Summer is the perfect time to get your handmade garment collection into tip-top shape. Washing items before they'll be stored will keep them fresh and pest-free, and it's also the ideal time to tackle any necessary mending. By taking care of your knitwear now, it'll be ready to rock when (someday, we promise) cooler temperatures roll in!

Step 1: Maintenance

Start your journey with a good de-pill-ing. We love the Gleener Ultimate Fuzz Remover because it has four heads to safely brushes out pills on a variety of fabrics without cutting/breaking the fiber (which can result in even more pilling over time). 

Comes with 3 heads to use on all weights of knitwear.

The sandpaper like edge brush straightens fibers to release pills.

While you're de-pill-ing, examine the garment. Reinforce any weak spots (sock heels and sweater underarms, we're looking at you) now before they become holes - and repair small holes to keep them from becoming big ones! 

Tiny loom perfectly sized to darn socks and small holes.

Lang Yarns reinforcement thread comes in 30+ colors to perfectly match your garment.

Step 2: Cleaning

Next up, give those lovelies a spa day! Enzymatic cleaners like Eucalan and Soak are gentle and no-rinse, which makes them perfect for knitwear. 

Making knits smell scrumptious since 2005. Grab Soak now at 10% off.

With a dash of lanolin and essential oils for a light clean scent.

We love the ease of washing our knits in Stasher stand-up bags. Add your cleaner, water, and the garment, then seal it up, give it a soft swish to mix together, and let it soak. 

Mid-size bags are perfect for hats, cowls, or a pair or two of socks.

Mega-size bags are excellent for shawls, tees, and other summer staples.

Step 3: Blocking

Now you have a sparkling clean but soaking wet garment. Don't have several dry towels to devote to getting all the water out? Pro tip: put it in a mesh laundry bag in the spin cycle of your washing machine to squeeze out nearly all the water with none of the effort.

Blocking your knits to shape after you wash them will restore the ideal look of the piece. We love the help of mats, wires, and t-pins to get those crisp corners and smooth curves.

From straight lines to picot borders, wires can do it all.

The felted top of CocoKnits blocking mats keeps items exactly where you lay them out.

Step 4: Storage

Don't skip this critical final step! No one wants to talk about it, but other than a lawnmower the quickest route to a ruined garment is pests. They can do irreparable damage in no time at all. To avoid this, store your knits with something that may repel bugs, like a cedar block. Give your cedar a boost every now and again by adding some cedar essential oil. To be on the safe side, we also recommend sealing clean (and bone dry) garments in a reusable zip-top plastic bag.

A giant jack of all trades zip top bag that works from skein to FO.

These tiny squares pack a mighty punch and are perfect for tossing in with your stored garments.