Washing instructions for hand-knitted garments

First of all, if you can avoid washing your knitwear, do it. Airing your sweaters can go a long way in keeping a garment fresh. Sometimes, however, it happens that your knitted garments become dirty and need to be washed.

Hand-knitted garments are usually washed by hand. Even if the machines have a wool wash program, it is often a safer option to wash the garment by hand. Place the knitted garment in water and detergent in a sink or similar. Use detergent suitable for wool or other fibres. The water should be around 30 degrees. Check whether your detergent needs to be rinsed out or not (our detergents from Soak do not need to be rinsed out). Knitted garments should not be twisted so if you are going to rinse your garment or wring out water it should be done with care. Some yarns can be spun in a washing machine, which can be a good way to squeeze water out of your garment (test on your sample patch if you are unsure). Wash dark colors separately. Dark colors can contain excess dye, so it's important to make sure the garment is rinsed until the water is completely clear so it won't stain other things.

Then roll the knitting in a terry towel and squeeze out the rest of the water (if you haven't centrifuged it). Shape the garment and lay it flat to dry. When the garment is semi-dry, you can shake it lightly to make it porous and airy. You can shape the garment using stainless steel needles (blocking needles). Knitted garments should not be tumble dried.

Wool garments and silk
Garments knitted in sheep and alpaca wool should not be washed more often than necessary. If you only got a stain on the shirt, you can dab directly on the stain with a wet towel instead of wetting the entire garment. Some woolen garments grow when they get wet so make sure not to pull the garment to affect the size of the garment but squeeze the garment gently. If your yarn is superwash treated, it can withstand machine washing better than untreated yarns. This can be estimated at e.g. children's clothing. However, we advise you to test on a sample patch or similar first in order not to risk ruining the garment. Wash on the machine's wool or delicate wash program. Avoid fabric softener.

Cotton and linen
When you wash knitted garments made of cotton or linen, you can in many cases use the washing machine's regular washing program between 30 and 60 degrees. Check if there are specific washing instructions for your yarn. Cotton has a tendency to shrink a little in the wash. To restore the original shape, you can stretch the garment before letting it dry.