The age of synthetic dominance has somewhat devalued the advantages of everything natural - it is too expensive and requires a lot of care. For example, natural wool is very difficult to care for: after loading it into the washing machine, it is better to forget what the item was made from. Unless, of course, it was a superwash!
What kind of wool is this?
Superwash owes its appearance to the widespread era of mechanization of household work - it’s rare now that you’ll force a housewife to do laundry by hand. However, the convenience of a washing machine is detrimental to natural fabric: natural wool flakes tend to roll, which causes woolen items to shrink, especially if washed with synthetic powders.
The problem was solved by the technology of processing wool with special oxidizing agents and a sizing mixture containing synthetic resins, invented a couple of decades ago. This, as it were, preserves each hair, helping to maintain its original appearance even after many washes.
The processing method casts doubt on the 100% naturalness of the product declared by the labels.However, the safety of things can be reconciled with some admixture of “chemistry”.
IMPORTANT: The abbreviation SW on the label will help you understand that this is yarn treated with plastic.
How is it different from the usual one?
Superwash differs from untreated yarn in its shine and smoothness, which is unusual for natural materials. When the new product appeared on the domestic market, many customers reacted with well-founded distrust of the thread and products made from it. In an effort to win the favor of fans of natural products, sellers spread a rumor about a certain polished wool, and this concept is alive to this day.
Knitting enthusiasts quickly fell in love with the yarn for its strength and elasticity, which is especially valuable when knitting elastic. Features of the technology make superwash more receptive to paint, so things made from it will be brighter.
However, the softness of yarn treated with acid and resins is irretrievably lost. The natural ability of “living” villi to self-clean, rejecting contaminants, is also significantly reduced.
A certain amount of flakes remains after processing, which may cause slight shrinkage. There will always be much fewer pellets, and it will not be difficult to quickly remove them, leaving the canvas smooth.
IMPORTANT: The “Superwash” mark allows you to wash the item in a machine, but choosing a temperature above thirty degrees is not recommended! Spinning is also excluded.
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