sweaters shrunk--help!

So I washed two wool sweaters in the washing machine like I always do, but this time I hung them up to dry instead of laying them flat on the floor. Both of them shrunk and I can no longer wear them. Does anyone know if I can do anything to get them back? Could I re-wash them and lay them flat--or are they pretty much ruined? I've washed them many times (even though they're wool) and never had a problem, but this time I forgot and hung them up.

[Momo]

I seriously doubt that you can get them back to their former size...In a recent Martha stewart magazine, she showed how to hot water wash shrunken, old or damaged sweaters & blankets, to super shrink the wool into felt, so that you can then make pillows and mittens out of them.

I don't know if this is the best advice or not, but it worked for me. The gentle cycle on our washer somehow got set to a higher speed spin. I think the extra agitation made a few of my sweaters shrink up a little. I got them wet again and gently stretched them out, using an un-shrunken sweater of a similar size as a guide. I put the sweater on top of a few towels and then put heavy books on the shoulders and waist to keep it in place.

It sucks 'cuz one of them was my favorite sweater--the other one I don't mind so much. I know you're not supposed to wash wool--but I've never had a problem before. I totally forgot this time to lay them flat. I'll let you know what happens!

[Bluejay]

Did you use hot water or a fast agitation this time? I agree with Pinkpickles, you probably felted them. Is the texture different now? Thicker or more solid? For future reference, definitely use cold water and the most gentle cycle you have - preferable hand wash if you have it.

That said you could try blocking it to stretch it, which is much like nmh suggested. Try getting a large board, thick cardboard should work. Get straight pins, the larger, thicker ones. Then moisten the sweater, and lay it flat on the board. Stretch the knitting back toward your normal size, and poke pins in around the edges to hold stretched until it dries. It will take several days.

When you stretch, don't just grab the edges of the sweater and pull. Rather, lay the sweater on the board, and work individual stitches to loosen and widen them. Get your fingers into the texture of the stitches to work them. Use pins every inch or so all around the edges of the sweater - lots of pins. And be sure to pin it in the shape you want it to end up in, because once you lie it on the board, pin it and it dries, it will assume the shape it is in.

It's worth a try!!! Good luck!!! You might have to pin it and let it dry more than once - it might take more than one repitition to regain all the size you need.

BTW, what sort of a knitting stitch is it? Is it plain stockinette stitch or something more fancy?

Good luck!!!!!!!

Did you use hot water or a fast agitation this time? I agree with Pinkpickles, you probably felted them. Is the texture different now? Thicker or more solid? For future reference, definitely use cold water and the most gentle cycle you have - preferable hand wash if you have it.

Wow, thanks for all the detailed info. I think I felted it--I've never heard that term before though. I did use cold water--I always do. I washed it on gentle by itself. The texture is different now--thicker and more solid. Not sure how that happened....it's a bummer though.

I'll try to do what you said....but it's pretty small now, so we'll see. I don't know what kind of knit it is....a tight knit though.

Thanks for your suggestions--wow, you know a lot about fabrics! Where did you learn all that stuff?

[Bluejay]

Yup, I'm a knitter.

I have been working on my Level 1 hand knitters certification through the Knitters Guild. You have to answer written questions, and it takes research to answer them, so I ended up buying a few THICK knitting texts. I never knew that such an old fashioned hobby had so much theory with it!!

[Bluejay]

Veggiefriend, I just thought of one more remote possibility. Do you have a hot steamer, like one of those travel steamers that people use to quickie iron their clothes? Or a hot steam setting on your iron, one that actually will blow out hot steam? You could try holding the iron/steamer a couple inches away from the knitted fabric, and the steam might help loosen the stitches. DON'T iron the fabric, keep a couple of inches distance.

I've only heard about this one, so I really don't know how much help it would be to you. And I do know hot steam can damage some fabrics/stitches especially if you get the iron too close. So..... FWIW. If you do decide to try it, be careful.

No hot steamer. I don't even iron.

I don't think the sweaters I "fixed" were felted. The shrinkage was minor -- the sort of thing where I put the sweater on and wondered if it had always been a tad short in the sleeves. Probably not more than a 1/2 inch? One was a "regular" fine knit cashmere sweater and the other was a thicker boucle-knit. The wool boucle one seemed trickier to stretch out.

btw, I had done ok in the past on the handwash setting of the washer, using cold water and "low" spin. I'm not sure how it got reset to medium spin for handwash. Now I am extra careful!

You've got me pining for my sweaters! I can't wait to wear them again in a few months.

[Bluejay]

One was a "regular" fine knit cashmere sweater and the other was a thicker boucle-knit. The wool boucle one seemed trickier to stretch out.

This makes sense. The "nubby bumps" in the boucle yarn would have stuck to eachother. Whereas a smoother yarn would move along itself more easily. Veggiefriend, what type of a wool do you have? Also, a more simple stitch ie. plain knit stitches or purl stitches would be easier to loosen.