced yarn in great colours) to felt (almost none!) versus some other brands.
Meanwhile, as a confirmed sock-knitter-aholic, I can say that I have NEVER had a problem with superwash sock yarn felting/fulling. I have literally dozens of pairs in my own sock drawer (well over 50 at last count! :-), plus I have knitted socks for friends and family and never heard of a problem with any of them. I machine wash, and hang them up to dry (i.e., no machine drying except when they escape and get into the dryer by mistake). I use regular detergent, regular wash cycle, and they are almost always in there with things like jeans and towels that the felting instructions often suggest including for additional friction. I will say that some of my very oldest pairs are a little stiffer and maybe sliiiiiggghtly shrunk, but I can hardly hold that against them; they must be eight or nine years old or more! I've used virtually every sock yarn on the market, too, so it's not that some are better than others. June, I wonder if the yarn your friend used was perhaps NOT superwash??? Some of the handpaints - such as Koigu, for instance, which I know many people use for socks (and lovely stuff it is, too!) - are NOT superwash and must be hand-washed. Happy (day after) Solstice, everyone, and merry Christmas to those who celebrate it - and a wonderful, successful, productive 2006 to all! Grace www.svahaconcepts.com To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
