Tips on care

Tips on care

Instructions for care
To ensure that you can enjoy your hand-knitted items for a long time to come, it‘s essential to follow the care instructions on the yarn label. Below you’ll find the most important tips on how to handle your knitwear.

Storage
Hand- (as well as machine) knitted items should be stored flat and lying down. Do not hang them on clothes hangers, otherwise they would lose their shape and develop irreversible dents (especially shoulders and neckline).
They should also be kept protected from sunlight, otherwise the colors might fade. As yet there is still no way to dye wool so it's lightfast.

Washing
First of all: Be very careful! Always make sure your knitted garment is turned inside out, otherwise there might be to much stress from friction – regardless if washed by hand or in the machine.
Use a liquid washing detergent – either a mild one or a special wool detergent. Harsh detergents, particularly those formulated for regular clothing, can strip away the natural oils in fibres like wool and cashmere, leading to dryness, stiffness, and even shrinkage over time. If a washing powder is used there’s still a possibility that residues may remain in the fabric. Do not use fabric softener for the same reason.
The „easy-care“ icon on yarn bands doesn‘t automatically mean they are mashine washable but can be easily washed without any further precautions and dry quickly.
If you’re unsure (or the band doesn’t state anything else), wash by hand!
Therefore follow these tips:
Don't rub or press the item too much. Don't ever brush, twist or wring your knitwear. Use cold or slightly tempered water and rinse several times with clear water. To get rid of any excess water place item in between two dry towels, roll into a „fabric-burrito“ and press (remember don’t wring!) out any excess moisture. If necessary repeat once more with a new set of dry towels.
If the yarn is machine-washable always use a delicate cycle with lower RPM (rotations per minute) during the spin cycle.
It's even better to select a wool programme, because the drum doesn’t rorate a full 360°, the items are just swung back and forth.
Regardless of which cycle you choose, always fill the machine to no more than two-thirds of its capacity.

	Regular wash
	Delicate wash, reduce load by a third
	Special wool programme, reduce load by two thirds
	Hand wash
The numbers given are the maximum washing temperatures which should not be exceeded. The line underneath means using a delicate cycle.

Drying
Knitted items must not be wrung out. After squeezing out any excess moisture as mentioned above, place your item on a dry towel, if necessary pull or squeeze into shape and let air dry. Avoid direct sunlight as colors might fade.
Most yarns won’t withstand tumble drying. However, if this is expressly stated on the label, you should always select the lowest temperature and the gentlest cycle.

	Dry flat
	Dry on low temperature (max. 60° C)
	Dry normal
	Do not tumble dry
The dots symbolise the temperature.

Chlorination
Chlorination is not so common in Europe as in other countries, but there are detergents with bleaching agents available. However, those detergents should only be used when stated in the yarn label.

	Chlorination possible.
	No chlorination, do not use detergents with bleaching agents.

Dry-Cleaning
Some yarns cannot be washed at all. These have to be dry-cleaned.

	Standard cleaning
	Special cleaning for delicate textiles
	No dry-cleaning at all
The letters indicate the solvents that can be used; the line underneath means reduced mechanical stress, humidity and temperature.

Ironing
With its high elasticity, the natural fibre wool copesvery well with creases and wrinkling. Hang the item overnight outside or in the bathroom whilst taking a shower. The humidity will (just like magic) erase all creases.
If you feel the need to iron your knitwear use the lowest temperature - and only if it is explicitly allowed!
It's better to just steam your garment - don't touch it with the iron itself!

	Approx. 110° C
	Approx. 150° C
	Approx. 220° C
	Do not iron

One final tip
If you're unsure how to treat a specific stain (e.g. fat, ink, blood, makeup), ask at a reputable dry-cleaner's before taking any action.
Keep an original label of each yarn and make a note of what you made with it. That way, you can always check how to care for your favourite jumper.