Crochet scarf - help??

[cookielove]

I am making my christmas gifts this year, (again) and i learnt how to crochet in the summer, the scarf is going ok a leetle bit un even a few to many dropped stitches, then a bit to many put back in but thats all fine, my problem is the wool i am using seems really rough its Aran 75% acrylic, 25% wool, it feels really rough to me in the scarf but the wool ball is not that bad.

Is there any way i can soften in up after i've made it, or could i attach a fleece to one side (i really don't want to do this as it is quite uneven and this will be really hard to do). I am allergic to wool, and i don't like how it feels normally so maybe its just me but i don't think so.

So any ideas?

A wash may soften it. I often handwash and block a scarf to make it a bit more uniform for a present. I used euclan lavender, no need to rinse, smells nice.

Roughness could also be how tight you crochet, what size hook did tgey recommend on the ball band? Sometimes I go a size bigger to give a looser weave on scarves.

It is tight, i am using the correct size hook for the wool i checked in the shop. I thought about washing it but someone else said it might felt??? i really am a novice at this, also what is when you block it?

Highly unlikely that it would felt with such low wool content. You can just do a hand wash in the sink and rinse and see if it comes out alright. Euclan is brill for handwashing projects as you don't need to rinse. You should be able to get this in you LYS (local yarn shop)

Blocking is pinning once wet and letting it dry. It's easier to make ascarf look more uniform. I used to Lay a tea towel on tge carpet and then pin it through to the carpet in a sunny spot so it would dry. Use a tape measure to check width as you pin. Giid forgranny squares as it bringsout the patterns.

Oh, thank you so much ahhh mumsnet really is the best

Cookie... you are learning a hard lesson, like everything in life, try to buy the best you can afford (have read a great post by the Yarn Harlot on this topic). If you can afford to, try to make sure that you have 50% or more wool in your yarn... yes, acrylic is necessary in things like sock yarn and it has improved greatly but there will be things that it is not good at.

For example, acrylic will not give and stretch like wool and although you can block the results will not be perfect... it also is not great for lace or open work.

Finally the yarn will not felt... it is wool which felts at hot temperatures so when you are washing hand knitted garments, either do it by hand (and you would never stick your hands in boiling water) or use the wool cycle which is 30' or less and agitates your yarn very gently. If you use any fabric conditioner this will help as it coats the fibre to make sure it lies flat and makes it moisture resistant which is why it is not a good idea to use conditioner on towels!

Oh thank you, i don't mind it not being perfect though i like a bit of character in my scarves

this is great advice thank you so much

thought I'd add this ravelry pattern

www.ravelry.com/projects/kellestar/circles-scarf

www.ravelry.com/projects/kellestar/circles-scarf-2

it's a link to a scarf I made, once you get your head around the pattern it's quite easy to crochet up, I've done a few now in different yarns. The first yarn is a rico designs creative micro DK which is 100% microfibre and was lovely to crochet with, the second a pure wool which was also nice to crochet with but quite itchy on the neck. I'd also recommend sirdar snuggly for scarves as it's a rather soft nylon/acrylic mix, but I like it for babies and scarves as it's soft and snuggly. Sirdar Click or Escape DK are nice too, with a wool/acrylic mix.