Product Care

Keep your Lost Horizons knitwear looking its best!

Every Lost Horizons knit is a handcrafted original. Please consider slight variations in colour, design or size as part of the appeal of our Fair Trade products.

Here’s how to care for your Lost Horizons sweater, skirt and knitted accessories.


My sweater is pilling. What should I do?

Your sweater will naturally pill (form little fuzzy lint balls), especially in friction areas (i.e. under the arms).

To stop pills from forming, try brushing your sweater with lint brush or nylon bristled garment brush. Once pills have formed, sweater or garment combs can also be used to grab pills and pull them off the fabric surface. For very stubborn pills, fabric shavers or a straight razor will usually do the job. It's important to remember to test these products first on an inconspicuous area of the garment; some fine fabrics can be damaged by the abrasion of pill removers.

Please be extremely careful—our Guarantee does not cover cut or pulled yarn.


Can I wash my sweater in the washing machine? What about on the delicate woolens setting with cold water?

Please do not wash your sweater in the washing machine! The agitation could cause felting or shrinkage. We recommend dry cleaning your sweater once or twice per season. If your sweater has picked up some airborne odours, simply hang it outside on a cool night to air it out.


Dry cleaning is hard on the environment. Is there another way to clean my sweater?

You can hand-wash your sweater in cold water with mild soap.

Hand washing may seem like a lot of trouble, but you can be sure that plenty of work went into creating your knitted item!

 

  1. Fill a basin with cool water. Add mild soap, preferably an eco-friendly variety. Place your sweater in the water and swirl gently.
  2. Rinse by draining the basin and adding fresh water. Gently press on the sweater to remove excess water. Be careful not to wring or twist it!
  3. Lay the sweater out flat on a thick, dry towel. Roll the towel around the sweater the way you would a yoga mat, pressing as you go. Do not twist the towel. (For improved results, you can place the rolled towel in the washing machine and use the spin cycle to extract more water.)
  4. Unroll and lay the sweater on top of another dry towel on a flat, waterproof surface. Reshape the sweater—spread arms out straight, push ribbing together, align collar and any buttons. If there is a belt, dry it separately. After 12 to 24 hours (depending on the thickness of the knit), turn the sweater over and transfer it to another dry towel. Pat and fluff it a little.
  5. Once it’s completely dry, your sweater is ready to wear again. Use a steamer to remove any wrinkles or folds if required.