Love me tender: how to care for your handknits

Want to know how to look after your favourite scarf or winter cardi? Can't find the care instruction label? Here are my favourite tips to ensurse it sticks around for a few more seasons:

1. Always follow the garment care instructions. Always. No excuses. Trust me, you will want to know that your fave boyfriend sweater is dryclean only before you chuck it in the machine on a delicate cycle.

2. Check that you are using the correct laundry detergent. You need to use one that is specifically designed for wool, otherwise you may damage the woollen fibres. Try Ecostore's Delicates & Wool Wash with eucalyptus (a natural moth repellent) or Soak no-rinse wool wash. Stay away from bleach - it can dissolve wool, which is obviously a bad, bad thing.

3. To handwash, fill up a sink or bucket with lukewarm water. Add laundry detergent (see above) and make sure it is properly dissolved. I find it easier to fill up the bottom of the bucket with hot water, add and dissolve detergent and then top up with cold water until the temperature is right. Use water that is too hot and risk the fabric felting.

4. Add the garment you are washing and gently move it through the water. If time allows, leave the garment to soak overnight (although check the garment label and detergent label first to see if this is allowed). The key is to be gentle, otherwise you can felt the wool.

5. Rinse gently in lukewarm water, making sure you have rinsed away all the detergent from the garment.

6. Gently squeeze any excess water from your garment. Don't wring as friction leads to felting.

7. Place your garment on a towel on a flat surface to dry. Lay it in the shape you want it to dry in. If it is a woollen lace garment it is important to stretch (or block) the lace out  so that the pattern doesn't look bunched up and odd once it is dry.

8. Never, ever hang woollen items to dry. Wool absorbs a lot of water when wet, making it super heavy. If you hang it on the line to dry you will end up with a misshapen disaster, which we want to avoid.

Follow my tips above for washing your knitted favourites (and other handwash only delicates) and you should be able to enjoy them for a few more winters yet. Know any other handy hints? Let me know!