Yarn Care

Here you’ll find general care tips for the most popular yarn fibers and yarn combinations, to help you keep your garments in good condition.

For specific care instructions for each one of our yarns, visit their online shade card or take a look at their labels.

General care tips

• Wash garments using plenty of water, and if possible, separately, to avoid friction.
• Never let the garment soak.Wash dark colours separately. Dark colours often contain an excess of dye, so it's important to make sure the garment is rinsed until the water is clear, to avoid the excess dye affecting other colours in the garment.
• Only use detergents that are made specifically for washing wool and other fine fibers, or a PH-neutral, dye free detergent.
• Always shape the garment, and lay it flat to dry. Never dry the garment in direct sunlight.
• Never put heavy dripping wet clothes to dry. Avoid drying garments on a surface that absorbs moisture, such as terry towels. In both cases, the garment can be discolored or lose its natural elasticity.
• Please note that garments knitted with special techniques - like garter stitch and dropped stitches - in heavy yarns, can grow in use or in the wash.

Common yarn fibers

Alpaca, untreated wool, mohair and silk:

First of all, consider just airing the garment, instead of washing it. If you still desire to wash it, here are some guidelines:

• Unless a yarn is superwash treated, avoid using the washing machine, since even the wool program can make garments lose their shape and in the worst cases lead to shrinking. Qualities that include silk could also lose colour.
• Hand wash at 30ºC with wool detergent (without enzymes and optical brighteners).
• Move the garment gently back and forth, do not rub or squeeze it.
• Rinse the garment until the rinse water is completely clear, making sure the water temperature stays uniform so the garment doesn’t shrink.
• Spin garments lightly in a pillowcase, or roll them into a towel and press out the moisture.
• Never use a dryer for wool, the garment will shrink!
• Unevenness in the garment will even out after washing or light steam ironing.
• Never put pressure on the garment neither in wet or dry conditions. Never steam/iron garments that have knitting structures, like cables. Never use iron or press on silk.
• When steaming, use preferably a steam iron, or a regular iron and a damp cloth placed between the iron and garment. Important: The garment should never be ironed directly!

Superwash treated wool:

• Machine wash superwash treated wool, using the wool / gentle cycle program.
• Don’t use fabric softener.
• Don’t leave the garment in the washing machine for a long period of time.
• To dry the garment, shape it and lay it flat - do not hang.

Merino wool:

DROPS Baby Merino, DROPS Big Merino, DROPS Merino Extra Fine and DROPS Cotton Merino are superwash treated yarns, which means they should be washed in the machine, using a gentle cycle program. That being said, there are a few more tips that are extremely relevant when it comes to caring for these yarns:

• Follow the washing instructions provided on the yarn label and in the shade card for the yarn.
• Wash merino wool in a 40 degrees / gentle cycle program.
• Wash separately, using lots of water.
• Use a small amount of wool detergent (without enzymes and optical brighteners).
• NEVER use fabric softener (the wool fibers become too soft and can slide apart).
• NEVER leave to soak!
• NEVER leave garments wet in the washing machine for a long period of time!
• NEVER hang to dry, instead dry the garments shaped on a flat surface.

DROPS Daisy is non-superwash treated. This means you should follow the instructions mentioned at the top of this page, under “Alpaca, untreated wool, mohair and silk”.

Cotton, linen and mixed qualities:

• Always machine wash at 40ºC or 60ºC depending on the instructions on the label. If they are washed at a wrong/lower temperature, colours may run. If this happens, wash again at the right temperature, i.e. according to the label. It is very important to adhere to the right temperature.
• Don’t use too much fabric conditioner.
• Use washing programs with plenty of rinsing time.
• Cotton has the tendency to shrink in the wash, so make sure you measure the garment before washing, in order to shape it correctly after the wash.
• Don’t tumble dry.

Yarn combinations

A general guideline for washing yarn combinations is to follow the washing instructions for the most delicate of the yarns you are working with.

For more specific instructions, keep reading.

• First, consider always airing your garment as opposed to washing it.
• If you anyway decide to wash it, do it by hand in 30ºC water.
• For measure, remember that 30ºC is colder than your body’s temperature. Aim to have the same temperature in the water when you wash and when you rinse the garment.
• Use wool detergent (without enzymes and dye free).
• Never use fabric softener, especially not with superwash treated yarn.
• Move the garment gently back and forth, in a bath with plenty of water.
• Don’t let the garment soak.
• Do not rub or squeeze the garment in the bath. The garment becomes very heavy from absorbing water, so the fibers/stitches will separate from each other, making the fibers lose elasticity and the garment lose its shape/grow.
• Rinse the garment until the rinse water is completely clear. That will assure you rinsed not just the detergent but also any excess dye.
• Do a light centrifugation of the garment (about 800rpm) or press carefully the water out of the garment with a dry towel. The garment shouldn’t be twisted or rolled.
• If you centrifuge the garment, you should choose a program that DOES NOT take in water at the start. The difference of temperature in the water can make the garment shrink.
• Lay (do not hang) to dry the garment, ideally on a warm bathroom floor or on top of a drying rack in a room with good air circulation.

Many newer washing machines have good wool/hand washing programs. You can try them but you do it at your own risk. If you decide to do so, it’s recommended that you wash a small knitted swatch first to test the result without risking your garment.

In general, whatever combination it is you wash, you will always reduce the chances of ruining your project by: washing it alone, not letting it soak, avoiding the use of softener and letting it dry flat (not hanging).

Always keep the yarn labels – they are your warranty! In order for us to deal with any complaints in an orderly manner, we need the labels as well as the knitted garment.

Comparative Care Table