It's too big...can it be fixed?

#1

:doh:

I knitted the “Manly Sweater” from Stitch-N-Bitch for my husband. I knitted a large after taking the measurements. My gauge must have been a little off because it turned out too big. But the arms/shoulders are the worst. Is there any way to shrink it slightly? I’ve never felted but know the premise. I used Lion Brand Wool Ease yarn. Is it possible to put it in warm water briefly to shrink it a little? Or maybe the dryer for a couple of mintues? Any suggestions would be helpful. I’ve included a pic.

:frowning:

[size=2]edit - [color=violet]mod squad was here[/color][/size]

#2

Look at that despondent man!
All is NOT lost, and may I say that is gorgeous work? I mean it!
Wool-Ease won’t likely shrink at all, since it’s washable. As I see it, you have three options:

  1. Give the sweater to a larger man and knit hubby another one.

  2. Remove the sleeves. If the sleeves were knit from the wrist to the shoulder, you can try ripping back enough such that you begin your sleeve cap shaping a few inches sooner, finish them and re-attach them.

  3. If the sleeves were knit from the shoulder down, you can rip the wrists back to a more desirable length and finish them again.

  4. If you are creative and daring, do away with the sleeve cap altogether. Make the sleeve straight across the top and sew them in that way, for a drop-shoulder sweater. This would eliminate the problem with the shoulder width in the body of the sweater. It would look like deliberately dropped shoulders rather than unintentional ones.