Fiber Care Guide

How do I care for garments made with Loopy Mango yarns?

We recommend dry cleaning or hand washing in cold water and laying flat to dry. Exposure to heat and agitation will cause wool fibers to felt. Big Cotton and Summer yarns (both 100% cotton) are the exception, as they can be washed in a machine and tumble dried. Please read more specifics in each yarn overview below.

You might lose some softness from washing, even in cold water. To test this, we recommend making a small swatch and washing it to see if you like the result before you wash the entire garment.

Garments should be stored folded, instead of hanging, to prevent stretching.

How to deal with fiber shedding and pilling?

Our yarn is made with 100% natural fiber which means some amount of shedding and pilling is to be expected with all of our yarns (for the least amount of shedding go with Dream yarn). We find that dry cleaning merino wool garments will help mitigate shedding.

If you’re experiencing pilling on your merino wool garments, we suggest trimming the fuzz balls with a pair of scissors every once in a while - just think of it like grooming a pet! We recommend using large blade scissors so that you snip off multiple pills in one go. It will only take a few minutes and your garment will look like new.

Please refer to the Mohair So Soft section below to learn specific tips and tricks for this fiber.

Do I need to block my project?

Our projects are designed to be worn right off the needles, no blocking required!

Mohair So Soft

Mohair So Soft, composed of 47% super kid mohair and 53% extra fine merino, is an incredibly soft, lightweight, and fuzzy yarn. With all these wonderful attributes comes the natural tendency for the fiber to shed. While nothing will totally stop your mohair garments from shedding, there are ways to minimize the fiber loss.

One of the most effective techniques is to freeze your mohair knitwear. Simply put the garment in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer for a few hours. Then, take your garment out and give it a good shake. Freezing the fabric will harden the fibers, making them prone to fall out all at once with a vigorous shake, rather than shedding on you throughout the day.

You can also be strategic about which fabrics you wear with your mohair pieces. For instance, choose ‘non-sticky’ fabrics- think silk, rayon, polyester, or leather- as these won’t grab the mohair fibers in the way that, say, cotton will.

Care: Dry clean or hand wash cold, lay flat to dry. Please test any washing/drying method on a small swatch to ensure you like the end result.

Big Cotton & Summer

Both of our 100% cotton yarns, Big Cotton and Summer, are un-mercerized and minimally processed. This means that the yarns have not undergone the chemical process of mercerization, which is often done to create a yarn with more shine and rigidity, minimizing the fiber’s innate elasticity. Instead, our cotton is left in a more natural state- with a soft and supple handfeel.

Given that our cotton yarns are chunky, un-mercerized, and minimally processed in order to preserve the fiber’s natural softness and elasticity, they can be prone to shedding.

Care: Hand wash or machine wash cold, tumble dry (tumble drying helps with shedding by pulling loose fibers out). Please test any washing/drying method on a small swatch to ensure you like the end result.

Merino No. 5 & Dream

Merino No. 5 and Dream yarns are 100% merino wool.  Due to delicate nature of superfine merino fiber used for these yarns some shedding is possible (chunkier yarns she’s more than thinner yarns so Dream has less shedding than Merino No. 5).

Care: Dry clean or hand wash cold, lay flat to dry. Please test any washing/drying method on a small swatch to ensure you like the end result. Note that exposing wool to heat (hot water) or agitation (machine washing) will cause it to felt.

Big Loop

Big Loop is 100% merino wool and is made in the USA. The fiber, from American raised sheep, is dyed domestically and then spun into yarn at our mill.  Due to delicate nature of merino wool some shedding may occur.  

Care: Dry clean or hand wash cold, lay flat to dry. Please test any washing/drying method on a small swatch to make sure you like the end result. Note that exposing wool to heat (hot water) or agitation (machine washing) will cause it to felt.