Care For Your Knits
Yarn is labeled with fiber content, please carefully read your labels before laundering any of your yarns. All hand spun specialty yarn is crafted from non-superwash fibers!
Non-superwash yarn is, generally, easily feltable and must be handled carefully.
Hand washing your knits - Hand wash with gentle detergents (I recommend Unicorn Fiber Wash) in lukewarm water. Hot water temperatures can break the bonds of dye and cause bleeding and, of course, felting! Squeeze out excess water while supporting the weight of the fabric, block to desired shape and lay flat to dry
Machine washing your knits - Superwash fibers, such as the Middle of the Road Sock base, are processed so that they can be machine washed if desired. Larger garments can still benefit from drying laid flat, but socks can be dried in the dryer. Bear in mind, machine washing knits will shorten their lifespan. I use a lingerie bag for my machine washed knits, and always use a gentle cycle with cool/cold water
Perfecting and Troubleshooting your knitwear
Consider swatching - washing your small swatch of fabric can help to ensure your garment fits correctly before you pour all that time and energy into creating your masterpiece of a sweater!
Do you have a high contrast yarn, with bright red on one end, and white on the other, for example? Consider washing your skein of yarn before balling it up, introducing only the dark end into your wool wash, to ensure no bleeding or crocking will occur due to your detergent after you've knit it up!
I always process my yarns to full exhaustion of the dyes, and then thoroughly rinse the yarns before they head to their new homes. However, changes in p.h. from your water type or wool wash can occasionally lead to excess dye molecules coming out in the first wash.
Apothefaery roving and fleeces are all sourced from US farms and mills, with no processes to alter the fibers natural behaviour. Also, every fiber and yarn is sourced from cruelty-free farms, with no mulesing. I deeply believe in supporting our USA farms and farmers. My small insight into raising a spinners flock has made me even more appreciative of the shepherds who devote their lives to these treasured animals.