Knit Tips: Washable Yarn!

Choosing a hand knit item can be a deal-breaker for many due to their mainly being knit or crocheted from natural fibers. One huge concern is that the item will shrink or lose its shape after the first washing. If you're not very confident that you can care for the item, you can still enjoy the warmth and softness of wool with items made with "superwash wool". This particular type of wool is processed in a way that the wool WILL NOT shrink! Pretty neat huh? You can usually machine wash these items without any shrinking...just wash and go! Superwash wool comes in a huge variety of colors and textures so if there's something that you see in my store that isn't made with superwash wool just drop me an email or send me a message through my Etsy store and I'll see what I can do for you! If you're brave enough to wash an item that is not made with superwash wool, be sure to hand-wash the item in cool water in mild soap. After washing, rinse with a small amount of hair conditioner (remember we're dealing with the "hair" of an animal and treating it like you would your hair will keep it soft). Squeeze out the excess water and dry flat and reshape while damp. If it's still slightly out of shape after drying you can reshape it by using a steam iron and "hovering" the iron over the fabric without touching it and smooth out the rough spots with your fingers. I hope this tip will be helpful in the near future as I look forward to sharing many more! Till next time, ~Yarnie~