Fill a sink with cold water. Add a dab of wool wash or gentle hand-wash detergent if desired.

Gently squeeze garment in water for a few minutes, or follow the detergent’s directions for length of time.

Follow with a cold water rinse.

Gently squeeze out water and then roll in a clean towel. Press to remove excess water.

Carefully reshape to air dry on a new towel.

Be careful to handle the cowl gently to maintain the yarn’s structure.

You have a few options to reshape your garment as it dries.

PINS

Pin cowl to a clean towel on a flat surface. Use pins to block cowl to the desired shape. Be careful not to stretch the fabric past the dimensions it was originally meant to be.

Simple cowls, like the pattern shown here, will dry fairly flat when pinned in place.

IRON

For lace designs or more complex patterns, see ironing directions below.

*Never directly iron your garment. Always place a towel between the iron and fabric.

Let garment air dry 50% until only slightly damp. (You can also use a damp towel on a dry garment.)

Place a thin towel on top of the cowl.

Heat iron to cotton setting with steam.

Carefully reshape the fabric into place and then iron over towel. Allow to cool before lifting the towel.

Work section by section and avoid ironing creases into the fabric.