Machine-washable knitwear — Production routes

Abstract

The inherent ability of wool to shrink, or felt, during wet finishing has been used to good advantage for generations to produce a huge variety of products, ranging from woollen spun knitted and woven goods to felts for use either in hat manufacture or as coverings for snooker tables. Whilst this property divides for endless property development potential, it does constitute a major disadvantage in terms of end-product performance, and impacts considerably on the care labelling associated with wool products. Consequently, products made from wool which has not been subjected to chemical treatment may only be labelled as being suitable for either dry cleaning or hand washing.