How to care for your crochet garments and wearables

This week, in the UK, we have seen a spell of warm weather and the sweaters are finally being put away until Autumn.

During this process I rediscovered two much loved crochet jumpers which I had previously managed to ruin with inappropriate washing (more about that shortly).

This inspired me to take some time to discuss how I now (better late than never) go about caring for my crochet wearables, and share some other folks’ tips from across the web.

A cautionary tale (and the reason for this post)

The image below shows two sweater patterns I designed and made and loved; the Free Flow Sweater and the Cloud Cover Sweater.

Both lovely and floaty and comfy and cosy.

One day I put them through the wash after a lot of wear, something I had done without drama in the past. What I failed to do in my absent mindedness was to select an appropriate wash cycle…

Instead of the super gentle wool wash cycle my machine has, I put it on a general cycle with a 1200 rpm spin on it…

The result let me to hide them in storage and pretend I hadn’t made such a rookie error… a sin against crochet!

After taking them out of storage today, this is what they look like… I call this montage shrunk and felted….

This happened about 2 or 3 years ago… it is only now I can look at them without wanting to cry a bit. I’ve finally started working on a new version of the free flow sweater and cloud cover is on the waiting list. 

The free flow sweater was made with a relatively smooth merino wool yarn but shrunk terribly, even though the yarn looks in reasonable condition on close inspection (shall I frog and re-use it?).

The Cloud Cover sweater was made with brushed alpaca silk which had a large halo – similar to a typical mohair. Most likely during the spin cycle, the agitation encouraged the fibres to essentially knot together causing it to felt. I had to peel the front and back away from each other when I took it out of the machine.

In the picture you can see the damage most clearly on the roll neck part. But all the loft and fluff is gone from the garment. This one is beyond frogging I’m afraid.

Needless to say, this is a mistake I will not be making again, and I would like to save you from making it too.

So in here I share some of my thoughts and some more generally received wisdom I’ve found from a variety of sources and opinions online, to help you care for your crochet clothes and other makes.

Read the care label

I’ll say that again – read the care label!

Although handmade crochet garments and wearables should always be treated with care and respect, the type of fibre used in the yarn has a big impact on what kind of washing they can withstand.

Typically when you purchase yarn it has washing and care instructions on the ball band. Make sure you heed these instructions. They are there to help you.

If the band doesn’t contain this information, then ask the yarn seller what they advise.

If your ball band has laundry symbols without a written explanation, make sure you understand what they actually mean. I am often confused by these on my store bought items, but a quick google usually sorts me out.

If you’re giving a finished item to someone, make sure you include washing instructions for them too. The last thing you want is to have spent all those hours making an item with love, only for the recipient to stick it in the dryer and ruin it!

NB. Never put handmade items in the dryer regardless of what fibre is used – Others may disagree with me here, but imo it’s just not worth the risk. I’m much more careful about washing now but I wold rather be over cautious than wreck another sweater.

Get to know the fibres you’re working with

When you work with a new yarn, take the opportunity to understand the blend of fibres used and how they respond to soaking and stretching.

A garment’s propensity to stretch with time and wear is rarely discussed but it’s an important feature of handmade crochet items. The more my design experience grows, the more I factor this into my design decisions and yarn selection.

If you made your swatch, washed and blocked it (which you should do with wearables), then you will already have an idea of how your item responds to washing and to pinning out.

Use that information to inform your approach to care.

The way an item needs to be cared for may actually be a factor in choosing an appropriate yarn. It’s not quite the same but when I buy garments off the peg, I often leave the ’dry clean only’ ones on the rack. (I don’t do dry cleaning)

Whether it’s yarn or manufactured garments, I never buy anything without first checking the fibre content and care label these days.

It’s a helpful habit to get into, not only because it can save on expensive dry cleaning or time consuming hand-washing, but it will help build your internal, intuitive knowledge of different fibres, what they feel like, how they drape and move, and how they need to be treated.

‘Shopping with your hands’ as I call it is a passive way to learn about fibres, knowledge which you can transfer to help you make more informed fibre choices when squishing yarn.

Does your crochet item really need washing?

When it comes to washing crochet garments, the first question you need to ask yourself is whether it really needs it or not.

Can you get away with giving it an airing instead, or maybe a steam or spot clean?

The less often you wash your crochet garments the longer they will last.

Many fibres such as wool are naturally stain resistant so really don’t need washing very often (if at all), especially if they are not worn directly next to the skin.

Be prudent with washing your handmade items.

Washing crochet garments

Once you’ve decided you want to wash your garment, use that info on the care label to decide how to go about it. Some items and fibres will do fine in the washing machine, others should go nowhere near it.

Always use a suitable detergent and avoid bleach or any other harsh chemicals – check that care label again.

Washing your swatch as mentioned previously is a good way to test whether your chosen approach is suitable. Though a finished garment of course is a different proposition because of the size and shape, so do consider this too.

Regardless of washing method, it’s good practice to wash items inside out.

You may also need to make adjustments to your washing process to account for the water in your area. I live in a hard water area so need to be mindful of limescale build up.

Machine washing crochet garments

If you’re using a machine, make sure you select a suitable cycle.

Many modern machines have good wool or hand-wash cycles which are the ones I tend to use with my hand made and delicates. This will of course depend on your machine and your garment.

Never ever spin your items in a machine. Felting is caused by agitation and rubbing of the fibres together and a spin will do this in minutes.

And please avoid the dryer. Even if a yarn says it’s okay in a dryer on a low heat, I believe it will shorten the life of your garments.

Washing your garments in mesh bags which are available for delicates was a great tip I saw when researching this post. They are on my shopping list.

I imagine this is especially useful when washing multiple items together. The last thing you want is sleeves getting tangled together as that is almost sure to stretch them and cause damage.

Wash with similar items. This may seem obvious but if you are washing multiple items together, don’t go washing your merino wool sweater with your bath matt… One is sure to damage the other! (You can guess which way around).

Hand-washing crochet garments

To hand wash garments, do so one at a time. There are many detailed tutorials showing how to handwash your items so I won’t go into detail here, I’ll just share a top level overview of my approach.

I fill a clean sink with lukewarm water (less than 30 degrees or temp given on your ball band) and a small amount of a suitable detergent.

For those of you in the UK, my friend Fay at Provenance Craft co sells UK made wool wash bars with or without lanolin (the natural fat found in sheep’s wool which helps with water resistance and condition). She offers them in trial sizes so you can give them a whirl for very little cost.

If you’re based outside the UK, try your local yarn shop or indie dyer who often sell wool washes suitable for their yarns (and are a great source of knowledge on how to care for various fibres).

I have also seen baby shampoo recommended for washing delicates, but have not tried this myself so can’t vouch for it.

I submerge the item in the water until all the air bubbles have gone. Moving it around gently but without scrunching or otherwise agitating too much.

Then I leave to soak as instructed by the detergent (often around 15mins but times can vary depending on your fibre and garment etc).

Gently rinse out detergent if needed, again being careful not to agitate the fabric. Remove excess water from your garment without wringing it out and being careful not to stretch, screw up or otherwise damage the item.

You may wish to lay your garment flat on a clean towel and roll it up to gently squish the excess water.

I lay the item flat, reshaping if needed and leaving it to air dry. Avoid hanging wet items on hangers or airers as the weight of the wet fabric will cause stretch and damage.

You might want to use a blocking board or lay it on a clean white towel (white so there is no chance of colour transference).

If the weather is suitable, I leave my items to air dry outside (away from direct sunlight) or by an open window, otherwise they can take an age to dry.

If you want more guidance on reshaping / pinning out your item, you can have a look at the instructions for wet blocking here. Indeed depending on the item, you may wish to re-block it if needed after it’s wash.

Steaming crochet

Steaming good way to freshen items up without the need for a full wash. Again, make sure you check that steaming is suitable for the fibre you have used.

I bought a steamer last year and I love it. Mostly I use it for blocking, but it’s also it’s been great for freshening up garments as well as dropping the creases out of them. Always follow directions on any equipment you use. It will be more suitable than andy advice than I can offer.

Steaming tends to leave garments slightly damp but they will dry more quickly than if you have hand washed them.

Steam garments flat on an ironing board and remember never to apply direct heat to any crochet item. (Go back to that ball band guidance!).

If you have 3D or awkward shaped areas, you can place a cotton towel inside to bulk it out. For example, if you want to steam a hat, fill it with a towel so it (at least vaguely) resembles the shape it will be when worn.

Spot cleaning crochet

If you spill something on your garment (slopping tea on the cuffs is my classic), then you can spot clean the impacted areas rather than washing the whole thing.

Deal with any spillages by lightly blotting liquid with a dry absorbent cloth or paper towel. Then gently dab away the rest with damp cloth and appropriate detergent if needed. Do not scrub or rub as it can cause felting or pilling.

For dry spills (think Netflix popcorn eating), I brush off the detritus and maybe give the item an airing or spot clean any residue.

Depilling your crochet

Pills and bobbles will form naturally on most handmade crochet garments with wear.

There are many tools, such as lint rollers, advertised to get rid of bobbles. However, I haven’t used any of them so can’t recommend them in good faith.

Honestly, I don’t know the best way to deal with bobbles.

Personally, I tend to gently pick them off as I notice them, making sure not to damage the remaining fabric. I’m sure there are better ways but I am an imperfect human.

Storing your crochet clothing and wearables

Okay, so now you have clean and dry crochet garments, let’s talk storage.

I started this post discussing how I am about to store away all my big sweaters until autumn, so it seems sensible to finish it with what’s on this weekend’s to do list.

As far as general storage tips go, the number one is DO NOT HANG CROCHET GARMENTS ON HANGARS!

I always encourage folding and not hanging. Hanging can cause misshaping, distorting and stretching.Gravity takes its toll on everything and crochet garments are no different. Over time, if hung, they will stretch, especially at points of contact.

Those shoulder bumps being the classic side effect of hangars… I bet you’ve had that moment where you take an item out of your wardrobe (crochet or otherwise) and find those irritating lumps in the shoulders which seem impossible to remove without soaking the whole flipping thing!I

If you’re storing your items away for a period of time, make sure they are clean and dry to start with. Fold them neatly, or roll them to try and avoid creases if you’re good at that Mari Kondo style storage thing.

I have found lots of advice on storage online, though there seems to be conflicting guidance between sealed plastic storage (bags or boxes) and linen bags or breathable garment storage.

The important thing is to ensure your garments are stored in cool (not cold) dry spaces away from moisture, dust and critters like moths which may cause damage.

I use those ziplock style vacuum storage bags. When my clothes come out the items can look a bit creased from the folds and can smell a little musty, but nothing a bit of an airing doesn’t sort out. This probably isn’t the ideal solution, but I have very little extra space, so it is the best I can do. Choose something that works for you.

If you really want to go to town you can invest in some acid free tissue paper to wrap your items in before putting them in your chosen storage solution. This apparently helps the items stay dust free and helps preserve the fibres in some sort of science way I don’t quite understand. It’s not something I’ve tried, but something I’ve seen suggested on posh knitwear sites…

Whatever storage you use, make sure that your items are completely dry before storing. Any moisture present may cause mildew and such nasties to develop. This is why breathable storage is commonly recommended (but only if you’re storing in a dry place otherwise it defeats the object).

Avoiding moth holes

Lastly lets talk moths…

Regardless of whether your items are stored away or in your wardrobe ready to wear, you want to ensure they are protected from the damage moths can cause.

Garment storage bags which you zip folded items into would be useful here as they create a sealed barrier to keep moths out. Barriers are an effective and simple solution – assuming the moths don’t get inside the bags of course.

There are various anti-moth products on the market you may want to try. I don’t use any of these so can’t comment on their efficacy or use.

Some natural recommendations I have come across are Cedar Wood and Lavender. Be sure to keep any herbs, oils or other repellant you use out of reach of children and pets as they are often toxic. Always read the use instructions, hazard warnings and make sure you educate yourself on the safety profile of any solution you choose.

A while back, I crocheted some lavender bags for my wardrobe to keep it smelling nice – without realising it may also deter moths. Whether it does or not I have not idea, but I like the smell!

If you do find you have an issue with moths, freezing is a recommended way to kill off any moth larvae without chemicals. If you’re concerned an item may have been affected, pop it in a ziplock bag in the freezer for a few days.

And with that slightly random tip, I come to the end of my care guide.

I hope you have found this a useful article. If you have any care tips you find helpful, do drop them in the comments. I would love to hear them. I’m still learning too.

I know that caring properly for your handmade items can seem like a lot of hassle. But all those hours you spent creating something are worth going the extra mile for.

Until next time.

Happy Hooking

Dx