Caring for your special pieces is essential to make your knitwear last. We have broken down our tips into 5 points that will help you care for your knitwear and increase the longevity of your garments.
WEARING
When purchasing knitwear you need to appreciate the unique and beautiful delicate fabric that a knit is.
Our knitwear is pure cotton and will grow with wear, but not excessively. This is due to the fact that our knitwear pieces are 100% cotton and aren't weaved with elastane. We have wear tested both our babies, kids and womens garments and believe that with correct washing, these knits will bounce back in retention to their original fit.
Knits are unique in that they are not as closely weaved as a denim or woven fabric. The nature of wider loops is that knitwear can be easily pulled by jewellery, nails, pins, etc. The tighter the weave, the less likely it is to pull. However, no knitwear is immune from pulls and snags. If you do happen to make a pull in your knitwear, don’t panic it can can be fixed. There is nothing more annoying then wearing your favourite jumper for the first time and having it snagged. Here is a little step-by-step guide to fix it.
WASHING
All our knitwear is made from cotton. So this is where laundering really comes into play with using these durable natural fibres.
Cotton can be machine-washed, however it is highly dependant on the type of washing machine you have, and the cycles it offers. This is a really important point. I had a top loader for 10 years and to be honest even on the delicate cycle it would snag my knitwear. We now have a front loader that is much more gentler on our clothes.
Hand washing is the safest way to ensure no damage is done. When hand washing, always, always, always use a detergent that works for your family and their skin. Cotton is quite versatile in what liquids can be used. But coming from a family of skin allergies and eczema, it is really important to use a washing liquid that works for your family and their skin.
If you are hand washing be sure not to over wring your knitwear. We have some larger chunkier knitwear and these yarns absorb a lot more water so be careful not to over wring and distort the shape of your knitwear.
Our knitwear so far does not contain wool or synthetic yarns that require specialised washes or liquids.
Always check the care labels of our garments as although a garment is cotton, the knit may require a special kind of laundering or drying. Which brings us to our next point...
DRYING
Drying is actually a critical step in laundering your knitwear correctly. Before you go to dry your knitwear, be careful that there is no excess water left in the garment. Drying a garment that is still fully soaked in water won’t return to its previous outer garment measurements. Knitwear is best laid flat however you can also hang your knitwear over the drying rack to avoid ugly peg marks and also prevent the knit stretching out of shape. Avoid drying your knitwear in full sun. Australian sun is powerful, believe me I have tested this theory, and UV in Australia is even stronger then the UV they use in the testing houses. Never over dry or leave knitwear out in the sun as it will bleach.
IRONING
The key to caring for your knitwear is ironing. It smooths down all the fibres that have been given a good ruffle up if you washed it, and it restores your knitwear to its silky best. Use the wool setting on your iron, with plenty of steam and as a safe guard, I always place a towel between the iron and the knitwear.
STORING
Before you retire your knitwear for the warmer months, make sure your knitwear is clean, pressed and folded neatly so that when you go to pull it out again on a chilly evening, it is as beautiful as it was the day you put it away.
Again I don’t recommend hanging knitwear, as it will drop no matter what yarn the garment is made from. The tighter the weave like a 12gg knitwear garment the less likely it is to happen. However I always believe that folding your knitwear is best practice for increasing the longevity of the garment.
