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I finally knit my husband an Aran. Since I was in school during most of the knitting, it took forever. I made it out of KnitPicks Superwash Merino wool. Even though it was superwash, I washed it like my regular wool sweaters, using the handwash cycle of the washing machine. It came out stretched. The fibers have all relaxed, so it's now several inches too wide and long. Laying it out flat and trying to smooch it back into shape to dry didn't help. Is there anyway to coax it back into its original shape? I've had this happen w/ smooth fiber yarns (specifically soy silk), but never experienced it with wool.
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Re: Can you save this sweater?
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 3:47 PMSuperwash grows with blocking/washing--combine that with cables and you can have a sweater that is much larger than you intended. I don't know of a way to coax it back to its original shape. I could use an answer as well as I have a sweater that is a bit big after it was blocked.
But to avoid this in the future, make a good sized swatch and wet block it. It's very important for any fitted garment and especially important if there are cables and you're using superwash wool.
My big sweater is a reminder that swatching and wet blocking that swatch is a must.
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Re: Can you save this sweater?
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 8:04 PMYikes! I am so sorry! I think it will be hard to get it back to how it was in width...just coax it back while it is wet and laying flat to dry. For the length, ugh, but you might need to unravel from the bottom a bit to remove some length and then redo the pattern making it shorter, not sure if that could be pulled off or not, though, without seeing it.
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Re: Can you save this sweater?
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 10:14 PMI fixed it. I re-wet it and tossed it in the dryer, on my non-knitting husband's suggestion, but it actually worked (it'll be a while before he lets me live that one down). -
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Re: Can you save this sweater?
Sun, July 22, 2007 - 5:54 PMJust feed him more; that oughta make him match the sweater :)
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Re: Can you save this sweater?
Sun, July 22, 2007 - 4:17 PMSuperwash wool is superwash (i.e. washable) because it has been treated to remove the properties that will cause it to felt. Regular wool holds its shape because it sticks to itself, but this is also the same property that allows it to felt. Superwash, like any other material, should be washed and dried as directed (i.e. machine wash cold, tumble dry low, or whatever the label says). They give you care instructions for a reason! Their instructions should, reasonably, be the ones that will make the yarn the best it can be.
![Lissa [Analae]](http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/567/1a2/5671a2f5-4b3d-4cff-a2cd-41bb3f562551.mugshot "Lissa [Analae]"){kind=small}
