Maybe you can advise?

The advice I need concerns the washing of acrylic yarn blankets.

I have never washed any of my blankets even though I made the first one
nine years ago.

It does only get used about four months of the year and is stored in a cupboard the rest of the time.

But more recently, the Granny Ripple blankets that decorate the back of my Poang chairs.

are beginning to smell a bit dusty, as I realised recently when I used one of them for some extra warmth.

Even my sitting room snuggle blanket spends a lot of time, especialy in the summer, on the back of a chair and also smells a little dusty.

The Granny Ripple blankets are made from Stylecraft Special DK and the hexagon blanket from Paton’s Fab but they are both machine washable and I have washed smaller items in the washing machine successfully.

However I am rather nervous of washing the blankets and don’t know if I should wash them on a regular cycle or use the handwash option. These days I wash my acrylic jumpers with my hand-knitted socks on the Wool cycle (to make up a full load) and use special wool friendly detergent.

Another question is “Do I use fabric conditioner?”

I gave up using it on my regular washes as I couldn’t stand the way it made my sheets smell. Got right up my nose!

I also gave up using it on my socks as I realised that even a small quantity made them too soft and they were better without it.

I had never thought of not using it until I was thinking of rewashing my bed jacket jumper.

I knew the yarn was machine washable but the first time I washed it the sleeves stretched so as to become a little too long. When I went to double check the washing instructions more recently, I found that they actually said not to use fabric conditioner.

So I am beginning to thing that fabric conditioner is maybe of more use on cotton, except that then it reduces absorbency so is no good for towels.

So the big questions are.

Which washing machine cycle should I use? (or even handwash in the bath) though that would be tricky.

Does it matter what sort of washing detergent I use?

Should I use fabric conditioner?

I suppose I am worried about them stretching and getting all out of shape or bobbling. Then there will be the question of how to dry them. Maybe it would be better to wait until the weather in warmer, though if I dried them outside the colours might fade. I know one of my three African Violets has faded badly, thought the other two are fine.

These have faded to a pale blue. There are traces of the original colour on the undersides of the petals.