Washing hand-knitted clothes

[Bartimaeus]

My MIL has kindly knitted some gorgeous jumpers for DS1 (due in 1 month). They are lovely and snug and warm...but unfortunately she told DH that they need to be hand-washed and dried flat.

I'm assuming this means they are pure wool, so would shrink in the washing machine.

Now it's my first DC, but I'm guessing I won't have much time and patience in the first few months for hand-washing clothes (they are all for 0 - 3 months). I'm upset as I would love for him to wear his Granny's jumpers but on a practical level I'm not sure how much I'll put them on him.

Any advice for how I can wash them in the machine without shrinking them?

Otherwise I'll just be reduced to putting them on him when we visit her, which seems a real shame as a lot of love and time has gone into making them (and they are really lovely).

My nan knits gorgeous cardigans and jumpers too and I just put them in with the washing as normal. 40 degrees, non-bio, they are absolutely fine.

I put ours on a cool, gentle wash and they are fine. But I'm not a wool expert, so maybe check the label on the wool she bought? You could put them in the machine in a pillow case tied with string, for more protection? You definitely won't want to be hand washing with a newborn, I promise you!

It's all you can do to throw a load in an ordinary wash if you are anything like most new parents, so don't even contemplate hand washing them, but if your machine has a wool wash that should be fine at 30 deg. Also check what yarn she has used. Maybe she is erring on the side of caution to avoid her lovely work being spoilt and is suggesting a hand wash when a gentle machine wash is actually OK.

Failing that, take the jumpers round to MIL to wash.

If she has chosen a handwash only yarn is a bit daft of her although I am sure her heart was in the right place. If she is keen to make some more perhaps next time you might find a way of suggesting she makes life a bit easier and choses something machine washable - there are lots of lovely machine washable merino wools around these days that would be great for a baby.

Good luck with your new baby.

Ask her for the label from the wool. Most is machine washable.

I'd be cautious (DH has now ruined 2 of my DD's handknitted wool cardigans by just putting them in at 40 degrees) and use the lowest temperature on a wool cycle if your washing machine has one.

Handwash would be preferably, but you can wash them in your machine on a delicate cycle at 30 degrees - just do not ever ever tumble dry them, as this will felt them!