Lowie began as a knitwear brand 16 years ago, so knitwear is close to our hearts! We wanted to come up with some pointers to help you care for your beloved cosy knits so they really will last a lifetime.

Lots of people are scared of hand washing but these days you can do it on a hand washing setting on the machine.

Pop your jumper in a pillow case and put your machine on a hand wash, wool wash or delicates setting, using wool detergent.  Make sure you only wash at a lukewarm temperature – maximum 30 degrees – as warmer water will shrink the wool.

Once washed, lay out your jumper on a dry towel and gently roll it up to get the excess water out- do not wring it as it may mis-shape the garment! Lay it out flat again and let it dry naturally, turning when one side is dry. Make sure it’s completely dry before putting away.

We recommend against dry cleaning because the harmful chemical change the structure of the wool and often make it less soft than washing. The chemicals are also very bad for the environment.

Fold your knitwear rather than hang it.  This will ensure that you don’t get any hanger ‘shoulders’ and the knitwear will keep its’ shape.  Susannah, the director of our knitwear manufacturer Harleys of Scotland says to lay your garment facedown, fold in vertically from the centre shoulder, folding the arm back on itself so that the arm runs parallel to the fold. Then fold the hem up to the neck and you should have a beautifully neat square shape.

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We love natural fibres here at Lowie but we all hate pesky moths. Natural fabrics such as wool are prone to damage caused by moths, particularly in the summer months.

Moths lay their eggs on wool and after the eggs have hatched, the larvae feed on the wool fibers to survive and cause holes all over the garment. On average a single moth lays around 100 eggs at one time, and then the damage can be catastrophic.

 

1- Keep your knitwear clean

2 - Store nicely folded in a dry place with space for the garment to breath. Try to avoid packing your wool jumpers in like sardines. 

 3 – During summer, store your knits in a sealed plastic container and use a natural moth deterrent such as rosemary, lavender, blocks of cedar wood or cloves. Put some of these into your containers in a small voile bag and this should ward off potential hungry moths.

 

If you notice one of your garments has been infested, wash and dry flat, put the knitwear in sealable plastic bags, squeeze out the air inside and put in the freezer for 48 hours. This should do the trick.

 

Unfortunately pilling and bobbling is very common in cashmere especially. The best way to get rid of these is with a wool comb. Lay your garment out flat and gently, run the wool comb over the garment, this will pick up the bobbles and make your jumper look as good as new.

 

Hope our handy tips helped and if you have any more specific knitty needs drop us an email and we will do our best to help!