Handmade crochet is exactly that — handmade. Every loop and knot in your Kaari piece was worked by hand, which means a little gentle care goes a very long way. A well-cared-for piece can outlast a machine-made one by years, and it keeps the softness and shape that make it special. This guide walks you through washing, drying, storing, and repairing your crochet so it stays beautiful for a long time.
Know your yarn first
Before you wash anything, check what your piece is made of. Most Kaari pieces are worked in acrylic or cotton yarns, and the two behave very differently in water.
- Acrylic yarn is durable, colourfast, and dries quickly. It is the easiest to care for and holds its shape well.
- Cotton yarn is breathable and absorbent, but it can shrink or stretch if washed in hot water or dried with heat.
- Blended yarns combine the best of both — treat them like the more delicate fibre in the blend.
If you are unsure, the safest rule is: cool water, gentle detergent, flat dry. That combination is gentle enough for almost any yarn.
Washing by hand
For most pieces, hand washing in cool water with a mild detergent is the safest choice. Submerge gently, squeeze — never wring or twist. Wringing can permanently stretch the stitches out of shape.
- Use cool or lukewarm water, never hot.
- A teaspoon of gentle detergent is plenty.
- Rinse until the water runs clear.
- Roll in a towel and press to remove excess water.
Work the soap through with your hands rather than scrubbing. Crochet stitches are loops, and vigorous scrubbing can pull them out of alignment. For heavily soiled spots, a soft-bristled brush and a little diluted detergent works better than rubbing the whole piece.
Can you machine wash it?
Some sturdy pieces — especially bags and homeware — can survive a gentle machine cycle, but it is always a risk. If you do machine wash:
- Use the delicate or hand-wash cycle.
- Put the piece in a mesh laundry bag to stop it snagging on zips or hooks.
- Use cold water and a mild detergent.
- Never tumble dry — the heat and tumbling will felt and shrink the yarn.
When in doubt, hand wash. It takes ten minutes and removes all the risk.
Drying
Lay your piece flat on a dry towel and reshape it gently while it's still damp. Never hang crochet to dry — gravity will stretch it. Keep it out of direct sunlight, which can fade natural yarns.
Reshaping matters more than people think. While the piece is damp, ease the edges back into their original outline — a bag's corners, a cushion's square, a bouquet's petals. This is the moment the piece "remembers" its shape, so take a minute to do it properly. Flip the towel once or twice if the piece is thick, so both sides dry evenly.
Storing
Fold, don't hang. Store in a dry place away from damp and direct light. If you're storing for a season, a breathable cotton bag keeps dust off while letting air circulate.
A few storage rules worth keeping:
- Never store crochet in plastic — trapped moisture causes mildew and yellowing.
- Add a cedar block or a sachet of dried lavender to keep moths away naturally.
- Don't pile heavy items on top of a stored piece; the weight can flatten the stitches.
- Check stored pieces every few months — catching a problem early is far easier than fixing one later.
A quick note on snags
Caught a loop? Gently tease the stitch back into place with a crochet hook or a blunt needle. Small snags fix easily if you catch them early — another reason to keep your pieces on display, not in a drawer.
For a stubborn snag, work from the back of the piece. Push the loop through to the wrong side, then gently pull the surrounding stitches back into alignment. A drop of fabric glue on the back of a repaired snag can hold it in place permanently.
Caring for specific pieces
Different pieces need slightly different attention.
- Handbags like our sunflower square bag carry the weight of daily use, so check the strap joins and handles regularly. Wipe the base clean with a damp cloth rather than submerging the whole bag.
- Bouquets like the forever bloom bouquet are decorative, so they rarely need washing — a soft brush or a gentle shake keeps the petals dust-free. If a stem bends, reshape it while it's dry.
- Hair accessories like the daisy hairband touch skin and hair oils, so they benefit from an occasional gentle wash. Hand wash in cool water, reshape, and dry flat.
When to ask for a repair
Some damage is beyond a home fix — a broken strap, a pulled-out seam, a badly stretched panel. That's where we come in. Kaari offers repairs on pieces we've made; message us on WhatsApp with a photo and we'll quote a repair. Because we made the piece, we have the same yarn and the same hands that worked it originally.
A final checklist
- Wash in cool water with mild detergent.
- Never wring, twist, or hang to dry.
- Dry flat, reshaped, out of direct sun.
- Store folded in a breathable bag, never plastic.
- Fix snags early; ask us for bigger repairs.
Follow these simple habits and your handmade piece will keep its colour, shape, and softness for years — and keep telling the story of the hands that made it.