Herbert T from Swissvale, Pennsylvania has written to ask about the proper care for an Irish knit wool sweater. I get questions such as this from time to time and sometimes I think, well, I am “askmrsmom,” so if asked a question, I should answer it. But at other times, I hesitate because I don’t want to become a Helpful Hannah or Dear Abby column. Not that that would be so bad actually. But I am still feeling my way as to where I hope to land with this site and since in the first blog I billed myself as a researcher’s researcher, I decided to poke around the web and find the best answer to Herbert T’s question.
I am fond of fisherman knit sweaters. They conjure up images of damp but steamy pubs perched on some precipice off the coast of Ireland filled with pipe smoking, bearded fishermen or just sweater-wearing locals. I can smell the charred aroma of the roaring timbers in the single fire that warms the whole place. The sassy waitresses with their red curls and fair freckled skin or dark locks and ice blue eyes, depending on their part of the country, sashay table to table taking drink orders. Or slide their trays across the table and pull up a chair to chat. Dogs are curled at feet or nestled by the hearth, snoozing lazily as twilight slowly passes over the North Atlantic.
Yeah, I can wax poetic about a fisherman sweater or I can tell you how to wash one. I guess for Herbert T’s sake, I’ll do the latter. I am keeping the wording I found on the Irish website because things like “caring instructions” and “wilst” just make me smile.
Care of an Irish Knit Sweater:
First, follow the care instructions found on the tag attached to your sweater.
Busy modern lives makes hand washing an inconvenience you can do without so many newer sweater brands, can be washed conveniently in your machine. Whilst our care instructions may seem like a lengthy guide, wool is no more complex to care for than synthetic fibres.
There are, however, some golden rules:
Detergents:
Check your washing detergent or powder is wool friendly by reading the small print. Modern biological detergents, or ones containing bleaching agents, can be catastrophic to any animal-based fabric.
These detergents, as well as the non-biological detergents which contain bleach, will cause the garment to become corroded and thinned. They should not be used to wash fine British knitwear. Your new wool sweater could loose its shape, and the finer wools will go into holes very quickly. (Does that mean they burrow into the ground like a fox? I doubt it and assume they mean holes can appear in the the knit but gotta love the style.)
There are some excellent detergents which will condition and protect your wool sweater. Look out for the wool mark symbol on the packaging.
Spin Speeds:
Most woolens are best washed and spun in your washing machine at around 600 revs per minute. Higher spin speeds could cause a heavily water laden jersey to grow. You will find wool releases moisture much more easily than cotton, and does not need such a fast spin.
Check your machine before using the wool program. When selecting the wool program, some machines automatically switch to the correct spin speed setting for wool, whilst others will require the spin speed to be set independently from the wool program.
Temperatures:
Check your machine is set to no more than 40 degrees when washing wool sweaters to help prevent shrinking. Again, your machine should pre-set the wool setting temperature. However some machines have a separate temperature setting.
If a disaster occurs, and you pull a shrunken jersey out of the washing machine which has been run on the correct setting, we advise you to have the thermostat checked by a competent engineer. This may indicate a failure in the your machine’s temperature control. (I doubt that Sears has a competent engineer but I’m sure the pub I pictured would.)
Drying:
To keep your woolen sweaters in shape, and ensure no shrinkage occurs, high temperatures should not be used when drying. Once the garment has been gently spun, pull it into shape and allow it to dry whilst supported, allowing a natural airflow.
A banister rail is excellent for this process and you will be amazed at how quickly wool dries! (Love this image! No editorial necessary…)
Once dry, fold your sweater and store it flat. Avoid hanging your sweater on a hanger as this may stretch the garment.
Long-Term Storage:
We recommend that you clean your sweaters before storing them, since this will prevent moths from being attracted to them. Since mothballs release toxic chemicals and can smell unpleasant, we recommend using cloves, lavender, rosemary, thyme, dried orange peel, and cedar chips to repel moths. Tie any of these items in a cloth sachet or handkerchief and place it near, although not directly on, the garment.
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