Care and Washing
WOOL:
I wash my wool knits in the machine on a low spin setting at 30 degrees or less. However, I recommend washing by hand (with a gentle detergent) if you are unsure of your machine settings. There will usually be a 'wool wash' setting on modern machines which is safe for new wool products. The most important part of caring for knitwear is to reshape after washing. It's important not to wring the garment as this may stretch or wrinkle its shape. If the garment is very wet after hand washing, you can gently squeeze the piece and leave it to drain before reshaping. Lay the piece out flat on a dry towel and reshape it where needed. If your garment comes out of the washing machine fairly dry, you can steam the piece to help with reshaping.
* For CODED scarves, you can press the wool-facing side with the iron on a wool heat to remove any wrinkles after washing. Do not press/iron the striped side of the scarf as you may melt any synthetic fibres which have been blended in!
DELICATES:
For delicate pieces, I would also recommend hand washing. Although you can machine wash them with care. It's most important to check what else you are putting in with the wash load. Avoid at all costs mixing with garments that have zips, Velcro, or fastenings which may get caught and snag the knitwear!
* When wearing delicate pieces please also take care with sharp jewellery, watches, and bags with chained straps or sharp fastenings.
MENDING:
To mend snags in knitwear you can take a pin or needle and wiggle the stitches to loosen them. It's important not to cut any pulled threads as this may create a hole in the garment. You can hook any pulled threads through to the inside of the garment to hide them.
To mend holes in knitwear you can follow guides for an invisible mend, or you can darn them.
There are loads or clear video tutorials on pinterest, tiktok and instagram, showing different methods.
Here's an example -> https://pin.it/2CHOatQD7
Darning can be a fun process, you needn't hide that you have put care and love into keeping your clothes fit for wear! You can use fun colours and be creative. :)
Colour
For all CODED products, the colour code icons have been set to represent the yarn colours as closely as possible. However all screens will display these colours differently. (Please be aware if you are viewing the page with a sleep light or battery saving filter on). Most of the colours available can be seen in the listed pictures so you can see how they look in daylight once knitted up.
Colour codes will change depending on stock levels and as all the yarns I use are left over stock, exact colours will not be restocked. If you would really like a specific colour and you don't see it as an option, please message me as I might be able to find you an alternative!
Deadstock
Deadstock is a term used to describe surplus industry product. There are enough interesting materials in existence to make beautiful things from! Mass (over) production is not only harmful for our planet but boring to consume. Products made from waste are interesting and unique by nature, they have a story and they help to regenerate our planet not just sustain it.
I buy deadstock yarns from a mixture of British and European mills. They’re mostly end of line colours (discontinued by the suppliers) or surplus, over ordered stock from large fashion houses or textile manufacturers. Some amazing yarns come from these waste streams but they’re often found in small and finite quantities. That makes it hard for them to by reabsorbed by the fashion and textile industry. You also have to design backwards - working around what is available rather than sourcing yarns and colours which match your designs. As someone who loves colour, I find this an exciting challenge rather than a problem.
Knots
Working with yarns in small quantities and often changing colours by hand on the machine, means that ends of the threads are joined together. This is to reduce waste and help with the making and manufacturing process. When a colour runs out it’s tied onto a new yarn creating tiny knots which give each piece a fingerprint pattern. They aren't caused by damage and any loose ends can be tucked in or carefully trimmed (just make sure not to cut the knot!) :)