Find out how to Un-Shrink a Wool Sweater (& Inform If It is Doable)

Shrunk your favourite wool sweater? The following tips from fiber knowledgeable Kristi Porter might assist you to gently un-shrink and reshape it again to dimension.

This put up will present you the way to assess the injury, and (hopefully) get that sweater again to regular. In any other case, you may flip your felted sweater right into a pet mattress.

Sweater shrunken in the dryer now ready to be returned to original size.

Unshrinking Sweaters

Is There a Strategy to Unshrink a Sweater?

I consulted with my good friend Kristi Porter, creator of 4 knitting books and a very long time contributor to Knitty.com, together with a column known as Frankenknits about repurposing knits. Kristi positively is aware of her fibers, so I knew she’d have the ability to assist.

This ideas work for varied wool fibers together with cashmere, merino, and angora.

We’re speaking sweaters right here however the identical ideas apply to any wool garment together with hats, scarves, mitts, jumpers, and so forth.

Right here’s what it’s essential to decide first.

Is It Shrunken or Shrunken and Felted?

Step one is to find out the extent of the injury.

Did the sweater simply shrink down a bit or are the fibers truly felted?

If the wool has simply shrunken down a bit, there’s hope.
If the fibers are felted (i.e. shrunken, and tightly schmooshed collectively), you’re out of luck for unshrinking. Although there’s loads of different initiatives you can also make with the felted materials (see beneath).

Felted wool sweater close-up view. — Can you continue to see the person fibers of your knit? If sure, you might be able to unshrink it.

Felted Take a look at

There is no such thing as a particular check to find out the diploma of feltedness apart from your personal observations.

Look at the garment:

Can you continue to see particular person fibers? Or is all of it fuzzy with no actual distinction between fibers?
While you gently pull a small 2″ sq. part in reverse instructions, is there any give?

Tightly felted knits haven’t any stretch left which suggests the fibers can break when pulled. At this level you’ve an unwearable sweater, so you may both experiment with unshrinking or proceed to completely felt these fibers and use the material to make one thing else. Or give it to somebody with a tiny physique and lengthy arms. Or your cat.

Multi-Fiber Gadgets

What if the sweater has a number of completely different fibers in it?

It’s not possible to offer recommendation on all of the attainable variations (varied pure and artificial fibers in various percentages). You’ll must determine if you wish to experiment with unshrinking or intentional felting.

How To Unshrink a Wool Sweater

Keep in mind, this can solely work if the sweater is comprised of wool and has not felted.

What Merchandise Can Assist Unshrink Wool?

The 2 advisable merchandise are Soak or Eucalan.

You could find them at wool retailers and Amazon:

Fill a clear basin or sink with heat water.
Add wool wash (like Soak or Eucalan) based on product directions.
Gently add garment and press it into the water. Don’t stir or agitate in any respect.
After 20 minutes, drain the water with the garment nonetheless within the basin. Don’t rinse.
Gently press the water out of the knit, however don’t squeeze or wring. While you decide it up, accomplish that gently from the underside.
Take away extra water by rolling in a towel or spinning within the salad spinner (So efficient! Your knits will dry twice as quick!).
Lay the garment out and gently stretch, taking note of any seams as a result of that’s the place you’re going to hit your restrict on how a lot you may stretch.
Don’t overstretch the sleeve width, as an example, if the armhole insists on staying small.
Preserve flat till dry.

Drying Tip

Don’t put your knits outdoors to dry in direct daylight! Drying knits outdoors on a picnic desk is nice for air circulation and actually hurries up the method, nonetheless, some dyes used on yarns are enormously photosensitive and may fade or darken over a few hours! Cowl your knits with a sheet or tablecloth to keep away from injury.

Can I Use Different Merchandise?

You might even see issues like child shampoo, material softener, and hair conditioner advisable for laundry or unshrinking wool. These aren’t advisable. Persist with a product made particularly for wool fibers that doesn’t require rinsing.

Wool Garment Care Ideas

If you wish to keep away from this downside sooner or later, the following pointers will assist.

Keep away from frequent washing of wool clothes. A workaround with sweaters or tops is to all the time put on an undergarment like a t-shirt to soak up any sweat or physique odor.
If the label says to dry clear solely, accomplish that.
If washing at residence, solely use a mild product like Soak or Eucalan.
For washer, use delicate cycle.
When handwashing, deal with the fibers as little as attainable.
To dry, roll merchandise in a towel and apply light strain. By no means use a dryer or sizzling, direct solar.
Retailer away from moths. Wrap in tissue paper to soak up odors.
When you suspect moths or moth larvae within the garment, place in massive freezer bag and chill beneath freezing for a number of days to kill the larvae.

Trivia: Only a few of the 150,000 moth species worldwide will lay their eggs on wool clothes. The adults don’t eat the wooden: it’s the larvae that chew on it.

What Causes Felting?

Nearly any animal hair will felt. When you study a strand of your hair you’ll discover that your fingers will glide easily down the strand however squeak or catch going “the unsuitable approach”.

It is because hairs are lined with little tiny scales.

For a material to felt, the little scales on the hairs must be opened up, then, because the hairs rub towards one another, the little scales stick collectively and get the hairs all tangled and caught like velcro, pulling the hairs nearer and nearer collectively.

Felting occurs greatest with moisture, temperature shifts, and agitation. A excessive pH degree (which soaps may cause) is one other issue.

You possibly can see how a visit by way of the washer with a sizzling wash, chilly rinse, plenty of agitation, and detergent is certain to shrink your sweater!

Repurpose Concepts for a Felted Garment

As soon as one thing is actually felted, you may deal with it like material and lower and stitch wherever you want.

You possibly can make:

Pillows
Child soakers
Zippered pouches

Mushy toys
Purse
Cellphone cowl
Blanket

So, what did we do with our felted sweater?

I made it into a mattress for our pet rabbit.

~Melissa the Empress of Filth ♛

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Find out how to Unshrink a Sweater

Step-by-step directions for returning a wool garment to its unique dimension after shrinking it within the dryer.

Price: $10

Directions

Fill a basin with heat water.
Add wool wash like Soak or Eucalan based on product directions.
Gently add garment and press it into the water. Don’t stir or agitate in any respect.
After 20 minutes, drain the water with the garment nonetheless within the basin. Don’t rinse.
Gently press the water out of the knit, however don’t squeeze or wring. While you decide it up, accomplish that gently from the underside.
Take away extra water by rolling in a towel or spinning within the salad spinner.
Gently stretch, taking note of any seams as a result of that’s the place you’re going to hit your restrict on how a lot you may stretch.
Don’t overstretch the sleeve width, as an example, if the armhole insists on staying small.
Preserve flat till dry.

Two shrunken wool sweaters.

Find out how to Un-Shrink a Wool Sweater (& Inform If It is Doable)