Fear Not "Handle with Care"

How do we care for and clean our fine woolens?  I've heard fellow shoppers say they won't buy woolens they can't put in the washer and dryer, which means they are basically restricted to acrylics and some superwash yarns, such as sock yarns.  Now there is nothing wrong with this approach, however it does eliminate whole classes of animal fibers such as cashmere, mohair, merino, alpaca, silk, and plant fibers such as bamboo to name a few.  Machine washing involves agitation, which causes fibers to stick together essentially closing off the spaces between each fiber.  The result is often called 'felting' or 'fulling' or just plain 'shrinking'.  Intentional felting is very beautiful, strong and interesting, but is rarely the desired result when washing your lovely alpaca neck warmer.


So what to do?  Hand laundering requires a small bit of patience, but is completely worth it when considering the preservation of your precious hand knits.  Here are the basic steps, thanks to Jacqueline Sava (inventor of 'Soak' wool wash)1:

1. Use plenty of water in the basin, never HOT

2. Use cool or cold water

3. Use a low suds/no rinse formulation wool wash.

4. Drain or empty excess water from basin before removing the item.
Carefully squeeze excess water out by pressing it against the basin
DO NOT LIFT the wet item from the basin when it is full or water -- this will stretch and distort

5. Place the item on a clean towel and gently fold the sides over the item. 
Roll the item in the towel to remove excess water - GENTLY to avoid distortion

6. Resist all temptations to WRING and TWIST .

7. Lay flat to dry, reshaping as needed -- it will stay the way it dries. Choose a place that allows air circulation but not in direct sunlight or on a heat register/radiator.
TIP: Flip the piece over and change the towel if damp halfway through the drying process

8. Protect your precious fibers from moths during the off season by cleaning them before storage and storing in a protective environment with cedar or other deterrents.

1  Knit Simple, Holiday 2008, pp. 20

Note: I've had good success for interim cleanings using the 'dry clean' products for your dryer.  But if you choose this route, follow the manufactures instructions carefully and watch the HEAT temperature, as heat is the enemy of precious fibers. 


Please feel free to email or call us with specific care instructions for any item you purchase from KnittenKaboodle.  We keep the labels from the yarn wrappers and can specifically address the content of your particular item.

For more information in interpreting the international care symbols, see this helpful link from Trendsetter Yarns  http://www.trendsetteryarns.com/symbols.htm .