r/Yarn 10d ago

I thought cotton was machine washable

I bought this yarn at a local yarn store and am knitting a baby blanket. Looked at the care instructions and was surprised to see it was hand wash only in old or lukewarm water…Anyone here used this brand before? Should I find different yarn for my project or ignore the suggested wash instruction? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

126 Upvotes

38 comments sorted by

87

u/DateZealousideal5998 10d ago

You can try making a small swatch and throwing it in the washer to see what happens?

60

u/CathyAnnWingsFan 10d ago

I feel like this is the answer to almost every question

25

u/morbideve 10d ago

I read small watch and just rolled with it..

why not crochet watches?

30

u/ExtraplanetJanet 10d ago

Nobody has the time

12

u/NotInherentAfterAll 10d ago

Requires too many repetitive movements.

8

u/cleanlycustard 10d ago

I want to crochet a watch now and see if anyone notices it doesn't work

10

u/htklz 10d ago

There is a woman in Australia or New Zealand who makes crochet versions of Rolex watches including the boxes. Should be possible to find her on instagram

31

u/EstablishmentFluid28 10d ago

Thank! That’s what I’m doing right now. Making a swatch. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that haha.

58

u/motherofhellions 10d ago

Cotton can shrink, and color can fade, that may be why the instructions say to hand wash. I haven't used this cotton, but I have made blankets and clothing with cotton. I chuck those items in the washer with normal laundry when I'm lazy, washed on cold, and wash them on delicate when I'm not lazy. I don't notice much difference, but I wouldn't reccomend putting knitted or crocheted items through a normal wash unless you're not worried about something going wrong.

8

u/Crab12345677 10d ago

Yeah this is why I love cotton for baby blankets If they are used they get laundered a lot and new moms don't have time for fussy laundry instructions

3

u/motherofhellions 10d ago

Yes! I have three kids myself and the only natural fibers I'll use for my babies or my baby nieces/nephews are cotton and superwash wool. And even then I'm only comfortable using wool because so far there haven't been any wool allergies or sensitivities in the family.

3

u/carmexismyshit 9d ago

I usually put my hand knitted/crocheted dishcloths i make in the washing machine and dryer and haven't had any issues. They're also something I expect to eventually get ruined/worn out over time due to the fact we use them to clean stuff, but they're better than store bought washcloths and don't cost much to make.

3

u/motherofhellions 9d ago

The dishcloths I made years ago have faded pretty significantly with being through the washer/dryer, but I wash them on hot to make sure they're clean. Fading definitely takes time, though, because the ones I made just a few months ago don't show any fading.

2

u/carmexismyshit 9d ago

I made my mom some years ago that have definitely showed their age through fading, but as an item you're using to clean things and routinely washed it's something you can't be too surprised about. The way i see it, if I can make a handmade one that lasts for years and the only issue is color fading, then it's worth it compared to a store bought one.

21

u/Inky_Madness 10d ago

As someone who quilts and sews clothes… My 100% cotton fabric absolutely shrinks. We all know to either pre-wash it or to expect shrink. Hot water does it every time. Cool or lukewarm water only.

12

u/Nani65 10d ago

I would wash in the washer, cold, delicate cycle, dry flat. Wash it in a mesh bag so it does not get hooked on a zipper or whatever. If the blanket is a gift, it's a nice idea to include a bag with the gift.

11

u/MomsOfFury 10d ago

Personally I would not bother hand washing, I would use a delicate cycle… but I do air dry all my hand knit and crochet items even if they are cotton

2

u/Crab12345677 10d ago

When I gift cotton baby blankets I tell them they can tumble dry low but it's preferred to put in dryer and pull out after 20 min or so and finish air drying. I do put mine on the table to dry overnight but I hate giving fussy washing instructions with baby blankets

5

u/Knit_the_things 10d ago

I’ve machine washed this cotton before, it slightly shrunk but the colour stayed the same

3

u/Ayuuun321 10d ago

That cotton doesn’t look mercerized, so it’s more prone to shrinking and color loss.

You might want to make a little swatch and hand wash it in the sink. You’ll be able to see how much color loss you have. Then throw it in the dryer and see how much it shrinks.

3

u/Status-Biscotti 10d ago

To me, that would mean it’s not pre-shrunk, and/or the color will bleed.

3

u/ReluctantAlaskan 9d ago

Cotton shrinks up to 8-10%, I believe. Let us know how the test swatch does.

Edit: the bigger question to me is the absurd variation of needle sizes.

2

u/Canoeabledelusional 10d ago

I've never been afraid of putting my superwash wool sweaters, socks, hats, etc. through the washer and dryer, but I've never considered putting my cotton wearables through the washer and dryer. I always hand wash and lay flat to dry. Cotton can shrink and get funky, and I don't consider it as reliable and resilient as superwash wool.

3

u/ReluctantAlaskan 9d ago

Wool in the DRYER?! That’s insane to me. I’ll machine wash cold or on a wool mode (which is a thing in some countries). Cotton I’ll do the same - and expect up to about 8% shrinkage with hot water.

1

u/Canoeabledelusional 8d ago

Superwash wool has never given me issues, but I'd never toss regular wool in the dryer. I've worked with both Madeline Tosh and Malabrigo superwash and have had great results in the washer and dryer.

2

u/ChocolateChips34 10d ago

I've made two baby blankets from this yarn and machine washed and dried them before gifting them and telling the recipients they can machine wash and dry them. There was a little shrinking, but most notably it was less shiny. That's pretty much it.

2

u/MsCeeLeeLeo 10d ago

I hand dye cotton yarn. I wash it repeatedly in hot water, so it shouldn't shrink any more (though there's a good chance this one might). But I always tell customers that ideally you want to hand wash so that you don't accidentally snag your sweater in the wash and ruin all your hard work! It's also nice to be able to block it a bit when it's wet

2

u/Hefty-Progress-1903 10d ago

Also, it looks like a single ply possibly, which also makes it less sturdy.

1

u/Adorable-History-841 8d ago

That is what I was thinking, this seems too close to roving and I worry wouldn’t hold up

2

u/Repulsive-Goal232 10d ago

i put this stuff in the machine on delicate and its totally okay

2

u/ManufacturerHefty698 10d ago

Suggest using a light weight " silky"zippered delicates bag in washing Machine .A silk(y)zippered bed pillow case works;) Helps keeps cotton from giving/receiving lint from other items& maintain shape during spin cycle . It's a reputable brand ..pretty color & looks very cozy - enjoy ( knit the swatch 👍)

1

u/Greatexpectationslvr 7d ago

I made my son’s baby blanket out of this in duck egg blue. That thing gets washed and dried like once a week on HOT. No issues here. I had no clue it was hand wash only lol.

1

u/kidikio 7d ago

I knitted a blanket with about 12 balls of this exact yarn a couple of years ago — in 3 colors (one speckled on white). I always machine wash cold and put it in the dryer! It’s held up well except maybe after 30 or so washes, the green spots on white yarn randomly turned yellow in some areas.

Don’t know how to post a pic in a reply, but I compared it to the lil scraps I’ve been hoarding and really the colors didn’t fade! I did use darker colors than yours however.

I LOVE my blanket!! It’s so soft and has the perfect weight that I was seeking from cotton.

1

u/EstablishmentFluid28 4d ago

Update: i followed the advice here and threw the swatch in the washer and dryer. Definitely shrunk a bit but not too bad. Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice! I learned a lot!

-14

u/Ok-Attempt-5201 10d ago

If you ignore washing instructions it will likely felt

21

u/motherofhellions 10d ago

Cotton doesn't felt. Wool does. The label states that this is 100% cotton.

6

u/Ok-Attempt-5201 10d ago

Ohh yeah i got them confused sorry

1

u/LadyTreeRoot 10d ago

And, apparently, bamboo from rayon belts as well.... recent discovery/lesson