how do i wash my daughters hand knitted cardigans without them stretching?
Posted on July 30th, 2009 by admin
i have a baby cycle on my machine, but not a wool cycle. and how do i dry them, full spin the on the drying horse, tumble try???
Thanks!
Firstly – DONT tumble dry!!! They’ll be shot to bits.
I think the safest thing would be to hand wash them – or use the hand wash cycle if you have one. It’s laborious and annoying, but it’ll be worth it to keep them nice 
July 30th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Firstly – DONT tumble dry!!! They’ll be shot to bits.
I think the safest thing would be to hand wash them – or use the hand wash cycle if you have one. It’s laborious and annoying, but it’ll be worth it to keep them nice
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July 30th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
hand wash them in warm soapy water, then if you cant peg them on the line so that there is no sag anywhere, dry them flat, do not tumble dry them, they will shrink
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July 30th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
its a wool knitted sweater; wool is not going to stretch .. if anything it will shrink.. what does care label say?; if it has dry cleaning and wringing sign or wash; then it can be washed; but do expect it to shrink.. even if you follow care label.. usually around the neck or side seam inside; either side.. some has two or more label.. make sure you look the right one..
just because its hand knitted does not mean it don’t have care label..
but if it doesn’t and its a wool.. and you want to risk washing it..
then hand wash.. cold water.. with dish washing liquid..
rinse thoroughly under running water without wringing..
then flat dry or put in washing machine ; spin cycle only.. turn knob and you will reach spin cycle .. so spin it to remove excess water.. wait for 60 seconds no more.. then hang dry or flat dry..
once its dried then throw it in the dryer with towels.. to fluff it up.. in warm dry.. if its bone dry you can turn the heat to cotton dry..
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July 30th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Hand wash them, then put them in the washer for a short spin and then dry them flat if possible.
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July 30th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I hand knitted all my kids cardigans – if it is an acrylic mix then you can tumble dry no probs. Pure wool needs care and should be dried flat- I never used it cos it’s a pain and time consuming. If poss it’s best to check yarn label.
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July 30th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
For best results hand wash in cold / lukewarm water.
Hang outdoors in the shade.
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July 30th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Hand wash it gently, then squeeze most of the water out(After rinsing), then lay flat on a sheet of brown paper to dry, and keep it in shape. The brown paper will absorb most of the water left in it. Do not wring it when squeezing water out.
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July 30th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Do you have a delicate wash on your machine? If so, then use that programme and a gentle spin approx 600-800rpm..
If not, you can hand wash in lukewarm water. Then rinse and spin dry in your machine on a gentle spin 600-800rpm. If you don’t spin dry at least a bit, the weight of the water stretches the wool so I always use a gentle spin.
Then dry on the washing line or drying horse. I wouldn’t tumble dry wool. It could burn a hole in the garment.
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July 30th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Hand wash in warm water with Woolite or Lux flakes added.
NEVER wring hand knits or you will ruin.
(If you have no space to dry flat..and never put a white cardigan on brown paper)
If the garment is very small – hang a towel length ways over your washing line and nip the garment with a peg under the armpits folding in half over the line – the towel will absorb the moisture and you will be left with a beautifully soft garment.
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Granny with over 40 years of washing experience.. and still knitting.