Care of Alpaca Hand-Knits

Washing

• 1

  Fill a clean sink or large bowl with lukewarm -- about 100 F -- water. Add about 1 tsp. of baby shampoo to the water and agitate with your hands to combine.

• 2

  Place your alpaca items into the water and gently swish them to dampen. Let the items soak in the water for about three minutes.

• 3

  Pour or drain the washing water and add clean water with the same temperature. This is important to prevent the fibers from felting and damaging your alpaca hand knit.

• 4

  Gently swish the items in the water to rinse out the soap. Avoid heavy agitation with your hands to prevent matting the fibers.

Drying

• 5

  Place wet hand-knits in a strainer or in the drained sink for about five minutes. Hold the hand-knit gently and squeeze lightly to remove water. Avoid wringing or twisting the items.

• 6

  Place the wet hand-knit onto a large bath towel. Roll the hand-knit inside the towel and press lightly so the towel absorbs excess water. Let the hand-knit rest in the towel for five minutes.

• 7

  Lay a dry towel on a flat surface or on top of a drying rack. Remove the hand-knits from the rolled towel and smooth them out on top of the dry towel to dry.

Storage

• 8

  Dry the hand-knits thoroughly before placing in storage.

• 9

  Place the hand-knits in a cedar chest for storage to prevent moth damage.

• 10

  Place the hand-knits in a zipper-seal bag and set in a closet as an alternative storage option. Place a sachet of dried lavender near the hand-knits to keep moths away.