Caring for your sweater? It does almost all the work itself. Born in the hands of six craftspeople in Beaussais-sur-Mer, it is built to last for years — and the wool we choose is a remarkable material: it breathes, it regulates, it holds on to neither odours nor light stains. In other words, it asks very little of you. Here is what we recommend at the workshop, and nothing more.

Wool does the work for you

Good news: a sailor's sweater only needs washing a few times a year. Between two harbours, simply let it breathe for an evening in an airy room — its fibre does the rest, it is the real craftsman here. Only one rule: never leave it outside overnight, that is when the moths invite themselves in.

Wash day: three steps, no more

• 1

  Button it up, turn it inside out. You are protecting the side that shows — and a fastened button catches on nothing.

• 2

  Machine wash it on the wool cycle: 20 °C for our 100 % wool sweaters, 30 °C for our 50 % merino wool sweaters, with a detergent made for woollens.

• 3

  Spin very gently: 600 rpm maximum.

And that is all. No hot water, no fabric softener, never a tumble dryer — wool likes neither heat nor rough handling. A stubborn stain? Before washing, rub it gently with our coffee-ground and ox-gall stain remover soap — the traditional stain remover for woollens, available at the workshop and online.

Drying: flat, the way we do it at the workshop

Roll it in a terry towel to soak up the excess water, then lay it flat on a drying rack, reshaping it as you go. Never on a hanger (the shoulders would remember), never on a radiator.

In the wardrobe, well kept

Store it clean and folded on a shelf, with a lavender sachet or a piece of cedar wood — to be renewed every six months: contrary to the legend, moths do not take a winter holiday. This small ritual, twice a year, is all the protection it needs.

And in ten years?

A snag, a pulled thread, a tired elbow patch? Do not wait for it to grow: your sweater can be repaired for life in our workshop — elbow patches, dropped stitches mended, by the very hands that knitted it, at workshop prices and within a few days. The manufacturing number on its label even lets us trace the exact reference of your colour.

Your most frequent questions

Can you machine wash a wool sweater?

Yes — it is even what we recommend: wool cycle at 20 °C for a 100 % wool sweater, at 30 °C for a 50 % wool one, with a detergent made for woollens, a 600 rpm maximum spin, buttons fastened and the sweater turned inside out.

Can a Baie des Caps sweater pill?

No. The quality of our wools and of our knitting prevents it — and we guarantee it: if it pills, we replace it automatically. In seven years at the workshop, we have seen only one sweater pill.

What temperature should you wash a 100 % wool sweater at?

At 20 °C, on the wool cycle, with a detergent made for woollens and a very low spin speed (600 rpm maximum).

How do you remove a stain from a wool sweater?

Gently rub the stain before washing with an ox-gall stain remover soap — the traditional stain remover for woollens, available in our shop. Then wash on the wool cycle as usual.

How do you protect a wool sweater from moths?

Store it clean and folded, with a lavender sachet or cedar wood to be renewed every six months — moths are active in winter too. And never leave it outside overnight.

Knitted and made in Beaussais-sur-Mer, Brittany, since 1986 — Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company).