Ooops!

I wonder how many posts I've titled "Ooops!"  LOL!

I made a nice black infinity scarf back (scroll down) in the fall.  I wear it a lot.  I figured it was time to wash it.  I carefully put it in the mesh lingerie bag and washed it, and dried it.  I had used a variety of chunky black yarns.  I assumed they were mostly Patons "Shetland Chunky".  Well, I guessed wrong!

See that bit in the middle, how the stitches have no definition and it squishes in a bit?  Yeah.  Apparently some of the yarn I used was wool and felted.  It goes in bands like this around the scarf.  Basically two rows fine, two rows felted.  I stretched it out a bit while damp so it's pretty much the same length now, just a bit shorter.  The new texture is kind of neat, and I'm okay with that...but sometimes accidental feltings do happen and the results aren't so easy to deal with.  Always wash an item with multiple yarns as gentle as the most delicate of the yarns says to.  And if you don't know the yarns, treat it as hand wash, or at least gentle cycle.  This would have been washed on a cool setting too, so some of the felting happened in the short time in the dryer.

Then, I noticed that the cream coloured scarf I made for myself (and a match for my mom) seemed to be stretching and getting longer.  Now, I KNEW the one yarn had wool content, so I put it in with a fairly hot load and checked it a few times to make sure it wasn't matting.  And wouldn't you know...no felting!  It's a bit longer than I'd like for two wraps around the neck, but three wraps are a little snug.  Whatever.  They're quick and easy to make and fun and easy to wear.  Made another one tonight :)