Care Instructions
As with all beautifully handmade things, we wash all our silks with lukewarm or cool water, using a pH neutral soap. Gently squeeze the water through the piece (or yarn). Rinse, again with lukewarm or cool water and squeeze out the water. Wrap the silk in a towel, and press out the excess water. Hang or lay flat to dry, depending on what the piece is (i.e. hanging for wovens; flat for knits). For handwoven pieces, the silk appreciates a good press with steam, which brings out the lustre.
Silk is also dry-cleanable, but loves the attention of handwashing. The delicacy so often attributed to silk refers more to the structure (i.e. the weaving or knitting) than to the fibre, which is surprisingly strong for its fineness.
It goes without saying, hopefully, that the delicacy of the structure must be considered with all post-construction care. If the knitting or weaving is delicate, let this be your guide.
Dye Stability
It’s normal for a very small amount of dye to come off the finished yarn during wet finishing or washing. This is not the dye that is fixed to the yarn; it’s residual dye that is left on the surface. There is a multiple wash-rinse process that follows dyeing, which removes all but the smallest traces of this residual dye. Because of this tiny trace of dye residue, we don’t recommend mixing dyed colours with pure white during weaving or knitting. As with all dyed products, there’s a chance that the white will take on a tint of the colour it’s next to.