Simple steps to look after your knitwear
To keep your knitwear in shape, and ensure no shrinkage occurs, high temperatures should not be used when drying.
Once the garment has been gently spun, pull it into shape and allow it to dry whilst supported, allowing a natural airflow.
For all of our knitwear, before washing, check your washing detergent or powder is Wool friendly by reading the small print. Modern biological detergents, or ones containing bleaching agents, can be catastrophic to any animal-based fabric.
Our Cotton styles are blended with protein based animal fibres (Silk or Cashmere) and can be degraded by detergents containing bleach or biological enzymes. So as with our Wool styles, please ensure you use a delicates detergent when washing our Cottons blends.
These detergents, as well as the non-biological detergents which contain bleach, will cause the garment to become corroded and thinned. They should not be used to wash your Wool Overs' fine 100% Pure knitwear. Your new jumper or cardigan could lose its shape, and some of the finer Wools will go into holes very quickly.
All collections need to be washed with a delicates detergent. There are some excellent detergents, which will condition and protect your new knitwear! Look out for the Woolmark symbol on the packaging.
All of our garments are best washed and spun in your washing machine at around 600 revs per minute. Higher spin speeds could cause a heavily water laden jersey to grow. You will find wool releases moisture much more easily than other fabrics, and does not need such a fast spin.
Check your machine before using the wool programme. When selecting the wool programme, some machines automatically switch to the correct spin speed setting for wool, whilst others will require the spin speed to be set independently from the wool programme.
The moth caterpillar can inhabit any home, and is not a sign of poor domestic hygiene! The egg-laying adult moth, attracted by a light source, can enter homes via an open window. Once the eggs are laid and larvae newly hatched, they feed on the fibres of your garment. Jerseys and sweaters, unworn during summer, subsequently develop holes making them un-wearable.
Mothballs are available as a pungent deterrent, and can now be bought in an odourless format. One form of defence is to keep your sweaters and jerseys in polythene bags when they are not in use. Plastic is an item not on the moths' menu. Another good preventative is lavender, which has a more pleasant perfume and loads of other benefits too.
Check your machine is set to no more than 30 degrees when washing to help prevent shrinking. Again, your machine should be pre-set to the wool setting temperature. However some machines have a separate temperature setting.
If after you wash your Wool or Cotton knitwear on the correct settings you find the garment has shrunk a little it can be generally pulled back to shape whilst damp. If the garment shrinks dramatically we advise your machines thermostats is checked by a competent engineer.
Our yarns are bulk treated with a 'hercoset' process which makes the fibres resistant to shrinkage as long as they are not heated past 30 degrees. We do not accept liability for garments that are incorrectly laundered.
With the manufacturing processes we have in place at Wool Overs, we have ensured our yarns, and knitting tensions minimise pilling (or bobbling). However, all wool will pill to a certain degree. This is more common in softer yarns and can occur in contact areas e.g. where your arm rubs against your body during wear. When pills appear, the garment can soon look a little untidy, but this is only a temporary condition.
The pilling balls can be removed easily by using one of our Pilling Combs. Alternatively, pilling can be removed by plucking or carefully shaving the fabric. Once the jersey has finished releasing these shorter fibres, the longer, higher twisted fibres will remain, and the pilling will cease. A similar process occurs during the first few weeks of walking on a new wool carpet. Washing your jumper in a washing machine speeds up the process of releasing the shorter fibres and the bobbles.
