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Washing Skeins..... I wash most of my animal fibers using handmade lye soap. I put very little soap in the water and mostly swish the skeins. I have had poor luck washing the loose fibers before spinning. If I'm washing wool and the yarn is going to be used in a project that I don't want to shrink, I shock the skeins by plunging into boiling water and then ice water and then hang the skeins with enough weight so they hang straight. (I have found a plastic quart milk carton 1/4 filled with water works well.) I use baby shampoo if I want to leave the lanolin in the wool or if I'm washing down fibers. If I want my linen to be smooth, I spin it wet and then boil it for 15 minutes in the skein and then hang it to dry. If it's spun more for texture, I spin it dry but put extra twist into it. I haven't done enough silk yet to even think about washing it. I'd like to hear other's comments. - Kathy Belt If my wool is very greasy, I always wash it. I have tried doing one small part at a time, but have no patience for it. What does work for me, is to lay out the locks as best I can on a big sheet of netting, the cheapy nylon kind. I lay the locks on the middle third of the netting and then fold the top and bottom thirds over the locks and then roll up the entire length from the bottom. I tie this long bundle loosely at the ends and a few places down the length. Then I fill my washer with HOT water and a little detergent, about 1/2 measure if it's really greasy or old wool. I push the roll of wool under the water and let it soak for at least 1/2 hour. I let the washer drain, but do not spin the wool, or agitate it. Then I refill the washer again with hot and let the wool soak again. Drain and refill again if needed. I don't let the water splash on the bundle of wool. For the final rinse, I use COLD water and jump the cycle to spin. I have not had any real felting happen. I prefer to comb my wool. As I comb, if the wool gets too much static, I make a light mixture of warm water and a small small amount of hair conditioner. A couple of sprays and no more static. Any excess conditioner rinses out when I set the twist after spinning. (That's when I soak the completed skein in HOT water in the tub, to relax the twist. After about 20 minutes I drop the skein into Cold water to set the twist and hang to dry or lay it over the heat vent in the floor) Keep squeaky clean! - Sue Cross To comment on a technique or share your own, please email your information to Linda Simonson. Thanks!!
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