After it arrives
Caring for your crochet
Crochet is gentle work, so it likes gentle care. A little of the right handling keeps a piece looking the way it did the day it arrived, for years.
Washing
Wash by hand, in cool water, with a mild soap — the kind you'd use on wool, not a detergent made for towels and jeans. Swish the piece gently rather than scrubbing, and never wring or twist it to get the water out; twisting pulls stitches out of shape faster than almost anything else. Press the water out gently instead, between two clean towels.
Drying flat
Lay the piece flat on a dry towel, reshape it back to its original size while it's still damp, and let it air dry away from direct sunlight. A radiator, a balcony in full sun or a hairdryer will dry it faster, but they also fade colour and can shrink some yarns unevenly. Hanging a wet piece stretches it out of shape under its own weight, so keep it flat until it's fully dry.
Storage
Once dry, fold rather than hang most pieces — especially anything with weight to it, like a blanket or a bag. Hanging stretches crochet over time, the same way drying it upright does. Keep pieces somewhere dry and out of direct sun, and give them room to breathe rather than compressing them tightly for months; yarn holds a crease the way fabric does.
Pilling
Pilling is the small fuzzy balls that build up where a piece rubs against something else — a bag against a shoulder, a scarf against a coat. It's the yarn's fibres working loose, not a sign anything's wrong. A fabric shaver or a simple sweater comb, run gently over the surface, lifts the pills off without damaging the stitches underneath. Do it every few weeks on pieces that see a lot of wear.
Amigurumi and toys
Amigurumi toys and softies are stuffed, so a full wash risks the stuffing clumping or the shape sagging once wet. Surface-clean instead — a damp cloth with a little mild soap, wiped over the yarn, then left to air dry fully before it's handled again. As with any handmade toy, keep small attached pieces away from a child's mouth.
When to come back to Maa
If a seam works loose or a stitch pulls after months of use, write to us with a photo. Maa often can mend it, and will tell you honestly what that would involve before doing any work. This is separate from a piece that arrives damaged — that's covered free within 48 hours of delivery, no charge, no repair needed on your end. See our policies page for exactly how that works.
Full shipping, cancellation and damage-on-arrival terms are on our policies page. General buyer questions are on our FAQ.