drying wool (help!)

[chellebee]

I'm new to this whole wool thing. I washed and lanolized my new wool on Thursday. It's Monday and still not dry!!! I have sbish, which is double layer knit, so I would expect it to take a couple days, but this is crazy. I have them drying flat on a drying rack that I can put into my dryer--every time the dryer is vacant I throw them in there on "air dry" which is just the barrel spinning, no heat, and the wool lays on the rack. That DOES help it along. But I have seriously already had it in the dryer like that off and on for over 8 hours.

Am I out of luck? Or is there a trick or two that I am missing?

[Chamomile Girl]

It really helps to roll your wool in a towel (and then step on it) after you wash it to get all the extra moisture out before you try to air dry. Weather has an impact too. If its especially humid or raining than it will take longer to dry. Any way you can dry them outside? That always seems to help my covers.

[DeerMother]

Some things to speed drying-
- roll in towel as pp suggested
- dry near a heat source in winter. Fireplace, air vent, space heater.
- turn inside out periodically

[coffeegirl]

Just curious, but why can't wool covers be put in the dryer just for a short time, maybe for short intervals every hour or coupla hours or so? Or, in the dryer on no heat?

[treeoflife3]

Mine goes faster when I put it inside out or rightside in periodically during the drying time. That and rolling in a towel to step on it to get rid of the excess water after washing.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by coffeegirl

Just curious, but why can't wool covers be put in the dryer just for a short time, maybe for short intervals every hour or coupla hours or so? Or, in the dryer on no heat?

Temperature changes and agitation are the 2 thinfs that cause felting.

To the OP- i take a big towel, fold it in half long-wise, lay the soaker flat and roll it up tight w the soaker in the very middle. Drop it on the floor, walk up and down the length, rotate it a bit and do it again. Then hang it dry. In temperate weather, even double knit shouldnt take much more than a day and a half.

[chellebee]

Cool, thanks!

Unfortunately outside drying is pretty much out...we'll have rain rain and more rain soon enough. Though I will be watching for those nice days.

The towel idea sounds great--I will try that next time. I squeezed what water I could out, but I did not do the towel trick. I did end up turning them inside out once and that seemed to help, but I wasn't sure if it really did or not!

[AKislandgirl]

yep, do the towel thing and keep turning it inside out every now and then. Mine usually take about a day and a half to overnight to dry depending on type of wool.