craftgrrl | (no subject)

I have a question. I semi-recently knitted a hat for my ex-bf's mom (a little weird, I know, but when we were dating I was very close with his family, and I wanted to give her a - very belated - xmas present). It came out too big so I'm gonna redo it, but my problem is this: I find the yarn slightly too itchy to wear against skin. Is there any way to soften yarn? I don't know exactly what kind of yarn it is... I made a scarf for my mom out of the same kind of yarn but a different colour and I noticed it was itchy so I soaked it in water and fabric softener for a few hours. It came out a bit softer (and smelled soooo good) but I still wasn't satisfied. Is there something specific I can use to make yarn softer, or at least not so itchy? Would hair conditioner work? And since I have to remake the hat anyway, is it better to soak the yarn before knitting, or make it and then soak the hat itself? Is it even possible to soften yarn?

thanks for your help :)