Frequently Asked Questions

How can I get a Bergère de France catalogue?

If you are a new customer, you can get your catalogue for free by creating a new account on our site.

To ensure that your registration goes smoothly please take note of the following:

1) First make sure that your request is set to yes where the pink arrow is pointing. By doing so, address fields will appear along the bottom of the form.
2) You only need to fill the fields with an asterisk. If you enter your date of birth, take note to enter it in the DD MM YYYY format as shown (example: 30 01 1940) or it will not save. The phone number only accepts 10 digit numbers, so if yours is longer leave this field blank.

By following these steps, your request should successfully go through.

Is the catalogue really free?

Unless you have purchased the catalogue as part of an order, the catalogue is free, including shipping. We deliver worldwide from www.bergeredefrance.co.uk

Does the catalogue include any patterns?

No, the catalogue is only to give you a closer look (and touch) at our yarns, designs and other accessories. To knit the designs featured in the catalogue, you will need to purchase our annual pattern book which includes the 76 patterns of the collection.

What payment options are available?

You can choose between different payment options when you shop online at www.bergeredefrance.co.uk :

• Credit card: we accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express
• Pay directly from your PayPal account or from your bank account if it is linked to PayPal.

Can I update my order?

Once your order has been confirmed, you can't change it online as it is sent directly to be prepared. If you need to change your order or have any questions about it, please get in touch.

I have ordered online, but I haven't received a confirmation email. What's up?

First, check online if the order appears in your account area. Also check if your email address is correct in your personal information section. If you still have a question about your order, let us know.

How can I check if a product is available?

Our website is updated every day with stock availability for all our products. If you have any questions about the availability of a product, please get in touch.

Can I get the same deals online and in a store?

The stores that sell our products in the USA and Canada are independant and have their own pricing and promotions. This means that you probably won't get the same deal at the same time online and in the shops as the one advertised on our site.

In the UK, most of our retailers are running a similar offers than the website: this depends on the offer, sometimes it won't be the same between stores and internet.

Can I purchase downloadable patterns (in pdf)?

Of course! All the patterns are available for purchase in downloadable pdf format. You can choose to purchase and download each pattern separately, or buy the complete version of the magazine including all the patterns.

I have bought a downloadable pattern. Where can I find it?

When you have sucessfully placed your order including one or several downloadable patterns, you will receive the download link(s) in your order confirmation email. Simply click on the link provided next to the pattern name to open the pdf. All purchased pdfs will also be available in you client account, under the section "My downloadable products": Just click on the download icon to open and download the pattern. Do not worry, you will be able to download them as many times as you want!

Important notice regarding downloadable patterns: please note that our pdf patterns and instructions - being digital products - are neither exchangeable nor refundable.

What are the shipping options? How long will it take?

Most of our orders are dispatched within 3 working days of order confirmation.  All our deliveries outside of France are made by international post, so delivery times can vary depending on distance, etc.

How much does shipping cost?

All orders are dispatched via international post, but shipping costs vary depending on the destination. You will find below a sum up of our shipping fees per country, and you will be able to evaluate the cost of delivery to your country in your shopping cart.

How can I track my order?

When you order online, you can follow your order's progress in your account area until it leaves Bergère de France. Once it has been dispatched, it can be tracked, depending on the postal service that is being used. If you would like to find out where your delivery is, please contact us.

Do you deliver internationally?

From our headquarters in France, we can deliver worldwide. When you order online, you can evaluate the cost of delivery to your country in the Shopping cart. All orders are dispatched via international post, so delivery times may vary depending on distance, etc.

I ordered too many skeins, can I send back the remainder?

If you ordered them less than 1 months ago, you can send back your remaining skeins for a refund in store credit. The skeins must be in perfect condition for resale: not started and with the label intact.

Simply return the skeins to Bergère de France, 55020 Bar-le-Duc CEDEX, France. Please include a copy of your receipt, featuring your customer ID number so we can credit the amount to your account. If you can't find your customer ID on the receipt, you will find it in your account dashboard.

I received a damaged parcel, or some items are missing. What can I do?

Despite the great care we put in preparing our parcels, it may sometimes happen that some of them are received damaged or incomplete. To allow us to handle your requests as quick as possible, please watch carefully the following guidelines:

Before anything else, get in touch with us to let us know about the issue. No claims will be accepted after a 48h period after delivery of the parcel. If possible, immediately refuse the delivery of a suspicious parcel to the company in charge of the delivery: this will speed up the process of sending another parcel. If you could not refuse the delivery and you notice damaged or missing items after opening it, get in touch at [email protected]. We will proceed together to examine the damage and will communicate you the following steps in order to rectify the incident.
To ease up the process, we advise you to send pictures of your damaged parcel at our email adress (please include your name, order number and client number in your message).

I didn't order enough skeins to finish my project, what should I do?

The colour of a yarn can vary in very subtle ways from batch to batch. To avoid any color differences in your finished pieces, we recommend that you always use yarn from the same dye lot in any one project. You can find the dye lot number on the label, along with the product reference.

Note: Don't worry, all the skeins within one order will be automatically picked from the same batch.

If you have run out of wool for your project and you want to order more from the same dye lot, you can use this form to add it to your shopping cart. You can order up to 3 skeins per dye lot, subject to availability (we are usually able to guarantee the dye lots for a period of 3 to 4 months).

How can I return a product?

If any of our products did not meet your expectations, you can send it back for a refund or store credit. 
Simply return the products to Bergère de France, 91 rue ernest bradfer, 55020 Bar-le-Duc CEDEX, France. Please include a copy of your receipt, featuring your customer ID number so we can credit the amount to your account. Postal costs for the return are currently not refunded for international deliveries unless there was an error on our part.

Important notice regarding downloadable patterns: please note that our pdf patterns and instructions - being digital products - are neither exchangeable nor refundable.

How can I manage what emails I get from Bergère de France?

You can choose whether you want to receive our free newsletter with our latest offers and promotions in your account section. Simply log in and click on My Newsletters.

How can I update my personal information?

You can update your personal information online at any time by accessing the My Account area. Please note that if you have an order that is still being prepared, the changes to your account will not affect that particular order. If you need to correct the information for a particular order, please get in touch.

Oops, I've forgotten my password, what should I do?

Don't panic! Just enter your email address on this page and we'll send you a new one. Don't forget to change it in your Account information to something easier to remember.

Oops, I can't find my customer ID number, what should I do?

You can find your customer ID number on any previous receipts from online orders. You can also find it on your account dashboard once you are logged in. If you still can't find it, drop us an email including your name and full postal address and we'll look it up for you.

Is my personal information safe with you?

Our website is hosted in France and complies with strict data protection and access laws (loi n° 78-17 du 6 janvier 1978, Informatique et Libertés, articles 38, 39, 40). You have a right to access, modify and delete any information relating to you on simple request. All your payment information is handled directly by our secure payment partner and is not transmitted to us at any point.

Have you got any tips on caring for my hand knitted creations?

To ensure you give your hand made garments the care they deserve, make sure you follow the indications on the paper label from the skeins of wool you made it with. Keep one of the labels safe for further reference. You can also find the care symbols for our yarns online. Here are a few more tips:

During knitting/crocheting:

• Before you begin, check your needles are in good shape. Snags, rust and other irregularities on the needles can catch and damage the wool. Take good care of your hands too: use a moisturising hand cream to keep them soft and avoid snagging the wool.
• When knitting, avoid wearing clothes made of synthetic materials such as nylon, as they can rub on the wool and form burrs.
• When knitting, make sure you always finish your row before putting your knitting down, as stopping mid-row can distort or stretch the stiches between the needles.

Caring for the finished product:

• Washing in very cold water can be as damaging as using water that's too hot. A luke warm 30°C (86°F) is the perfect temperature for your knits (unless otherwise indicated). Never exceed 30°C and 800rpm when machine washing.
• Always turn your garments inside out when washing them, so that the drum of the washing machine doesn't rub and damage them. If your garment is in a particularly fragile yarn (eyelash yarns, loopy yarns, hand-spun yarns...) wash them in a washing bag or in a pillowcase.
• To avoid felting, never let your wool garments soak, and only use a small dose of detergent.
• Over the first few washes, it is quite normal for the dye to run a little. The colour will stabilise in 2 or 3 washes. It is therefore best to wash your garment on its own the first few times, or use a "dye magnet" product. These products are also useful if your garment uses a mixture of light and dark colours
• Never use a fabric softener when caring for hand knits. The softener can make the yarn slippery and the stiches may slide and distort during drying.
• Squeeze out all the excess water and dry flat, away from any heat sources. Hanging or drying a hand knitted garment next to a heat source can cause it to distort.
• When ironing, never put the iron into direct contact with your hand knitted garment. Use the steam function of your iron and press down on the garment with your hand or a wad of neutral coloured cloth. You can also use a damping cloth (except for synthetic yarns which you should never iron).
• If your garment still gets little pills of wool, use a pill remover.
• All yarns can be spun dry up to 800rpm maximum.

What do the symbols on the label mean?

Here are the most common symbols that you will find on our yarn labels and on the website.

Machine washable at a maximum of 30°C on a wool or delicates programme. Avoid using fabric softener when machine washing hand-knitted garments.

Hand wash only in luke warm water. Wash and rinse carefully at the same recommended temperature. Squeeze out excess water without wringing, by wrapping the garment in a towel.

Do not use bleach.

Dry cleaning by a professional is authorised.

No machine drying or spin drying. Dry flat away from light and heat.

Machine dry or,spin dry at low temperature.

Iron at a low temperature.

Do not iron or steam.

Woolmark labels

Garments made completely with yarns that carry the Woolmark label can be machine washed (blue label) or machine washed and dried (red label) following the recommendations of your washing machine or drier.

How can I use Bergère de France yarns on my knitting machine?

We have plenty of yarns and designs that are suitable for knitting machines. When looking at one of our yarns, check that the "machine knitting" icon is present on its label or online product info. Yarns that don't have this icon are not suited to machine knitting.

For all the instructions to set up your knitting machine for our yarns, see your Bergère de France pattern book.

I am having problems using the site, what's up?

For best results, we recommend using a recent browser and a screen resolution of at least 1024x768. To update your browser, you can click on one of the links below :

• Safari (For Mac OS): Download here
• Google Chrome : Download here
• Firefox : Download here

If you are still having problems using our site, contact us.

What size needles should I order/use?

There are different sizes in different countries, and it can all get rather confusing when you're using a pattern from one country and needles from another... All needle sizes mentioned in our patterns or our product descriptions are in mm. Here is a chart to help you find the perfect match for your project:

I'm not sure what size to choose, can you help?

Of course! All the sizes used in our products use the standard French/European sizes, and all lengths and weights are expressed in metric (m, cm, mm, g, kg...). If you're having trouble working out which size to make, use the chart below. We recommend you base your choice on measurements rather than dress size, as this size varies from brand to brand. We are including UK & US dress sizes as a rough guide only.

What does your name mean? How should I pronounce it?

"Bergère" is French for shepherdess, so the meaning of Bergère de France would be "The French Shepherdess". It is pronounced something like "bear share de France" although the French pronunciation of "g" is somewhat softer than the English "sh", and the "r" sounds are slightly rolled. Don't worry though, we don't mind if you get it wrong!