How to Wash Hand-Dyed Merino Wool Yarn

As fiber artists, we understand merino wool yarn requires different care than commercial acrylic or cotton blends. If washing merino wool sounds intimidating, don’t worry – it’s really not difficult! We’re here to make this approachable and fun. As dyers who work with 100% merino and silk, we know that proper washing preserves both color integrity and fiber softness, so it’s worth learning about.

We’d love to share what we’ve found about washing merino wool and other fibers. This guide covers everything from water temperature to drying techniques – plus why hand-dyed fibers need special attention.

1: Hand Washing vs. Machine Washing Merino Wool Yarn

One of our most common customer questions is, “Can you put merino wool in a washing machine?” The short answer is no, we recommend that all finished projects are hand-washed and laid flat to dry.

Merino wool comes from merino sheep and has been prized for its fine quality and softness for centuries. It’s famous for its breathability and moisture-wicking abilities. Technically, BSY yarn can be put through the washing machine because these yarns are mostly superwash – a treatment wool undergoes to eliminate felting and shrinkage. However, we recommend hand washing and blocking your merino wool project for longer wear, less color bleeding, and no mis-shaping.

Hand washing is better for merino wool in the long run because of the agitation, temperature fluctuations, and dye bleeding risk – especially with hand-dyed colors – that are inevitable in a washing machine. That being said, we can’t guarantee 100% no shrinkage – merino fibers are natural, after all, and we can’t completely predict their behavior. But we do know cool water minimizes shrinkage overall.

In our dye studio, we always hand wash every single skein. This process doesn’t ensure color setting, but it does clean off excess dye. Also keep in mind that some dyes are more stable than others; for instance, darker colors may release slightly more dye than lighter colors.

We’ve seen what works (and doesn’t) across hundreds of merino batches. Here are our tips for washing merino wool:

1. Fill a basin with cool water (cool to room temperature; hot or warm water risks shrinkage and color bleeding.)
2. Add gentle wool wash (we like buying handmade wool wash bars from Etsy – no brand in particular)
3. Submerge yarn gently; let soak 15-20 minutes
4. Rinse in cool water until water runs clear
5. Press out excess water with a clean towel (do NOT wring)
6. Lay flat to dry

If you’re curious about our merino fingering collection, BSY best sellers are a great place to look around.

2: Drying, Blocking & Preventing Shrinkage

Another commonly asked question we get is, “Can merino wool be put in the dryer?” Sometimes accompanied with: “How much does merino wool shrink when washed?”

The first question is easy to answer: never put merino wool in machine dryers. For the love of all bad sheep, just don’t do it. Hand-dyed merino can actually shrink 5-15% if exposed to heat and agitation. And a high heat dryer has the potential to ruin even superwash yarn.

Keep in mind the combination of heat and movement is what causes merino wool to shrink, so always keep the water cool and movement to a bare minimum when soaking. This is because wool fibers have many tiny barbs that will stick to themselves when exposed to heat and agitation.

Here’s the simple drying method we like to use to help your wool garments last longer:

1. Roll your item in a clean, dry towel to absorb moisture
2. Gently squeeze (do not wring) excess water into towel
3. Lay flat on a blocking mat or clean surface
4. Air dry completely (24-48 hours, depending on humidity)
5. Never hang wet/damp yarn (it causes uneven drying and stretching)

A note from our studio about blocking: Blocking involves pinning down your item into its desired shape onto clean, dry towels or a blocking mat. (Pro-tip: Make sure to use rust-free pins.) For hand-dyed yarn, light blocking can enhance stitch definition without damaging colors.

Our lightweight Suri Alpaca Lace Collection is a beautiful yarn that’s amazing as a mohair substitute or held double with another merino base to create a gorgeous 'halo.' It benefits from careful blocking. Our Suri Alpaca, Mulberry Silk, and some of our other bases are non-superwash, so hand wash only and steam block to preserve your project’s texture and shape.

3: Special Care for Hand-Dyed Wool & Silk (BSY’s Unique Angle)

The artisan dyes we use on our wool and silk yarn blends outshines industrial dyes every time when it comes to vibrancy and small-batch variation. Dyeing is an art form, and years of hand-dyeing has taught us that color sets differently in hand-dyed batches, so no two skeins are exactly the same. That’s the beauty of it.

If you’ve never worked with silk before, the first time you wash silk yarn could feel a little nerve wracking. Fret not, here’s our first-wash protocol:

• Hand wash separately (or with similar colors)
• Expect slight dye release. Our hand-dyed merino and silk batches are all hand washed with scentless soap to release excess dyes, but you may notice slight dye release in your first wash – that’s normal and expected, especially with deep colors like navy or burgundy.
• Use cool water (55–60°F). We choose dyes that are forgiving in wash, but always recommend cool water to preserve color vibrancy.
• Consider a product called Color Catchers; it's color catcher sheets (available at most grocery stores) brand you can get at the grocery store.
• Gently squeeze (do not wring) excess water into towel and lay flat to dry on another towel or blocking mat; we always recommend blocking wool and silk yarn, but it’s better done gently: spray or steam blocking is great for that
• Always avoid bleach and brightening agents; these will damage the yarn
• For long-term care: Wash 2–3 times per year, or as needed. When you’re not wearing your garment, store it in a cool, dry place with cedar or lavender – both are natural moth deterrents.

Explore our Mulberry Silk Fingering Collection for our 100% Grade A Mulberry Silk and see our Sparkle Fingering Collection for our strong spun sock weight merino blend yarn with a tiny hint of glimmer spun into the yarn.

4: Caring for Different BSY Base Fibers

In our dye studio, we test every wash protocol to make sure the results are what we want. Here are some quick-and-dirty yarn washing tips we’ve picked up over the years, based on fiber type:

Merino Wool (core base):

• Hand wash in cool water
• Most forgiving fiber for hand dyers

Explore our Merino Fingering Collection

Mulberry Silk (delicate, luxury):

• Use cooler water (55–60°F)
• Handle even more gently when wet

Browse our Mulberry Silk Fingering Collection

Suri Alpaca (delicate, halo)

• This base is non superwash so it can never go in the washer or dryer, or it will felt!
• Requires cooler temperatures, so you don't lose the alpaca 'halo,' and make it felt to itself
• Use a delicate wool wash or shampoo; soak for 15-30 minutes without agitation, gently squeeze out excess water, and lay flat to dry out of direct sunlight
• Steam block to preserve your project’s texture and shape

See our Suri Alpaca Lace Collection

We hope this guide took the guesswork out of hand-dyed yarn care and helped you feel confident and creative for your next project! Start with the yarn that calls to you (you can start by browsing All Fingering Weights) or reach out if you’d like some advice. We always love talking with you about your projects!

To learn more about the fiber content of our hand-dyed yarn, check out our Fiber Information.