Using a Washing Machine and Dryer
Wash the sweater on a short-cycle warm wash. Place your woolen sweater into your washing machine by itself and set the machine to the shortest cycle. This protects the delicate wool from becoming fluffy due to too much agitation. Avoid putting the sweater straight into a hot wash, as this can cause it to shrink significantly and may make it too small. It is best to shrink the sweater in increments. This technique works best on sweaters that are 100% wool.
Add laundry detergent or soap to the washing machine. This helps to agitate the fibers of the wool and encourages it to shrink. If possible, choose a laundry product that is designed for wool, as these are extra gentle and help to moisturize the yarn. Follow the dosage instructions on the back of the packet.
Place the sweater in the dryer on a low heat. This helps to further shrink the sweater whilst also completely drying it. Set the dryer to a low heat to avoid over-shrinking your sweater. Once the cycle finishes, check that the sweater is completely dry. If it is still wet, place it back in the dryer for another cycle. Avoid air-drying your sweater, as this can cause it to return to its regular size.
Wash the sweater on a hot wash cycle if it is still too big. Try your sweater on for size once it is dry. If it still a little baggy, simply repeat the washing and drying process but set your washing machine to a hot wash. This causes the fibers to shrink even further. Continue to repeat this process until you are happy with the size of your sweater. Clara Parkes Clara Parkes, Wool Historian and Textile Expert Wool is an incredibly versatile fiber that lends itself well to felting and fulling techniques when handled properly. By understanding the unique properties of wool, one can gently encourage a garment to shrink through strategic agitation, moisture, and heat to achieve the desired size and shape.
Shrinking the Sweater by Hand
Wet the wool sweater with hot water. Hold your sweater under a tap or dunk it into a bucket of water. Once it is wet, hold it over a sink for a few moments to let the excess water drip off. This makes the drying process a little quicker later on. If you are only shrinking a portion of the sweater, simply wet the area that you want to shrink.
Pat the sweater with a dry towel to remove the excess water. Lay the sweater flat on a towel and then place another towel flat on top of the sweater. Gently press down on the towel to lift some of the water out of the sweater. Continue to press down on the sweater until it is damp rather than dripping wet. Opt for white towels, if possible, to reduce the risk of any color from the towels bleeding onto your wool sweater. If your top towel becomes saturated, place it in the laundry and use a dry one.
Bunch the fibers together with your hands so that it dries in a smaller shape. Place your sweater on a dry towel and then use your hands to gently push the fibers of the wool together. Bunch up the fibers widthways to make it narrower or lengthways to make it shorter. The closer together that you bunch up the fibers – the more the sweater will shrink. This works really well for shrinking the cuffs and sleeves of sweaters.
Allow your sweater to dry for 24 hours bunched up. Leave the sweater to dry flat on the towel, rather than hanging it up. This keeps the bunches that you made intact and encourages the sweater to shrink as it dries.
Turn your sweater over to finish drying. This allows the other side of the sweater to finish drying. This normally takes about a day; however, if you have a particularly large or heavy sweater, it may take a little longer. If the sweater needs further shrinking, simply repeat this wetting, drying, and bunching process.
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