How to Use the Spin Cycle on Your Washing Machine to Help Dry your Handspun Article, Yarn, or Wool

So you have a mass of yarn, fiber, a handcrafted sweater, shawl or scarf that you have washed and rinsed, but it may take forever to dry. It is possible to help extract the excess water without much effort on your part to help it dry faster.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Washing machine that allows you to run only a spin cycle
• Your handspun yarn or handcrafted article, clean and well rinsed
• Pillowcase to put any loose unspun fiber in

1. Take your clean, newly washed and rinsed fiber, yarn or article and put it in your washing machine, arranging it around the central agitator as evenly as possible. If working with unspun fiber such as a sheep or mohair fleece put it into a pillow case and tie it shut.

2. After closing the lid, turn the dial on the washing machine to the spin section of the cycle so that the load skips any washing and agitation in the machine.

3. Turn on the spin cycle and allow it to run through completely.

4. Pull the fiber, yarn or article out of the washing machine and lay out flat to dry on a sweater drying rack or on top of a cloth on a table. If it is yarn you can hang up the long circular skeins(s) to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to carefully follow any directions for washing wool and other animal fibers first so as to not have it felt into big unusable mass, ie. little to no agitation, no abrupt changes in water temperature, using mild dishwashing soap, etc.

[amylaine]

on 3/12/2008 Very informative, great article, thank you.