Learn how to wash and set single ply yarn for stability and strength. Join me as I go through all my new skeins of yarn that I spun during Tour de Fleece 2024. I discuss each batt’s fiber content, the type of yarn I spun, and all the aftermath of Tour de Fleece: washing, winding, measuring, recording, and dreaming of new projects.
How to Wash and Set Single Ply Yarn for Stability
I spun a lot of bulky singles during Tour de Fleece. Singles (single ply yarn) are inherently not as strong as plied yarns, so I like to lightly full them to increase their stability. To do this, I follow these steps:
- Soak the skeins in super hot, soapy water. I use Dawn dish soap and add a small squirt to my kitchen sink full of hot water. Use your hands to agitate the yarn in the soapy water. If it’s too hot, add a little cold water or wear gloves. Hot water may cause dyes to bleed or fade, so do this at your own risk.
2. Swish the yarn around, rub it against itself, etc. Be aware that finer wools will full much more quickly than medium or coarse wools. Pay attention to your yarn as you’re agitating it to ensure you don’t overdo it and cause the strands to felt together.
3. Squeeze the soapy water out of the skeins and place them in super cold water. Rinse out all the soap.
4. Squeeze excess water out and hang to dry.
After washing and drying all my new yarn, I set to work re-winding it so I could measure how many yards I had spun. Washing yarn can change the length as the yarn blooms, fulls, or relaxes, so always measure after washing and drying, not before.
With all my yarn wound into skeins and measured, I was ready to label it so I could stash it all without forgetting important details. I used my free printable handspun yarn labels, which you can download and print out for your own handspun stash.
I like to record all the details of my yarn so that in the future I can easily grab skeins and put them together for appropriate patterns and projects.
In the end, I spun over 2000 yards! I am happy with my Tour de Fleece accomplishments and ready to start weaving some gorgeous stuff with my new yarn! Keep an eye on my shop!
Did you participate in Tour de Fleece 2024? How did it go for you?
Replenish your stash in my online store full of my naturally dyed handmade batts!
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