soften Red Heart yarn?

[KatintheCappello]

Hello everyone!

I am a low-income student and restricted to generic, synthetic 'red heart' types of yarn right now to make my winter scarves. My problem is that they come out so starchy and scratchy, and I prefer to give gifts of soft lusciousness!!

What good methods do you use to make sub-par yarns more touchable, if any?

[Kiera]

Red Heart Soft yarn (available at A.C. Moore, bigger JoAnn's, online, etc) is only a few cents more per skein than Super Saver and feels *much* better against skin. Caron Simply Soft feels pretty nice and is usually about the same price (or even less, sometimes) than Super Saver.

For stuff you've already made with RHSS, you can try liquid fabric softener.

[Lothruin]

I would say wash it a couple of times.  The more you wash the Red Heart the softer it gets.  But the alternative yarns that start out softer are also good, and Red Heart (their TLC brand I think) Baby is also cheap, and if you get the solid colors, not the multi-colored, it is VERY soft.

[Tangerine_Dreams]

Another vote for Caron Simply Soft, I rarely work with anything else now....Most places I've seen it have it cheaper (by about 15 cents) than RHSS.  Although, I was impressed with the softness of RH soft at first touch...so maybe I"ll try some of that next time as it seems that here RHS has a better color selection than Caron.

[crochetfairy]

i agree with what everyone says but if you have already made some scarves with redheart you could try brushing the scarf with a hair brush (one that hasn't been used of course) then throwing it in the washing machine. It works when I make mittens and softens the yarn up a bit.

[DisneyFan]

I'm a big fan of the Caron's Simply Soft, and at our local Walmart, a skein that has about 315 yards runs 2.07, which is a few cents more than Red Heart, but I like the feeling more.  I've seen HUGE selections of colors at Joanns, too, but they run a little higher.  The thing is, Joanns runs 40% off coupons a couple of times a month, so that can help bring the price down a bit.  I just finished a hat and scarf with a skein of the RH Soft and I have to say I like the quality of it--I had to frog the hat about 6 times to get what I wanted, and it didn't fuzz up or anything, but it is a little more expensive than caron.

[KatintheCappello]

try brushing the scarf with a hair brush (one that hasn't been used of course) then throwing it in the washing machine.

thanks! this is what I was looking for. I'mm have to try it!
Of course I would get a similarly priced softer yarn but they aren't available where I live, that's the problem.

[TurtleGrrrl]

wash it repeatedly!  for my first crochet project ever many moons ago, before i knew squat about yarns, I used RH super saver for a baby blanket for my cousin when she was born.  it saw a LOT of use so got washed quite a bit and eventually got really cozy & soft.  I still use it for some baby blankets b/c it's easy to wash & durable, b/c you know kids make messes!  I'll also throw my vote in for Caron Simply Soft, it's even softer than the RH soft, but I think it splits easier though (I say this b/c I just made a big baby blanket out of it recently - I make way too many baby blankets, people need to stop procreating!!!!)

[chloe_hippy]

i am making a queen sized psychedelic squares afghan(a knitting pattern) out of red heart super saver, great to know that i have a hope in H@ll of getting the blanket to soften up.

Carrie

[mmacker]

I'd start by washing what you have, and use fabric softner (the liquid).  That helps, but after that I'd start using the Simply Soft by Carron, its cheap, its soft, and it comes in as many great colors as the Red Heart.