This is a a post about Touch Me, an exorbitantly priced, ultra soft seductive yarn. It woos you with its sensuous hand. I am ashamed to admit I have given in to this temptation twice. But eventually, as in all steamy relationships, the hormones subside and reality sets in. It’s a proven scientific fact.
Touch me is chenille made from rayon and wool. Chenille has a tendency to worm. This means no matter how careful or skilled a knitter you are, the stitches possess the ability to seek freedom. They wiggle and slither on their own, until they pop right out, looking like a dropped stitch. Everything looks fine and then boing – out pops a loop! Some of my loops were long enough to clip and tie into knots that sure as heck better stay in place.
Now, they tell you in the books, that you have to felt Touch Me and this seals the fate of wayward stitches. Drown those suckers in hot agitating water and fry them in the dryer and they’ll learn their lesson and stay in place. Note: before felting, it is important to weave in every last end. If they are left exposed, they come out of the dryer naked – all that’s left is a scrawny black thread. Same goes for really large worms. It is better to tie them off then have a loopy thread in the middle of your scarf. Of course, you could take the chance, hope that in the shrinking process that worm gets swallowed back into the body, and tie the naked threads afterwards.
The other part good about felting Touch Me, is that it gives your project a lovely crushed velvet look. But before drying, there’s a moment of sheer panic, when it feels hard as a rock and appears crushed to death:
Mine is in the dryer now, and having had the opportunity to use this yarn before, I’m not as terrified. Then why in my stomach churning? There’s the timer on the dryer!
The finished product, first before felting, then felted:
One of the worms was still there, although smaller. It was interesting, the Vintage Velvet pattern from Scarfstyle, said to expect a 10% rate of shrinkage with a finished length of 68". Mine actually grew in length, from 60" to 64" but shrunk in width. I was surprised at how much shorter mine turned out since I omitted the first and last stitch of each row, hoping to be able to conserve yarn.
A note to Marsha, if you’re reading this. You are usually there when this happens to me. Please, please don’t let me get involved with Touch Me again. Remind me of the anguish. Don’t let me make the same mistake twice three times. Oh, but it feels so good at the time.
UPDATE:
Thinking about worming I’m wondering if it has to do with how the yarn is wound onto the spool. I had four skeins from one dye lot and one from another. The last one wormed more than the first four. I also needed to untwist the yarn from this skein quite frequently.
Life's a Stitch 
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