Yarn fulling

Fulling is an operation that is part of the finishing process of wool yarns and fabrics, and consists of compacting the yarn or fabric through felting, to make it compact and in some cases waterproof.

The threads that make up the yarn or fabric, wet with hot water, soaked in soap, and manipulated (beaten, rubbed, pressed), felt due to mechanical and chemical processes. The small gaps present at the intersection points between the weft and warp threads close, their binding is given by the interpenetration of the microscopic cortical scales that cover the surface of the hairs. The process is progressive and irreversible. It can be applied to all types of yarns and fabrics made of wool or other yarns containing hair (mohair, etc.).

In Cashmere and other soft fibers such as yak, camel, in knitting yarns, fulling is not recommended; instead, the "Water Treatment" method is more commonly used.

In fact, cashmere does not undergo a real fulling process like wool yarns. Cashmere should not felt, as the fiber is so delicate that the yarn would be damaged.

Water treatment consists of washing the yarn in skeins in industrial tanks, or even in a normal washing machine, with only water or at most with a little fabric softener. This simple step allows the cashmere fiber to relax and stretch.

Cashmere knitting yarn on cones can be worked directly with knitting needles or a crochet hook, but I strongly recommend making skeins with the help of a swift, or balls, and letting them rest for a few hours before working with them.

In fact, when the yarn is put on cones, it remains rather "tight" around the cone. By putting it into skeins or balls, it is allowed to breathe and swell until it returns to its original volumetric state.