They give wonderful drape, but the look of the quintessential snuggly woolen sweater still eludes me. You can even do a search through them. Like the samples in the article above, you may find that the pattern looks baggy, stretched out, or loses the stitch definition in those projects.
I also suggest that you investigate different breeds of sheep and keep experimenting with touching wool. Characteristics of wool also vary greatly among breeds. And of course there are many alternatives to wool too.
Thank you for this insight into super wash wool. I have learned the hard way, how it can react in a garment if not knit to a tight gauge, but I love it for shawls, accessories, and baby gifts. The structural information all makes sense now. I always need to have a good woolly project going at the same time to cleanse my pallet after all the slickness of the superwash.
Still, too soft for my taste…. Like you, Maureen, I only knit with superwash yarns when making garments for our grands. My daughter and son-in-law are both too busy to be handwashing garments, but they ALL love it when I knit for them.
That said, the colors are so bright and alluring! Happy knitting!! Luckily it is flat stockinette and I can shave those pills off. But there is something so nice about throwing it in wash and dryer.
Pilling has more to do with how tightly a yarn is spun, rather than superwash treatment. Loosely spun yarn will pill, regardless of fiber. I am sure some of you out there have chemistry backgrounds and can share suggestions that would make reading yarn labels easier.
I would appreciate it. What an interesting article! Great article. Sweaters with superwash are a recipe for disaster and disappointment.
The yarn cannot be trusted over that weight of fitted fabric. I also feel bad about using it — that the yarn has been destroyed, effectively, to make it easier to clean.
But choice is useful. As it happens I have made only one in Superwash and I simply hate the way this cardigan has turned out: it stretches, fanning out at the hem. It slumps on the body. I blamed the design, but this was unfair I realize. I read that a garment made of superwash wool should be dried in the dryer in order to maintain its shape. Any comments about this? I use the dryer and find it shapes back up. It does become very soft though but I usually knit with it for that drape.
I always put a towel or two in with it. Case in point, a Better Bucket hat knit for my sister in Malabrigo Rios would have fit a basketball when it came out of a handwash bath in Eucalan.
Same goes for sweaters. Under this process, there is no need to coat the yarn with resin. Supposedly the manufacturing process is kinder to the environment. These yarns are much closer to non-SW wool in my experience — bouncier, less dense, feel more wooly. I like them a lot. Spirit Trail, which just closed its doors sob! Thanks for this but I am disheartened! I was loving my Millamia fair isle WIP — so soft!
So colourful! You live and learn. So it is gonna get saggy and smelly. I love super wash yarns — some of the best ones feel like cotton without the stiffness. I think the quality of the yarn can make a big difference in the feel and look of a final product. Ahhh, allergy. Having tested allergic to everything with fur or feathers, wool and hair included, I can nonetheless wear high quality merino next to my skin.
Not cashmere, soft as it is, not bunny. Merino and those breeds that have a lot of merino in their breeding are my go-to for spinning and yarn buying. My only guess is that as a breed merino was isolated a long time ago and is just…different. This approach may not work for all with critter allergies or sensitivities but I am ever so happy it works for me. And yes, dearies, there is always silk, and then linen, bamboo, cotton, hemp and other scrumptious fibers.
Good luck, and, Happy Knitting! Same here. Double whammy! Wollmeise feels like cotton to me. Here 8n Australia you can buy merino undergarments. A fair price but worth it if you can afford them. Also, it seems to pill more. I use it for gifts because even those who know better sometimes pitch a scarf or hat into the wash without thinking, although I did knit myself a sweater from superwash because, YES, the COLOR!
I have 3x 30 year old approx handknits I made from Anny Blatt No. Over the years I have hand washed and machine washed these on warm gentle cycle and they still look and feel fabulous! These days, pretty much anything I knit will pill and I have used a great variety of brands including chain yarn. Can you elucidate? She also mentioned how it squeaks when knitted, and how it stretches out. It is the yarn most indie dyers use.
I have heard recently that some people in the U. The would like to hear about them. I think O-Wool is one of them. Please let us know about them. Because those scales are coated or removed in the superwash wool manufacturing process, the risk of felting is greatly reduced though not completely eliminated.
With time and heat especially hot water or hot settings on a dryer , the plastic or polymer resin that coats the fibers in superwash wool can eventually wear away. When this happens, and enough scales are uncovered, the wool will eventually felt. But, as long as you are aware that this can eventually happen, and understand some of the characteristics of superwash wool, you can still confidently use superwash wools for knitting.
Because superwash wool has been treated to make a smooth, even textured yarn, it loses some of the advantages that it had as an untreated natural fiber. The clearest advantage to superwash wool is that it is machine-washable — one of the things that often make people choose yarns other than regular wool which usually is hand-wash only.
Other reasons to choose superwash wool include:. Another advantage of superwash wools is how receptive they are to dye.
Superwash yarns are easy to dye in a wide-range of colors. Even novice dyers can try their hand at hand-dyeing yarn with superwash wool. The major disadvantage with superwash wool is that it has a tendency to stretch out, grow, and sag. Wool naturally holds its shape because the untreated fibers tend to stick together.
Because the fibers have been coated and scales smoothed out, superwash wool loses its ability to retain heat. In natural, non-superwash wool, the fibers stick together and trap heat between the fibers and their scales.
Coating the scales in wool fibers also means that your superwash garments need to be washed and dried more often — to help them get back to their normal shape. Instead, they slip against each other and slowly lose shape over time. Washing and drying are necessary to get them back into shape.
Over time, if heat is used on the garment hot water or the hot setting on your dryer , the polymer or resin that coats a superwash yarn can melt off. When the fibers beneath are exposed, they can begin felting. This process can be delayed by using as little heat as possible on the finished garment. While it can be a wonderful thing to just toss your woolly knits right into the washing machine, superwash wool has its share of drawbacks.
Now that you know what they are, you can choose the right projects for your superwash wool yarn. Your stitches can still glide smoothly without slipping around and creating an uneven fabric. Subscribe to our Colourwork Club for a gift that lasts well into the new year.
Your recipient will receive a new colourwork kit in Janurary, February and March. Last minute shopping? Gift cards are delivered electronically - forward the email or print it for your recipient. A range of amounts are available and gift cards don't expire. What is superwash wool? Have you wondered about the difference between superwash and non-superwash yarns?
There are many reasons to prefer either a superwash or non-superwash yarn for your project. Many knitters love the sheen, colour saturation and ease of care that a superwash yarn offers, while others enjoy the woolly smell and feel of a non-superwash yarn.
Have you ever wondered what makes superwash yarns different from non-superwash yarns? As the name suggests superwash wool has been treated to make it machine washable. Wool is a protein fibre and each strand is made up of overlapping tiny scales. When these scales stick together, the fibres felt.
Superwash yarns have either been chemically processed in a way that removes the tiny scales from the fibre, or they have been coated with an extremely fine layer of polymer plastic resin which has the same effect. This quality varies widely among different yarns, so as usual, swatching will give you some great information. To care for superwash wool, wash it on the gentle cycle in your washing machine. A natural-fiber shampoo like you might use for hand-washing non-superwash wools is recommended.
While some superwash wools—particularly fibers intended for use in sock knitting—may say that they're fine to put in the dryer, try to air dry superwash wool projects flat just as you would something washed by hand. You just don't want to take any chances that it might get stretched out or otherwise damaged in the harsh environment of the dryer.
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