How to wash wool

There is nothing more annoying than pulling a brand-new knit jumper out of the washing machine and discovering that it has completely lost its shape. Unfortunately, this is something that most knitters will experience during their knitting career because a lot of knitwear is incredibly delicate and fragile when it comes to washing.

If you want to make sure that this doesn't happen to you, it's always a really good start to follow the instructions on the label. If you don't have the label on hand, or if you are in doubt, you can do one of the following things:

Wash by hand

If you want to be absolutely sure that your knitwear keeps its shape, then hand washing is the most gentle way to wash it.

• Make sure the water is not too hot - lukewarm or hand-warm is the perfect temperature.
• Make sure you have plenty of water to soak your garments entirely without having to push them down or fiddle around with them.
• Use either wool wash detergent or hair shampoo when washing your wool to keep it soft
• Do not move the knitwear around too much once it is wet, and also don't soak it for too long.
• Gently squeeze out the water and rinse with lukewarm water to rinse out all the soap.
• Roll the knitwear into a towel and squeeze out more water.
• Lay the knitwear to dry flat on a towel. Heated bathroom floors are the perfect surface for drying.
• Be sure to stretch the knitwear in shape before leaving it to dry. You can, for example, use a tape measure to make sure it has been stretched enough.

Machine wash

If you have a machine with a wool wash program, it is also an option for washing your knitwear. The wool program generally runs at low temperatures and lower speeds than regular washing programs.

This way you can prevent your knitting from shrinking or felting when you wash it in the washing machine.

Yarn that is NOT suitable for machine washing

There are yarns that can be machine-washed and yarns that you should always wash by hand. If you have a machine with a wool program, you can easily use that for all kinds of knitwear, but if you want to be absolutely sure that you don't damage your knitwear, there are certain yarns that are best suited for hand washing.

As a rule of thumb, the hairier a yarn is, the greater the tendency it has to feel and shrink in the wash. Yarns with mohair should therefore always be washed by hand.

Yarn that IS suitable for machine washing

If you want to knit garments that can go in the washing machine, you can find a wide range of qualities that are suitable for machine wash. The vast majority of 'smooth' qualities are perfectly okay to wash on a wool program in the washing machine.

If you want to be able to wash your knit on a regular wash program, then go for qualities that are superwash-treated. This treatment adds a thin coating over the yarn, which protects it and ensures that it stays nice for a long time and can be washed at 40 degrees in the machine.

Superwash yarn

Up to 51%

Delicate Wash Wool