Is Your Yarn Calling to be Something Else? The Hat Scratch Factor
One of the leading questions we are asked by almost anyone who wants to donate hats is "what yarn should I use?" Seemingly, this should be an easy question to answer, but it's not. There are yarns that I absolutely love, but may not be available in certain areas of the country or internationally. There are yarns I would enjoy using, and can't get, unless I order them, visit a yarn shop during my travels or they're available at a fiber show. There are so many, many yarns out there that make nice hats! We also have to consider that this is charity knitting. Cost is usually a factor. Someone knitting and crocheting for charity may want to use something from their stash, leftovers from another project, or something they can pick up easily from their local retailer.
So our response usually goes like this: SOFT, preferably washable, and if it has any wool content, please tag the cap, so we can ensure that if someone has or develops wool sensitivity, they don't select that one. The typical question back is, 'but isn't wool scratchy?' We call this the old-school-wool-myth. Not all wool scratches. There are many nice washable merinos and sock yarns available, and these can make nice hats. The key with wool is patient sensitivity, which may be heightened thanks to the chemo drugs.
So our response usually goes like this: SOFT, preferably washable, and if it has any wool content, please tag the cap, so we can ensure that if someone has or develops wool sensitivity, they don't select that one. The typical question back is, 'but isn't wool scratchy?' We call this the old-school-wool-myth. Not all wool scratches. There are many nice washable merinos and sock yarns available, and these can make nice hats. The key with wool is patient sensitivity, which may be heightened thanks to the chemo drugs.
But I have to take a moment's pause to talk about the scratch factor. We seem to always blame the wool, but there are many other yarns that can be scratchy, and they may not soften when washed. Some of these fall into the acrylic yarn categories, and when these are made into hats, they will sit in a cancer center or hospital, because they are not soft to the patient's touch. A bald head is stressed and tender. Patients are not going to select a hat that seems rough and coarse. And, they really aren't thinking about washing hats to get them soft while they're in an infusion center. This is why we always lead with the word, 'soft,' when describing what yarns to use.
We thought it might be helpful to share our scratch factor test with you, because as you're knitting or crocheting the hat, you might be able to test for coarseness as you construct the hat.
We all swatch, right? Right…I don't either. Not hats, anyway. But no matter. Create your swatch or begin your hat. Once you have a couple of inches completed, stop. Don't trust your hands to test the coarseness of the fiber. Your hands will lie to you every time. Take your swatch or work, lift your head, and rub the work ever so slightly under your chin. Does it feel rough or coarse? Scratchy? Uncomfortable? If yes, that yarn's calling is for something else, and not for a cancer cap. If it feels smooth, gentle, soft, go back to knitting or crocheting, and finish the cap. I've done this test with skeins of yarn, thinking I could cheat the system, because the skein felt soft. Nope. Sometimes it's a combination of the pattern construction and the yarn that creates a coarse feel. Sometimes the yarn will work for a knitted pattern, but be very uncomfortable when crocheted, or vice versa. Typically, the spot just under your chin is one of the more sensitive areas of your body. Those of you who struggle with wearing turtlenecks know exactly what I mean. Or maybe you have a thick, coarse winter scarf, which is fine when wrapped over your coat, but when it hits bare skin, you tug at it to pull it away.
I had a beautiful washable wool that I was going to make into a hat for someone I knew going through cancer this past winter. It was aran weight yarn, on the bulkier side, and leftover from a sweater project. Trust me, the sweater is soft. I love it. But the hat I started from this same yarn? Not so. Couple of inches in, and it didn't pass the scratch factor test. Frogged it and chose a much softer wool/acrylic blend yarn instead.
You can try washing a coarse hat when finished to see if it softens, then try the scratch factor test again. We've linked some websites offering suggestions for softening acrylic yarn. I have not tried any of these options. Maybe some of you have, or tried other things that work, and can share them - we'd love to know. If my hat-in-progress doesn't pass the scratch factor test, that yarn is telling me it wants to be something else, not a hat.
For the record, our volunteer team tries to sort out hats that don't pass the scratch factor test, and we still find charitable homes for them. We work with shelters, other charities, veterans' hospitals - places where the hat can be donated and will likely cover a head with hair.
Next time you're making a hat, give the scratch factor test a try.
Maybe your yarn doesn't want to be a hat. Doesn't make it any less of a yarn, just means its destiny lies along a different fiber highway.
Editor's note: The following links are provided for information only. Halos of Hope has not validated if these methods for softening yarn will work. We appreciate your feedback if you know of a method that softens yarns. Be sure to try the scratch factor test again, though, after you've softened any yarn. Pattern construction may still cause coarseness.
Link to article: Halos of Hope
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