Washing the fabric after knitting relaxes the stitches to create a softer, more fluid fabric. It also binds the possum fibers into the garment, reducing shedding.
Steps:
1) Fill a basin or sink with warm (86F/30C) water. Add a gentle wool wash such as Eucalan, Soak or even Lux soap flakes.
2) Completely submerge the garment or knitted pieces in the soapy water. Squeeze the garment (don’t wring!) letting water through the fabric. Repeat for a couple of minutes. This allows the stitches to relax (both in width and length). The possum fur binds further into its merino or cashmere base, preventing the garment to shed fiber when worn.
3) Empty the bath and with care squeeze the excess water from the garment in your hands. (You can rinse off the soap residue at this point and redo steps one and two with a fabric softener)
4) Roll the knitted garment in a clean towel to absorb any excess moisture. Then lay the garment flat to dry (out of direct sunlight), wet-blocking the piece to the finished measurements.
Do not iron or steam possum garments; this can flatten the possum fibers and diminish the halo effect.
* Zealana Performa yarns can be machine-washed on the “gentle” machine cycle using cool water. Lay the piece flat to dry until damp, then place in the dryer on low for 4 to 6 minutes, using gentle cycle.
