We know how much you love your RUBY knits ~ so it’s only right to care for them with the same love.
From the chunky yarns of our Matilda Cardigan to the finer feel of our Emma Knit Top, consider this your easy-to-follow knitwear care guide ~ covering everything from washing and drying to storing your pieces properly.
Composition:
To understand how to care for your pieces, it is first important to understand the composition and how this impacts the durability, functionality, and overall comfort of the piece. Knitwear composition refers to the fibres in the yarn that the pieces are made up of. Across our knitwear, we use a mix of fibres including viscose, tencel, cotton, alongside animal fibres like lamb’s wool, merino, mohair, cashmere, alpaca and yak. We also incorporate synthetic fibres such as polyester, nylon, and spandex to enhance stretch, recovery, durability and ease of care.
Each piece is designed with a specific composition depending on how it’s worn and what it needs to do. Our Emma Knits are made up of 72% viscose, 18% nylon, and 10% elastane. Since these styles are designed to sit close to your skin, this blend of fibres ensures the garments are easy to care for, retain their shape with washing and wear, and are made from a trusted yarn that has been tested to have low susceptibility to pilling. The viscose fibres in the yarn are quite slippery, giving the garment the desired drape in the design, but this means the yarn can slide out of the knit structure fairly easily. The yarn may snag when in contact with sharp nails, jewellery, and abrasive surfaces, which is why we label these styles with a delicate swing tag.
Our Josie Sweaters, Velma Sweaters and most of our Matilda Cardigans are made up of 40% nylon 30% wool and 30% mohair ~ you can find all composition details for every RUBY piece on the care label and under the “fabric and make” section of our product page. You can also find traceability information here, such as where the yarn has been spun, dyed and the region the raw material may come from.
It’s well understood that synthetic materials can have a detrimental environmental impact and are often linked to low-quality clothing that doesn’t last. While there is truth to the environmental concerns, this perspective doesn’t fully reflect how these fibres can be used responsibly. In our knitwear, the nylon is incorporated to enhance durability and performance in ways natural fibres alone cannot achieve. It allows for the intricate construction of pieces like our Matilda Cardigans, helping prevent excessive stretching and softening with wash and wear over time. As a result, the garment is better able to retain its structure and shape, extending its lifespan and reducing the need for frequent replacement.
Our Matilda Cotton Cardigans are made from 100% organic cotton, designed to be a hypoallergenic option. Our organic cotton is fully traceable back to its raw material source and is grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers.
For pieces such as our Swann Sweater, we use 100% merino wool. Our Yummy styles are made from 100% wool. These garments are designed to be more special, considered additions to your wardrobe, and their construction is less complex than styles like the Matilda Cardigan. Because of this, they don’t require the same level of structural reinforcement. Instead, they offer the natural softness and qualities of merino, while being suited to more occasional wear rather than frequent washing and repeated use.
You can find more about our Toolbox classifications here , or see the icons listed on our product pages for more info.
How to wash your knits:
You’ll often see “hand wash only” on your knitwear. This helps protect delicate fibres and reduce agitation. Here’s our go-to way to keep your knits feeling their best:
Place your knit in a bucket with cold water + a mild liquid detergent. If you can, we highly recommend you use a liquid wool detergent for knitwear that contains animal fibres (Matilda, Josie, Velma, Swann)
If your knitwear contains a zip, ensure the zip is fully closed as the teeth can weaken when getting tangled with other garments. This also stops the zip from catching on other items in the wash
If your knitwear contains buttons, wash clothing with the buttons undone, as the stress of the wash can cause threads to loosen when done up
Gently swirl the soapy water around your knitwear piece until thoroughly clean
Empty the dirty, soapy water and refill your bucket with fresh, cool water. Gently squeeze to get out all the detergent. Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear and there are no soapy bubbles
If washing in a machine (if stated so on the care label), use a cold setting of 30 degrees or lower with a mild liquid detergent. Avoid washing with coarse garments like denim and towels as these are abrasive and can contribute to pilling and changes in the surface of the knit over time. Take care to follow the washing instructions on the care label if you are unsure
What to avoid:
- Leaving knits soaking or sitting wet
- Harsh chemicals, bleach, or fabric softeners
- Anything overly abrasive
When to dry clean…
- We recommend dry cleaning for wool and cashmere pieces only. Avoid dry cleaning garments that contain nylon or spandex, as high temperatures can damage these fibres.
Drying your knits:
Drying matters just as much as washing and a little care here goes a long way. After washing:
Lay your piece flat on a towel and gently roll + squeeze the towel to press out excess water.
Reshape while damp. Smooth out wrinkles and gently reshape the garment to its original size on the towel.
Leave to dry flat in the shade on a fresh new towel before putting away to store.
What to avoid:
- Wringing (this can stretch and distort)
- Tumble drying (it will shrink and mat ~ we’ve seen it happen!)
Tumble dryed Matilda vs a normal Matilda
Storage:
Once clean and dry, storing your knitwear properly helps maintain its shape:
- Fold and store flat
- For long-term storage, keep in a cool, dry, ventilated space
- Use cedar balls or lavender sachets to help deter moths
What to avoid:
- Hanging knitwear long-term (this can stretch and distort)
Maintenance:
Even with the best care, knitwear may need a little upkeep over time:
Minimise friction: Pilling occurs naturally over time. Reduce friction by avoiding contact with heavy bags, coarse jewelry and rough surfaces.
Wash less: Over washing can reduce a garments lifespan by causing issues such as pilling, abrasion, loss of colour and holes. Some clothing benefits more from being aired out and spot cleaned, such as cashmere or wool sweaters. Less washing also means less water and electricity use. Who doesn’t love doing less laundry!
Air: Let your knits breathe between wears.
If bobbles appear on the surface of the fabric, use our Knit Comb to gently remove bobbles from your coat or sweater. Test a small area first. Lay your piece flat and gently and lightly glide the wool comb over the surface in one direction using short strokes.
Pilling:
Even after all the love and care, knitwear pilling is normal, especially for loosely spun or short filament yarns (for example fluffy viscose fibres), and animal fibres. A pill is a small, tangled ball of fibre which sits on the surface of your knitwear. Loosely spun fibres tend to pill when they are exposed to friction during washing and wearing.
You can use an electric de-pilling machine to remove pilling on tightly spun knitted garments: test a small area first and gently guide the pilling machine over the areas of pilling. Ensure you are not pressing down too hard and move this back-and-forth until pilling is removed. Avoid use on natural fibres like wool, mohair and alpaca as this cuts the fibres and creates blunt ends which can irritate the skin.
Snags:
Unlike a pill, a snag is a loop of yarn that has been pulled to the surface, often caused by friction or catching sharp objects, they are a little trickier to amend. If you notice a snag (especially on something like your Emma Knit):
- Gently tug the fabric around the snag to ease it back into place
- If needed, use a needle to pull the loop through to the inside
- Do not cut the thread - this can create a hole
Buttons:
We know that buttons sometimes have a tendency to fall off with wear. No need to stress, this is a simple repair which doesn’t require any machinery. All you’ll need is a needle, matching thread, and your button - easy fix, no machinery required.
You can watch the full video here:
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