We don't like to think about it, but it turns out there are a lot of reasons why you might want to rewash an unused (new) skein of yarn. I am in the process of washing a lot of yarn right now because the owner (who has commissioned me to knit with it) had stored it with mothballs. I have also had to rewash new skeins when they became dusty (sad) or had been exposed to cigarette smoke (the risks of buying yarn on eBay).
The first step is to open up the skein. This process is easy if you happen to have a swift and a ball winder. Just pop the skein on the swift, wind it into a cake, then wind it back onto the swift - but make it larger this time. If your yarn is in ball form, just skip the first step and wind it onto the swift into a larger hank.
If you don't have the fancy equipment, you can also wind the skein off onto the back of a chair, or even over your arm if you have the stamina. Or if you have a helpful assistant, you can wind it onto their hands like in all those adorable old-timey paintings.
Rewinding the skein ensures that the whole thing is loose and free, which will get you maximum impact from the washing. Although if your yarn is already in a hank form, and the problem isn't too bad, you can probably get away with just shaking it out and washing it.
Tie the skein off loosely at four points. I like to do a figure-8 tie at two opposite points, and a loose tie at the other two. But I'm a little compulsive. It's really not that important. You just want to be sure the skein won't get tangled in the wash.
Now, just gently wash it the same way you would the finished item: in cool to tepid water, with your wool wash of choice. Squeeze out the water by hand (don't wring), roll it in a towel if you want it to dry faster, then hang the skein up to dry.
Image courtesy Flickr/bgblogging
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