Bag It

I know you all warned me about trying to pre-wash more hanks of linen but I had to try. It's really hard to accept defeat.

I'm happy to report complete success this time! If you like the way knitted linen feels but hate that hardness of the yarn here's what you need to do:*

1. The hank comes with 2 ties already on it. Add 3 more to each side, and tie them in a figure 8. To be safe I made each figure 8 into 3 sections instead of 2. 270 yards makes for a think hank and I wanted to make sure this yarn didn't budge.
2. Fill the sink up with warm water, a little laundry detergent and a little fabric softener.
3. Put the hank in the sink and let it sit for a good hour.
4. Drain the water.
5. Fold the hank in half, half again, and then wring. I would never do this with wool but it really helped with the linen.
6. Untwist the hank and rinse until the water runs clear.
7. Repeat the wringing out process.
8. Put it in a lingerie bag. Pin through the bag in 4 inch intervals very close to the hank. Make it so the yarn can't fold onto itself and tangle.
   
9. Drop it in the dryer with a few lint-free items. I used woven pajama bottoms. This step isn't necessary but giving the yarn something else to bang up against will speed up the process.
10. Run it through a few cycles of drying. It took a little more than 2 cycles to dry my hank.
11. Unpin, remove from the bag, and wind.
12. Sit back and enjoy your beautiful and stress-free pre-washed linen yarn.

*Many thanks to Jayme and Patty (blogless) for their comments and suggestions. This method is a combination of ideas they sent to me. Thanks ladies!