I bought some cotton yarn recently, my first time working with anything other than medium-cheap acrylicI'm liking working with it, but I noticed the label says it is mercerizedWhat's that? Is it a good or bad thing? Or good for certain types of projects? I'm crocheting if that makes a differenceI'm starting a shawl, and the yarn is Omega Sinfonia.
I think what you are talking about is fulled fabricProperly speaking, felting involves fibre only that is matted togetherThe wool (usually) is carded, and then laid out evenly a couple inches thick(You will want to use carded wool batts, or you can use roving.) Then soapy water is sprayed over it all, and it is rubbed togetherIt is the rubbing of the fibres against each other that causes them to matt together and never come apart againIt can be done dry, but takes much longerThe soapy water allows the fibres to be slippery and makes rubbing easierTo prevent the fibres from separating too much at first, usually we roll this whole sheet of wool between rolls of bubble wrap or bamboo blinds or anything that can keep it together but allow some pressure to be exerted on the fibresKeep rolling it back and forth, or pressing and rubbing through the bubble wrapIt will be slowly at first, but faster later, the wool will start matting together and forming a cloth, that won't come apartYou can stop whenever you have what you wantRinseLay flat and allow to dryIf you want to full your fabric, you knit (weave or crochet too) as normal and throw it into a washing machine (you can also do this by hand, but takes longer)You need to use an all natural animal fibre - synthetics just don't work - and you need to knit looselyThe piece will be much bigger than you want it to be; there is a lot of shrinkage when you full woolSoak your piece in hot water for a few minutes, then let it agitate for about 5 min, and check the progressIt will be slow at first, but once it starts, watch it carefullySTOP when it is almost right it will matt more as it driesYou can always do more later, but you cannot un-do fulling when it has gone too farRinseShape as desired, and allow to dryThat is it!!
It's a good thing! It's not like some modern treatments where fibers are soaked in chemical and then there are toxic chemical residues on the fibers and yarnsMercerizing works on a cellular level of the cotton so there's no need for the chemical to remain on the fiber, it's all rinsed awayHigher quality cottons are mercerized because it makes the yarn softer, shinier, stronger, brighter colored and washableMercerized cotton is cotton that has been heat treated to be colorfast, so no fading, and it's also shinier and smoother than non mercerized cotton and it makes the yarn shrink resistant or shrink proofI also think it's stronger because only long staple fiber cotton can be mercerizedThe process is safe, it won't make you sick if you use mercerized cottons, the sodium hydroxide is gone from the cotton because the cotton is rinsed in solution that neutralizes the acidIt's rinsed in clean water, dried, dyed and put up in balls, spools and conesThe process changes the cotton on a cellular level, so no chemical residues need to be the fibersKnitted and crocheted item made from mercerized cotton have a higher quality look, they don't develop the short fuzzies as easily, and the yarn itself is easier to handle and work with.
