suzy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote > how common is > it that you see wool being used for lace weight thread? what is the > finest you have seen wool lace weight sold?
I have seen 1 ply Shetland wool for sale - the type that is used to make the famous Shetland 'ring' shawls. I have also seen Noelene Lafferty's Torchon scarf made from wool. It is drop dead gorgeous but of course Noelene has been to modest to say so, but I will confirm it! Noelene Hi! :-))) I was waiting to see your post on your scarf. Noelene's scarf is so lovely that it inspired me to buy some wool for a scarf of my own. I even have a pattern that will now work as a scarf with this wool (at least I think it will). > also what is the best way to preshrink wool? That would depend on whether it was hand spun wool or commercial wool. And also what you mean by "shrunk". If you are asking about commercial wool (which I assume you are) then I wouldn't try to preshrink it at all. It should be sold in the state that you should always try to maintain. By that I mean that it needs to be treated with care and respect in the washing process and it will then last you for many years and continue to look good. Merino is a wool which has a tendency to pill because of its fineness and needs extra care. Never machine wash any wool which you consider to be of great value to you. > it says agitation in hot water is really the cause of shrinking, so > would i wrap some raw wool in a cloth and tie the ends and middle and > throw it in the washing machine for a few washings? then throw it in > the dryer afterwards Don't do this unless it is labelled machine wash only and even then I think I'd have doubts about it. I guess it depends on what you want to make from the wool - it could make a good wall decoration I suppose, but for wear it's likely to end up tough and scratchy and for wearing only as an outer garment well away from your skin. General advice on handwashing commercial wool: Use hand hot water for both wash and rinse - try to have the same temperature as it seems that the change of temprature has a lot to do with wool shrinkage as does agitiation. Dissolve the soap product well before adding the wool. Put the wool into the water and leave it to sit for 5-10 mins. Then squeeze the suds gently through the wool - don't rub or scrub. Pull the plug out and let the wool garment sink to the bottom as the water drains out. Gently squeeze out while the wool is supported - don't lift the top end of the garment/wool skein and let the rest of it drag and stretch. support the wool and lift it out of the tub and refill with the same temp water and rinse doing the same gentle rest, squeeze and drain till the rinse water runs clear. Dryt he wool out of the sun well supported on a flat airing stand. Hand spun wool is a bit different and it depends on whether it is greasy wool or scoured wool and whether it is in garment or skein form. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
