It's shrunk

[Puppytrashedmysofa]

I was bought an expensive jumper for Christmas. It now would fit a ten year old because I put it in a regular wash which I've always done with my cheaper jumpers.

Can it be unshrunk ,I've been told it has to be damp.

Conditioner doesn't work. You'll just pull holes into it eventually by keep trying.

Bitter experience speaking here from a £350 cashmere jumper.

You have to be extra careful with expensive clothing not less careful .

It's usually way more fragile and easily damaged .. what a weird way to look at things that because it cost more it should be more robust .. it's literally the exact opposite !

A refund? No, you didn't follow the washing instructions. Really, pure wool needs a hand wash.

Well that's a surprise. I yanked it for a good 10 minutes and it was definitely wider across the width.Then I put it on yanked it long ways , every which ways really and it's just between small and medium which it was before.
So pleased going to air dry it now on a hanger , hope that's right.

Thanks Mumsnetters🤗

Full marks to Boss , obviously a good make.

Google Nancy Birtwhistle. She has a video showing how to un-shrink jumpers.

I'm going to keep stretching till it gets back to medium.I could hear the fibres as i pulled it.

It didn't say what it was made of , but it looks like wool.

What you need is my late, much-missed DM. She could wash stuff and get things to either stretch back to the right size again, or shrink too-big clothes down to the size you wanted. How she did it I have no idea. Washday wizardry of some sort!

For future reference, I hand wash woollens/ cashmere etc. in cold water with liquid soap flakes (not bio liquid) only, no fabric conditioner. Then I spread them out to dry flat on a white bathmat (that I have just for this purpose and not for general use) laid flat over the bars of a tower airer (i.e. one with a flat shelf).

Why not bio liquid? Would non bio liquid be ok?

Easy hand washing for wool/cashmere jumpers:

Wool detergent in lukewarm water
Gently squeeze, don't scrub or twist
Two rinses (can add a little fabric conditioner) and squeeze out water.
Grab a big bath towel, lay out on worktop folded in half.
Lay wet jumper flat on towel, with sleeves folded over.
Roll it up with the jumper inside the towel like a big swiss roll. Give this a really good squeeze/lean on it to soak up water from the jumper.
Then take out the slightly damp flat jumper which can dry over an airer overnight.
Bath towel can be hung up to dry wherever you normally dry towels.

Ooh that's interesting OP.

I'm glad you've had a positive result.

Yeah. It doesn't work.

You will be able to stretch it a bit but you will never get it back to its original shape. The one I shrank, I was able to get it almost as wide or almost as long but not both.

ETA: Just read your update. Looks like you were more successful than me. Well done. I'm delighted for you.

The enzymes in biological liquid/powder eat the wool.

Soak it in lukewarm water with a squeeze of hair conditioner for a while and you'll be able to stretch it back to normal size.

Thanks Jane.I've stretched it as much as possible but got it back to about size small , bit of a muscle / showing my boobs a bit to much jumper..will have to get down the gym to wear it.

Maybe I should attempt it again.

Be very careful. Small holes will have started to appear and before you know it you'll have yanked an arm clean off

Yes indeed.My daughter was really upset with me so need to get back in her good books but not with a sleeveless tailored muscle jumper😬.

Why she suddenly spent £200 on a present beats me , usually get smellies.

The hair conditioner works really well, I used Aussie stuff

This thread sounds like a joke 😂. Honestly I shrunk a jumper from gap I bought DH as it was made from cashmere. It's not a 'good make' because you can stretch it back to size. I had one from mint velvet and it went out of shape. Cashmere and wool you can wash on the wool cycle in the washing machine

Sadly, there is nothing you can do to un shrink it. Even if you do manage to un shrink it a bit, it will never be what it was. I had the same with the wool jumper just before Christmas, spent ages stretching it, using hair, conditioner, et cetera. But it still had the feeling of being shrunk. And it didn't have any give in it.

It was very sad...

Yes i used juicy green apple conditioner with vitamin B by Alberto balsam
I'll give it another go with the expensive stuff thanks for the tip.

Why would you treat an expensive gift that way?

🤔

I don't understand what else can I do with it ? , apart from hoard it ,sell it to a lucky kid down the car boot sale for a fiver.I don't know anyone that would fit a small with tight arms.
Anyway I've got it to the right length now but it's still a tight fit. I'm not going to milk this any longer ,just going to continously yank it like the other lady up thread and hope I can make it less tight fitting .Can anyone recommend a good conditioner to use thanks.