CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR YARN AND WOOL GARMENTS

All wool is washable!  Yes, it really is.  Here, at the mill, we wash our wool right off of the sheep with hot, soapy water, lots of it, several times and it survives and thrives.  Why is that? One very good reason - we treat it gently and respect the fiber.

Wool clothing does not need such frequent washing as cotton clothing. They do not become dirty as easily as some other materials; in fact they repel dirt.

Wool and silk like to be aired. They share the unique quality of renewal; they are capable of cleaning themselves with oxygen.  

The surface of fine wool fiber is covered by many scales; these scales are close together and lie flat in fine wools.  When the fiber is wet, the scales swell up and stick out, this makes the fiber very susceptible to tangling together, in other words – Felting!

We can avoid this happening at the mill because we move the wool very, very slowly through the water.  What does this mean for you and your beautiful yarn item you have made?  Wash gently, in fact- DO NOT AGITATE it at all.  The simplest way to do this is by following these steps:

• Fill washer with warm, soapy water, use a gentle detergent
• Soak the item for 10-15 minutes
• DO NOT AGITATE
• Spin the item dry
• Rinse the same way, DO NOT AGITATE
• Lay garment out flat to dry
• You can do the same process by hand if you choose

Moths which use wool as their source of nourishment are frequent visitors in urban conditions. Therefore, when you stop the frequent use of a woolen garment, keep it in a tightly closed bag. You can also deter moths by placing cedar rings in your wardrobe.