Shrink Cotton Hand Knit Sweater

I have almost finished the Autumn League Sweater by Two of Wands.

I used the suggested yarn, a 100% cotton fiber.

I didn’t do a swatch before starting (I know! I know! Shame on me! But this is only my second sweater / fifth knitted item, so be gentle :sweat_smile:)

And it’s too big! I haven’t blocked it yet - what is the safest way to shrink a cotton sweater like this?

Should I block it normally and then wash it in the machine and put it in the dryer on high heat for several minutes?

1 Like

Hi.
Do you have enough yarn left over to make a good sized swatch? If so, I suggest making a T-shaped swatch to experiment with first to get an idea of how much it’s going to shrink in each direction. It’s been my experience that cotton tends to shrink more in length than width. No clue why… :thinking: I don’t know if blocking first makes a difference but it definitely won’t hurt and you’ll know it’s all shaped correctly before being shrunk.

2 Likes

I agree. Cotton seems to easily & almost unavoidably shrink in length. But not around. Think of Tee shirts you are trying to keep nice - I have to dry them on a hanger, having stretched them out lengthways as far as possible. You might have to steek it & take in the sides. Good luck.

Is it actually possible to steek cotton garments? My understanding was that you could only steek wool or synthetic garments, like a fiber that sticks to itself

1 Like

Beautiful sweater!
Steeking works best with wool but you can do it on non-sticky fibers like cotton. The recommended method is to use a sewing machine to stitch lines at both sides of the steek. That really tacks down the knit sts.
https://savannahchik.typepad.com/knitting/2004/05/cotton_steeking.html

3 Likes

@mez2113, good point. I confess I have only steeked wool & acrylic. The acryllic was 4 color fairisle, tho & 2 strands were very slick & slippery. After I was done I had worked so hard & loved it so much it became too precious to wear - So I cant tell you very much about how it held up. Im still waiting for a non-food special occasion to wear it to!

There are so many problems with cotton, imo. I love it but it is unpredictable. If you have any yarn left over, knit up the trusty gauge swatch (or use the one you have) steek that (excellent link, @salmonmac ).
Treat it exactly as you will the finished sweater, machine or hand washing. I would recommend drying flat & block it as long as possible in any case. See if/or how much it frays or produces otherwise undesirable results. You might reinforce it with some soft binding tape or the like. I use medical gauze tape - its about 3/8 wide & very soft - on shoulders. (And 100% cotton).

BTW, the thing I hate most about cotton is that so many manufacturers don’t bother to be sure it is balanced & it therefore biases. I love the way it feels on my skin but I find it nothing but a crap shoot to work with. If you find a good brand, be loyal & share the good news!

2 Likes

Oh. 1 more thing. I now always use a tiny zigzag for steeking. It gives it a little stretch. I once stretched a cut & sew (machine knitted) neckline too far & broke the 2 lines of stitching.

3 Likes

I do not recommend you dry it in a dry machine at all. This process can ruin your sweater.
I can suggest you 2 ways. The first is to dissolve the sweater and start over. Thus, I can alter it, and make it as smaller as you need or to make it bigger as well. The second way is more dangerous for your lovely sweater. You can hem it then process the edges after that cut off excess and overlock it with a coverstitch machine. https://www.craftyhangouts.com/best-coverstitch-machine/#product5. My friend has done it twice. One of the pieces of clothing was ruined. So, I cannot stress it enough, if you chose to use the second way be highly careful with what you doing.
Hope you will be fine.