How to wash garments made from cotton yarn

It is always important to wash home-made garments before using them, because there may be remnants of both colour and spinning oil in the yarn that can irritate the skin. Cotton yarn is generally an incredibly forgiving material to work with when it comes to washing and maintenance, and you can therefore for the most part also wash your knitted cotton projects in the washing machine. 

If in doubt, you will find washing information on the labels that tell you how to care for the specific yarn you are knitting with in order for it to stay in good condition. If you do not have the label on hand, you can follow these rules of thumb:

• Knitwear made from cotton yarn will always shrink a little. Usually, between 5 and 8%
• You can wash your cotton projects in the machine at either 40 or 60 degrees - the higher the temperature, the higher the risk of shrinkage
• You can stretch the project into shape after washing
• Use only a minimal amount of fabric softener and preferably none at all

If you follow these guidelines, you can enjoy your cotton garments for a long time. Should you happen to wash it incorrectly, cotton is also a forgiving material to work with when it comes to correcting washing mistakes. If you wash it at temperatures that are too high or incorrect, you can wash it correctly immediately afterwards and stretch it in shape to undo the damage.

Cotton Yarn

Up to 89%