Avoid blocking directly on a dress form as it will stress the neckline/shoulders and cause the sweater to stretch in length more than necessary. Fill a sink with cool water, add a tablespoon of bleach-free detergent, and mix them using your hands. Avoid the temptation to agitate or handle it too much. If you have a wool sweater that's too big—like a hand-me-down, thrift store find, or weight loss leftover—you can try to shrink it with these tips from weblog Put This On. Measure the width from the cast-on side. If you wish to shrink the entire sweater, do this for the whole sweater. Just use what you need. remove lower ribbing, add 2″ to the front and back, and knit the ribbing (This involved using “lifelines,” a technique I’ve found very handy!) As a general rule, a sweater or knit can be re-blocked about a size smaller, but along one dimension only. If I knew then what I know now, I would have wet blocked the sweater and all would be right with the world. Or have you ordered a sweater that’s too big and fails to fit you well? Keep the sweater away from pets to avoid any disturbances. Rinse the sweater in a sink of cold water. I’ve never had to do any seams or anything like that. You can upcycle them them into something new like a pillow or you can refashion them to fit you! Twenty years ago I knit my first adult sweater. If it's only slightly snug, it's easy to make it a size larger by stretching it slightly during blocking. As you can see, all the three methods are super-easy for anyone to do and requires only 3-4 simple steps. Flash Sale: Maker Machines Starting at $349! What to Do if You Shrunk a Sweater. Put water in a large pot where your sweater will easily fit and bring it to boil. Submerge your sweater in the water and gently press it and/or turn it as needed so the water is able to fully penetrate the garment. Roll it in another bath towel like a jelly roll to remove excess water. A knitted sweater that's too small doesn't have to be a disappointment. Insert straight T-pins all the way around the edge of the item, stretching it into shape as you go. i also don't use sewing machines because 1) i don't own one and 2) i like using my hands rather than machines. Lay your sweater out on your blocking boards (or mattress, or carpet) and using your hands push it into shape. Note: If portions of the sweater still look dry because they weren’t fully submerged, I recommend gently turning the sweater in the basin and giving it another ten minutes or so to soak. Blocking sweaters isn’t just for a new knit; you can also block your older sweaters to refresh them and help them return to their original shape. ), lay your sweater flat on the mats (facing up, usually) and straighten/smooth the edges. Finally, place the sweater on a flat surface where it’ll not get disturbed to allow it to air-dry and take in its new form. Add your knit pieces and submerge them in the water (do not agitate them). Defeated. Using flat blocking mats and blocking pins (I love the Knit Blockers for sweaters – they are a revelation! Blocking is imperative when making a set of identical small pieces (like Granny Squares) that will be sewn together to make a larger piece such as an afghan. Seaming goes in a flash. Sincerely, Swatch-Shy __________ Dear Swatch-Shy, Ah gauge, my. To do this, you’ll need to place your sweater flat on an ironing board and then cover it with a cloth, e.g. knit two 2″ gussets to sew into the side seams, thereby adding 4″ to the circumference of the sweater (well, minus maybe 1/2″ total of seaming). Use blocking pins to tack down the collar, pin alongside cable or lace detail and help to mark and define curves, lines or angles in the sweater that you want to train into place or enhance. I’ll tell you why: Prior to blocking, weave-in all the ends of your sweater or other knit project, and leave excess tails rather than trimming them off completely. The purpose of this step is to make the fibers tighten up, which will result in your sweater becoming shorter and thicker (or. The word “heirloom” hung in the air. The Block Sweater is now available on Ravelry and on Etsy. You can laugh. Next, let the sweater dry for approx. (You can use several towels layered over one another to create an appropriate blocking surface.) If, however, it seems too big but not by much, smooth and smoosh until you have it the length/width you want. However, this only works for very small adjustments; if the sweater is just too small and you get stuck when trying it on, blocking will not fix it. If I’d known how cute these balls of Happy Cotton would be, I would have bought a dozen and put them in an egg carton. Believe it or not, your mood can affect your tension. In the following post, we’ll discuss more details about how to shrink a sweater to make it smaller and fitting. Bind off your stitches. Next, remove the sweater from the water and blot it with a towel to remove all the excess water. Sew it smaller. and there aren't any tailors where i live, so that's out of the question. Remove the sweater from the sink when you're rinsed out all the suds. It makes an enormous difference in the way a garment feels, drapes and wears; it can turn a dud into a dynamo. Tailoring a Sweater to Make it Smaller 1 Put your sweater on and pinch the excess fabric with your fingers. This small success piqued my interest in the blocking process and what it can do for a knitter. Leave your pinned sweater in a warm place with good circulation to speed up the drying process (I don’t recommend blocking outside in full sun due to the possibility of bird/animal visitors and potential issues with the sun bleaching out non color-safe dyes; it’s rare but does happen). Investigate how much extra width and/or length can be added to a garment, by stretching it while blocking, without ruining the look of it. Help. It was a lot … Pick up each piece and squeeze the water out of the piece (don’t wring or twist). Soak your water in the resulting mixture for around 5-10 minutes, making sure to check it every 3 minutes and swirl in in water. Wash the stretched out sweater in a hot water or hot cycle and time it to wash for around 10 minutes (exposing it for a full cycle isn’t recommended; keep checking it from time to time). Let it sit in a bucket of water with a generous amount of hair conditioner mixed in. Next, remove the sweater from the water and blot it with a towel to remove all the excess water. It was a vision in moss stitch, knit in classic, undyed wool. (For you more buxom lasses, this can be a good way to get a better fit through the bust.) Once the sweater is secured in the shape that you want, use a spray bottle to evenly … with a polished, finished fabric, that’s easy to seam, and that’s shaped the way you’re shaped. Iron the sweater on high heat for up to 5 minutes. If you find that it’s still too big to consider putting it back in the dryer and repeating the whole process. Six months ago I thought I had too much yarn. *This post contains affiliate links (only for products I love, use and spend my own money on obviously). It lies flat, curves appropriately and the stitches are even. Lace almost always needs to be blocked to "open up" the design, so all those beautiful holes and patterns show in their true glory. Blocking is a method of stretching and shaping a finished knitted piece to reach the dimensions suggested in the pattern, to make two pieces that need to match the same size, or to make your stitches look nicer and more even. Turn the sweater inside out, and start sewing vertically along the one-inch mark. Whoops. Blocking is for so much more than aesthetics, but even if that were its only function I’d still do it. Also bear in mind that this fix is temporary; you’ll need to block your sweater to the larger … The stitches have been set and I can see exactly where I need to insert the needle. However, make sure you use the ideal method for the specific type of fabric your sweater comes with as we’ve indicate at the beginning of each method. This allows the fiber to shift with blocking and prevents the tails from popping out of place. Avoid a future problem by taking the recipient's body measurements and using a few techniques to enlarge the pattern. Using your hands, gently squish together (push the material inward using fingers) the parts you wish to shrink. As a general rule, you need to focus on one dimension only. Lay the superwash wool item on the towel. Too much yarn for my house, not enough yarn for my office: A life lesson, Dear Olive: How to Measure Gauge in Pattern. I said, “I don’t think blocking was even mentioned in these books” and then flipped right to the page that explained blocking in full detail. When sweaters are shaped the way you’re shaped, they give your figure a great set of curves without being tight or uncomfortable in any way. You can easily reshape the sweater and make it fit you perfectly well from the comfort of your home.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'hamblyscreenprints_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',124,'0','0']));eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'hamblyscreenprints_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',124,'0','1'])); .medrectangle-3-multi-124{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:15px !important;margin-left:0px !important;margin-right:0px !important;margin-top:15px !important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;text-align:center !important;}. Make sure you rinse your fabric well before blocking. Blocking Mats – Mats provide a large flat surface that you can stick pins into. I understand better why people would, now, though. Whether you like buying sweaters from the thrift store, are gifted something the wrong size, knit something the wrong size or have lost weight and need garments in a smaller size, there may be times when you want to make a big sweater smaller. This means I earn some yarn money if you make a purchase through one of these links (of course at no extra cost for you! Work in k2, p2 ribbing for 12 rows, or until the swatch is about a square. If you find that you need to decrease the sweater's width by two inches, then mark one inch on each side of the sweater. Let the soap dissolve. Angry crochet is a thing, y’all! Gently squeeze out the water from the knit. When your sweater is dry, trim any excess tails from ends you previously wove-in, add buttons (if applicable) and wear it proudly. Before I share my list I thought I would give you a brief overview of sweater fabric. Simply soften the fibres of the wool with a water and conditioner solution, and then either manually stretch the sweater back to size with your hands or pin it in place and leave it to dry. Mar 13, 2013 - How to turn an oversized thrifted cardigan into a smaller, fitted sweater in 30 minutes i'm not great at sewing, but i'm okay. The same sweater, after blocking. For a simple stockinette sweater, it may be sufficient to simply pat it … Why?!? But there were several issues. Hambly Screen Prints may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Fill your basin with lukewarm or cool water (not hot) and the proper amount of wool wash, as described on the bottle. If your finished sweater is a little snug, you can sometimes block it to fit. If you find you have to make the garment smaller or shorter but there are large folds proving the garment is too big, there are still alternatives (noted below*). Can you block a sweater smaller? (You can use several towels layered over one another to create an appropriate blocking surface.) Blocking this way isn’t a ton of work, and it’s well worth it. I was crushed. AVOID twisting or bunching the sweater during swirling to avoid damaging the material. Used to be, I wondered why you’d EVER bother to do seams when you could just knit from the top down–but now I see that the sweater can get kinda heavy and bulky. Pick your favorite shop and add it to your basket now before you forget. 25 minutes on low heat. Some sweaters need more pins than others – it will depend on the stitch pattern and yarn. The whole sweater was knitted from the top down, which is the only way I know how to make a sweater so far. Again, avoid wriggling it out during blotting as this can easily damage the fabric. Pull out the sides of the sweater to see how large it is and decide how closely you want it to fit your form. ), lay your sweater flat on the mats (facing up, usually) and straighten/smooth the edges. Have your old favorite sweater stretched and become too big? Stretch your items out and pin them to the correct dimensions on a blocking board or other colorfast, absorbent surface. Then add the sweater you wish to shrink and allow it to boil for about 5 minutes.If you fear about the sweater colors fading, simply add 240ml of white vinegar to the water. I would suggest starting with about 100 pins (more if you are blocking an adult sweater or other large item). Each method might only work for specific sweater fabrics as indicated. The method is pretty simple: wool stretches particularly when wet, so you spray the piece to make it damp, then stretch the sleeves of body and hold it for a few minutes. T-pins: sold at craft stores and sewing suppliers. To spray block your sweater, you will shape the garment or pieces first and then wet them. In the above post, we’ve just discussed the three most effective methods about how to shrink a sweater. Once you finish that, cut out the extra material on the inside. Be sure to check it after every 6 minutes. i also think it would be kind of cool to do it myself. Draw the sleeves out flat if you can (in this case they were a bit too long, so I folded them). Let your sweater soak for at least 30 minutes; sometimes I’ll let mine soak longer if I’m busy doing other things. Good for: angora, wool, cashmere, and mohair sweater fabrics. Spread a large towel over a surface into which you can stick pins, such as a bed, ironing board or carpet. Wool Wash – It’s a specially formatted soap for washing wool when wet blocking. Superwash wool is stretchier than untreated wool, making it ideal for blocking into shape. When done, blot the sweater with a towel (press a towel against it) to squeeze out excess water. To completely remove water from it, roll it up inside the … In a recent workshop I taught, I showed a book from the 1940’s that I was given when I first learned to knit as a child (which was much later than the 1940’s, just to be clear) and talked about how much I didn’t know about blocking back in the day. In other words, if you are looking to to re-block a sweater or knit smaller in the width, you cannot also re-block the sweater shorter in the length. Using flat blocking mats and blocking pins (I love the Knit Blockers for sweaters – they are a revelation! When the sweater is mostly dry, but still damp, turn it over and allow the other side to face up Blocking pins are usually not necessary at this point, but can be used again if the sweater still needs support. Soak your swatch for 10 minutes in lukewarm water. You can also use the interlocking foam playmats that they sell for small children. Then add the sweater you wish to shrink and allow it to boil for about 5 minutes.If you fear about the sweater colors fading, simply add 240ml of white vinegar to the water. You may need to use two or three towels in a row if you’re drying out a larger or bulkier sweater, as the knit will have soaked up a lot of water. How to do it:eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'hamblyscreenprints_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',125,'0','0'])); How to do it:eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'hamblyscreenprints_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_12',142,'0','0'])); If your favorite old sweater has suddenly become bigger and no longer fits you well or you bought a sweater that seems bigger, you can make it fit you by simply shrinking it. Not TOO MUCH YARN as in “I don’t want any, Dear Olive, I struggle with gauge, but especially measuring gauge in pattern – is it really necessary? I must have been so excited to start knitting that I skipped right over the other important chapters. Have you started shrinking your sweater already? It’s fine. I ordered this 100% Cotton Sweater and they messed up my order and gave me a small and I am a medium. I learned on my next project that blocking really makes my life easier. Breathe deeply! Again, I got mine at my local big discount retailer. 4 comments. Draw the sleeves out flat if you can (in this case they were a bit too long, so I folded them). While there are a few different ways to block a sweater (or any hand-knit garment), I’m a die hard believer in the traditional wet blocking method. towel (. Let your knit pieces soak for about 30 minutes. The chemicals in the conditioner can untangle the fibers in your sweater, making them expand back to their original condition. Overall, a better fit. It will produce a sweater . Stretch your items out and pin them to the correct dimensions on a blocking board or other colorfast, absorbent surface. If it doesn’t shrink with the first attempt, the second round should work. To completely remove water from it, roll it up inside the towel and squeeze out all the water. If your sweater has shrunk significantly, the pinning method tends to be most effective. I paid $1 for a box of 50 pins. This HUGE list of sweater patterns to sew for women should get you started on your own sweater making journey. But I didn’t; I frogged it because I didn’t know better. If you’ve accidentally shrunk a sweater in the dryer, there may still be hope. How do you reuse clothes that are too small? Is there a way I can stretch it out because I cannot return or exchange the sweater cause it was custom made. Choosing a Blocking board. Attentively, push the sweater against the wall to squeeze out the excess water. But be careful: don’t stretch the garment too much; pull it flat until it’s smooth and you achieve the correct measurement across the chest, arm, and down the length of the body (refer to the schematic in the pattern for these measurements), but no further. Sweater knit is generally very stretchy knit fabric with good drape {not always good recovery} But it comes in so many gorgeous textures and colors if you haven’t tried it now is the time! WARM NOTE: We’ll provide you with up to 3 sweater shrinking methods that have been proven to excellently transform the size of a bigger sweater to a smaller, more fitting cloth. (I like to do one last trim of any fledgling tails after the sweater is blocked and dry.). [Raises fist to the sky.]. I have control over the fabric and how it hangs [its 'drape']. The goal of blocking isn’t to stretch your sweater; you want to relax the fiber and enhance the stitch pattern. It’s hard to believe there was a ever a time when I didn’t block my sweaters. Gentle shampoo works just as well. Now try the sweater to see if it’s fitting. Roll your sweater in a towel and stomp on it, this remove excess water. 1 Comment. i found a sweater i really liked at a flea market, and i knew it was way too big when i bought it. If the sweater is already happy to lay flat and smooth without pins, then that section may not need them. How to Block a Sweater: Add a couple of teaspoons of Euaclan to a tub of cool/tepid water. But when it was finished I noticed it pulled terribly on the bias, and every time I stretched it where I wanted it, it bounced back into place like an elastic waistband. Put water in a large pot where your sweater will easily fit and bring it to boil. Blocking crochet pieces before you sew them together ensures that all of your pieces are the same dimension. December 12, by Sarah White. Ha! How to Shrink a Sweater Using Washer and Dryer, Shrinking With Iron - How to Shrink a Cotton sweater, The Reshaping Method - How to Shrink a Wool Sweater, Shrinking With Iron – How to Shrink a Cotton sweater, The Reshaping Method – How to Shrink a Wool Sweater, Pinterest Management by DigitallyApproved.com. When soaking is complete, drain away the excess water and squeeze in a very gently wringing motion to help eliminate some of the water in the fiber. We and our partners share information on your use of this website to help improve your experience. Currently knitting The Weekender by dreareneeknits and im nervous that its going to be too big... its meant to have 10in of positive ease and I followed her instructions to picking the size to knit, but im worried I won't like how big it is when I finish. To prevent sweater fibers from snagging in your washing machine, consider putting the sweater in a pillowcase before washing it or simply turn it inside out). Stretch your swatch just enough to make the sides straight. How to Make a Big Sweater Smaller. To spray block your sweater, you will shape the garment or pieces first and then wet them. Is it possible to block a sweater smaller or do knits always grow when blocked? Be cautious here – you don’t want to stretch or disfigure your stitches. Going from hot to cold water shocks the fibers, which completes the shrinkage. I not only didn’t block them, I didn’t even know blocking was a thing. Lay your sweater out neatly on a towel (be sure not to use a white or light colored towel in case of dye transfer) and roll the sweater up, pressing firmly to draw water into the towel. Valid through 4/14. Before you know it, your sweater will be back to normal! Use blocking pins to tack down the collar, pin alongside cable or lace detail and help to mark and define curves, lines or angles in the … I’ve rounded up a fun list of refashion clothes tutorials to inspire you and teach you new skills, ready to make over your clothes so they look great and you feel great in them. Measure how many inches you want to shrink the sweater.