It occurs to me that the future recipients of my hand knits may not be sure how to care for their new items. Although I always include a care instructions card with my gifts, I know they can be easy to lose. Here are some tips that I wrote for another article that can help you keep your hand knits looking new for a lifetime.
Wools (fiber from sheep and other animals)
Wools are a particularly dangerous yarn to give to non-knitters as it
has a tendency to felt when washed. Felting is the process by which
agitation and/or heat cause the tiny fibers in the wool to latch onto
each other tightly. This causes the fabric to shrink and become denser
and stiff. Fortunately, washing wools is as simple as soaking the
garment in lukewarm water with a small amount of detergent. It is OK to
swish the item around a bit, but do not rub the fabric against each
other.
After you are satisfied that the garment is clean enough, drain the
water and fill the sink back up with cool water. Repeat this until you
no longer see suds. Next, gently wring the water out as best you can and
then lay the item flat out on a towel to dry. Once it is dry, inspect
the item to see if it has "grown" at all. If it seems a bit stretched
out, put it into the dryer on low heat and run it through part of a
fluff cycle. Check it every few minutes to make sure there is no
evidence of felting or shrinkage.
There is one type of wool that can be machine washed with no worry. It
is called "superwash wool" and is God's gift to knitters. The term
"superwash" refers to a treatment that the wool is subjected to that
prevents the tiny fibers from latching onto each other. The best way to
care for superwash wool garments is to wash the item in the washer on
the gentle cycle. Then lay it out flat to dry.
Cottons
Cotton is a wonderful fiber to use for hand knits. It's breathable,
natural, comes in tons of colors, and is quite durable. Many cotton hand
knits can be machine washed on the gentle cycle inside a lingerie bag.
Be sure to use cool water as cotton does have the propensity to shrink.
As such, the best method for drying the garment is to lay it out flat on
a towel. Similar to wools, if the garment feels stretched out after
washing, it is alright to put it in the dryer for 15 minutes on low heat
to fluff it up.
Yarns are made in a huge variety of fiber content and design, and as
such, there is no one-size-fits-all method for laundering. The best way
to safely launder synthetics is to use the hand wash and lay flat to dry
method as directed for wools. If you feel the fiber and garment are
sturdy enough to be put in the washer, do so, but take care to wash it
on gentle cycle with a mild detergent. As always, lay the garment out
flat to dry.
- Don't ever hang a hand knit sweater on a hanger as it will cause it to stretch
- Keep wool away from cats. Many cats are attracted to the wool and may try to eat it.
- If you are worried that your detergent is too harsh, consider giving Eucalan a try.
- Do not use bleach - EVER!
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