Care Guide for the Shetland Jumper

It might have been invented on a weather-beaten archipelago, but the Shetland Jumper’s still made of wool — carded wool at that — so extra care is strongly recommended, assuming you want to keep it looking as charming as it does right now.

No reason to go overboard though, it’s all straightforward stuff.

The good news is that your precious Shetland Jumper can be put in the wash, which is a lot handier than washing it by hand or running it over to your local dry cleaner.

But rules apply. Wash it inside out, preferably in a washing bag or clothes net, and run a delicate wool programme at 30°C max. Aim for the minimum rinse spin cycle which usually comes in at 400rpm.

PS: You probably already know that wool is a naturally anti-bacterial material that doesn't need a daily freshen-up. The structure of its fibres considerably limits the spread of bacteria, making it odourless and 'self-cleaning' — to an extent. Simply hang your jumper out in the fresh air for a few hours between wears to keep any accumulated odours in check. Other than that it should be fine with a proper wash every 2-4 weeks (depending on how often you wear it).

The hard part starts here… Not really, it’s more plain sailing.

Dry your jumper laid flat. Avoid hanging it out on a washing line or a hanger to dry as the weight of the wet wool will stretch and warp your precious jumper. If you don't have a shady garden or balcony for laying your jumper out on, a couple of terry towels spread out on your bed will do the trick.

And of course, don’t even think about tumble drying it. That’s a NO-GO.

Beat the pilling

You know it, we know it: wool tends to pill. Depending on the stitch, it’ll pill more or less quickly, but sooner of later a few bobbles always show up. This is especially true with carded wool. So, while we knitted this jersey very densely to minimise the pill-risk, it's possible that you'll see some bobbles cropping up in a few months’ time.

There are two ways to handle pilling:

• Either you decide the spirit of the Shetland Jumper is at one with the bobble, that this wear and tear and added texture is intrinsic to its character, and you proudly wear it as is.
• Or you invest in a small pill razor to delicately remove those pesky bobbles

That's all there is to it.

So there you have it, you now know everything there is to know about looking after your Shetland Jumper. If we've missed something or you have any questions hit us up in the comment section below or here support@asphalte.com.

We'll be back in touch in a couple of weeks to see how you're getting on.

Until then,

The Asphalte Team: