how do you wash wool or alpaca FO?

[idahoknitter]

I'm finishing up my very first afghan and can't wait to post a picture on the chat area with finished objects! This afghan is made out of 50% alpaca and 50% wool and the next one I will start is 100% merino wool. How do you wash your favorite items made with wool when the instructions simply say "hand wash"? I'm hoping there is a way to do it safely in the washing maching using cold water on a delicate cycle. What do you think?
Thanks for your help!

[Ingrid]

What I've been doing lately, and have had good luck with it, is to fill the washer with cool water and a bit of wool wash on delicate. I let it agitate to get the soap blended, but NEVER let the wool items agitate, not even for a moment.

Then I put the woolies in and let them soak for a while, then let the machine spin them out, refill to rinse and turn the knob to skip the agitation. Let them sit for a bit and spin out.

I haven't lost anything yet by letting them spin out in the washer, but I can't guarantee that it will work for everything.

I do find, however, that I'm more likely to 'hand wash' when I can do it in the machine. The items dry faster after I lay them out. (NO dryer)

[idahoknitter]

Thanks Ingrid!