# Watched my sweater grow 3sizes too big



## Sailgurl (Oct 1, 2011)

I am soooo sad. This was the first time I spent so much money on yarn to make myself a sweater. I bought Knitpicks gloss DK (30% silk,70% wool) to make the bamboozle lace tunic. I checked my gauge, and I measured the sweater pieces and adjusted as I was knitting. I wanted to cry when I washed the pieces to block them before sewing the sweater together. The pieces just seem to grow...And grow and grow. The sweater length should hit just at the hips hangs halfway to my knees. The sleeves are enormous. The front and back each measured 24 inches before blocking, now measure 30. That means the chest is 12 inches too big My Mom looked at the sweater which was Pinned together and asked me if I knitted a dress. I feel like a knitting failure. What should I do with this mess? I really love the pattern of the sweater, but i have no idea what size to knit if I were to reuse this yarn. I paid $80 for the yarn which was way beyond my budget. Any advice? Has anyone else ever had this problem with silk yarn?


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## Viking-knits (May 16, 2012)

Oh my :-( 
I'm sorry that this happened to you. But why in the world would you wash it befor blocking???
I usually put mine on a damp kloth covering it with another to get it into shape befor blocking.


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## unie (Dec 4, 2011)

Oh Dear!! I'm sorry,but being new to knitting,I'm no help!


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## Colorado knits (Jul 6, 2011)

I assume she washed the sweater pieces as her way of preparing them for blocking. I sew the sweater pieces together and then soak in a wool wash and pin to blocking measurements. 

I've had a couple things grow, but not to that degree. (Ha, the bamboo hat morphed into a bucket.)

I'll watch for other pointers. Maybe wet it again and put it in the dryer for a brief time?


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## Sailgurl (Oct 1, 2011)

Viking-knits said:


> Oh my :-(
> I'm sorry that this happened to you. But why in the world would you wash it befor blocking???
> I usually put mine on a damp kloth covering it with another to get it into shape befor blocking.


All of the advice on KP said to wash before blocking. I was extremely careful when I washed. I just let it soak and didn't agitate it. Rinsed it without any stress, and rolled it up in a towel to get the water out. Carefully put it on my blocking mat. I didn't stretch it when i blocked it. But I could see that once that yarn was wet it just looked like it was growing. I even tried to push the pieces in the middle together so it would shrink when it dried. I wanted to cry. I've seen store bought sweaters made from rayon yarn stretch like this, but never thought wool & silk fiber would do this.


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## Leonora (Apr 22, 2011)

Never ever soak lace knitting before it is blocked. To do that, pin it to shape and size, to the surface where is will be undesturbed before being totally dry. Then get your iron, set it on steam, and hold the iron an inch above the garment pieces for about 10/15 seconds, no more than that, and allow the steam to penertrate the pieces. Do this all over until it has been steamed all over, gently patting any bumpy areas gently with your fingertips, to even it out. Now allow the pieces to dry thoroughly before removing from pinned surface, about 48 hours to be on the safe side. Remove pins and stitch together. When you wash a lace garment afterwards, do not let it hang from your hands allowing the water to drag it down with the weight, get it all in your hands in a ball if possible and squeeze the water out as much as possible, then wrap in a towel to remove the excess water and squeeze tightly. Dry flat. Leonora.


Sailgurl said:


> I am soooo sad. This was the first time I spent so much money on yarn to make myself a sweater. I bought Knitpicks gloss DK (30% silk,70% wool) to make the bamboozle lace tunic. I checked my gauge, and I measured the sweater pieces and adjusted as I was knitting. I wanted to cry when I washed the pieces to block them before sewing the sweater together. The pieces just seem to grow...And grow and grow. The sweater length should hit just at the hips hangs halfway to my knees. The sleeves are enormous. The front and back each measured 24 inches before blocking, now measure 30. That means the chest is 12 inches too big My Mom looked at the sweater which was Pinned together and asked me if I knitted a dress. I feel like a knitting failure. What should I do with this mess? I really love the pattern of the sweater, but i have no idea what size to knit if I were to reuse this yarn. I paid $80 for the yarn which was way beyond my budget. Any advice? Has anyone else ever had this problem with silk yarn?


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## Chase (Apr 4, 2012)

Knitgurl, I'm so sorry to hear of your experience. why don't you send your post to Knitpicks? Ask them about the yarn and tell them of your experience. See what they say. I suspect the problem is not your washing, but the yarn. While what Leonora posted is probably great advice, I made a lace shawl for my mom, and washed it before blocking (too much dog and cat hair around my place not to). We have hard water that undoes any useful steam function of any iron I've ever had, so that wasn't an option. The washed shawl blocked beautifully; it was amazing to see the difference before and after blocking. Regarding your particular yarn, I'm surprised that it would "grow" with 70% wool in it. I avoid mohair-heavy yarns for just that reason, although they may be different than the mohair that stretched like crazy when I was young.


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## GudrunM (Feb 17, 2012)

thanks for the tips Leonora, I just finished a shawl and I was afraid to block it, I also have a silk/wool blend. I guess if a shawl stretches it is just a bigger shawl but when a sweater stretches it is just sad.


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## Wheatie (Sep 19, 2011)

Rip it all up and reuse the yarn. I measure a sweater that fits and check my pieces as I go. If they measure too big then it isn't going to get any better. I frequently use the pattern as a guide and knit to measurements.


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## jenk57 (May 2, 2011)

As someone else suggested, If I were you, I would call KnitPicks and explain what happened. They may have advice to offer. I can't imagine how you must feel after all the time and money you have devoted to this project. Good luck. Let us know how things turn out.


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## valene (Feb 5, 2012)

My neighbor gave me a ball of "Bernat Softee" I made grand daughter a scarf and it grew and grewI think I will sew ends together for an infinity scarf


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## kestrelz (Nov 29, 2011)

wow, that's heartbreaking. I typically use synthetic yarns. Now I'm terrified of natural fibers!


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## Leonora (Apr 22, 2011)

With a shawl it is slightly different, because you want it to stretch, especially if it is a triangle shawl. They need to be soaked, but squeeze as much water out of it as you lift it out of the water with both hands, and it is balled up. Then place in a towel, and squeeze as much water out of it as you can in the towel. Even putting it on the floor and gently standing on it to get the water out. Then you will be able to stretch and pin it to the required size a lot easier. Leonora.


GudrunM said:


> thanks for the tips Leonora, I just finished a shawl and I was afraid to block it, I also have a silk/wool blend. I guess if a shawl stretches it is just a bigger shawl but when a sweater stretches it is just sad.


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## Carol J. (Jan 27, 2011)

Did you read the label? Does the yarn have acrylic in it? No, it is silk and wool. I never wash or wet the pieces before sewing together. If the pieces weren't soiled, why would you wash them? Read the label for washing directions. If you insist on washing the pieces, handle as little as possible, they are not dish towels. Too much action stretches any kind of yarn.
And on top of this, you relaxed and your knitting became looser as you went along. Keeping the gauge is important. I was asked to sew together afghan strips for a lady once going through a traumatic experience, her starting strips were half the size of the last ones and the afghan looked like a cone. Check your gauge oftener and the combination of silk and wool sounds very soft, bet you weren't supposed to even wash it. After it is sewed together, you could block it in a wet towel and lay out to dry, never wring it or hang it on a hanger to dry.
Start over and consider this a learning experience, no one will know the difference and you don't have to tell

Carol J.


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## past (Apr 3, 2011)

I just looked this yarn up on Knitpicks site. It says to hand wash and lay flat to dry. I would contact the company because they indicate in the description that this yarn is perfect for fitted sweaters which means it should hold it's size and shape once worked into a garment.


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## taznwinston (Feb 5, 2012)

past said:


> I just looked this yarn up on Knitpicks site. It says to hand wash and lay flat to dry. I would contact the company because they indicate in the description that this yarn is perfect for fitted sweaters which means it should hold it's size and shape once worked into a garment.


Here Here! I second that! Knit picks has GREAT customer service. I wouldn't be surprised if they offered to send you more yarn to replace what you have, that's just their way. They'll either tell you how to fix it or offer you something. It is important for them to have feedback, especially if there is a problem with their product. Good luck, fingers crossed, and call knit picks. Let us know how you make out.
One last word, let them know that all of your "friends" on KP encouraged you to call and are awaiting their response. This may help lead them in the right direction.


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## LilgirlCA (Jan 22, 2011)

Chase said:


> Knitgurl, I'm so sorry to hear of your experience. why don't you send your post to Knitpicks? Ask them about the yarn and tell them of your experience. See what they say. I suspect the problem is not your washing, but the yarn. While what Leonora posted is probably great advice, I made a lace shawl for my mom, and washed it before blocking (too much dog and cat hair around my place not to). We have hard water that undoes any useful steam function of any iron I've ever had, so that wasn't an option. The washed shawl blocked beautifully; it was amazing to see the difference before and after blocking. Regarding your particular yarn, I'm surprised that it would "grow" with 70% wool in it. I avoid mohair-heavy yarns for just that reason, although they may be different than the mohair that stretched like crazy when I was young.


When I lived in a hard water region - I used distilled water in my steam iron which lasted for years.


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## mzmom1 (Mar 4, 2011)

Definitely call KnitPicks. In my experience they have always been helpful.


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## GudrunM (Feb 17, 2012)

Leonora said:


> With a shawl it is slightly different, because you want it to stretch, especially if it is a triangle shawl. They need to be soaked, but squeeze as much water out of it as you lift it out of the water with both hands, and it is balled up. Then place in a towel, and squeeze as much water out of it as you can in the towel. Even putting it on the floor and gently standing on it to get the water out. Then you will be able to stretch and pin it to the required size a lot easier. Leonora.
> 
> 
> GudrunM said:
> ...


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## GudrunM (Feb 17, 2012)

thank you, I will do exactly that today.


Leonora said:


> With a shawl it is slightly different, because you want it to stretch, especially if it is a triangle shawl. They need to be soaked, but squeeze as much water out of it as you lift it out of the water with both hands, and it is balled up. Then place in a towel, and squeeze as much water out of it as you can in the towel. Even putting it on the floor and gently standing on it to get the water out. Then you will be able to stretch and pin it to the required size a lot easier. Leonora.
> 
> 
> GudrunM said:
> ...


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## Carol J. (Jan 27, 2011)

You will be told they cannot control how the knitter works and it will not be the fault of the yarn. If the label says hand wash and dry flat, they mean the finished garment. Let us know what they say but I have heard from others that some yarn companies will not take the blame for how the knitters work if they don't follow the label directions..
Some pattern books even say, Not responsible for the work done by the knitters or something on that order. Start over and keep your tension consistent, time is flying by and you can start over. 

Carol J.


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## AmyKnits (Aug 20, 2011)

Leonora said:


> Never ever soak lace knitting before it is blocked. To do that, pin it to shape and size, to the surface where is will be undesturbed before being totally dry. Then get your iron, set it on steam, and hold the iron an inch above the garment pieces for about 10/15 seconds, no more than that, and allow the steam to penertrate the pieces. Do this all over until it has been steamed all over, gently patting any bumpy areas gently with your fingertips, to even it out. Now allow the pieces to dry thoroughly before removing from pinned surface, about 48 hours to be on the safe side. Remove pins and stitch together. When you wash a lace garment afterwards, do not let it hang from your hands allowing the water to drag it down with the weight, get it all in your hands in a ball if possible and squeeze the water out as much as possible, then wrap in a towel to remove the excess water and squeeze tightly. Dry flat. Leonora.
> 
> 
> Sailgurl said:
> ...


I agree with Leonora here.... I would NEVER put anything I JUST knitted in water. I just couldn't bear to watch my hard work get all wet. Plus... I would never have the patience to wait till it dried to sew it together, see how it looks, etc. I ALWAYS and ONLY steam my pieces to block them. I have never had a problem doing blocking this way.

I am so sorry to hear what happened to your sweater. However, I looked at the yarn you used and it says it IS handwashable. I second the suggestion of contacting knitpicks and explaining the problem. They will probably send you replacement yarn. Won't undo the problem with the one you knitted already, but the yarn should not have done that.

If the sweater is really THAT big, you could always wet it again and put it in the dryer and check it very frequently. That is risky and only if you don't want to try and reuse THAT batch of yarn.


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## taznwinston (Feb 5, 2012)

Well said Amy


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## Sewbizgirl (May 11, 2011)

Plant fiber yarns are notorious for "growing"... bamboo being the absolute worst. Cotton, linen, silk, bamboo... all are plant fibers. These have to be knit at a tight gauge and handled carefully, and still they will "grow". 

For garments, it's best to find something that is at least 50% wool or acrylic mixed in with the cotton, or with elastic content. Those help stabilize the plant fibers.

So sorry you had such an expensive learning experience. Don't let it dampen your enjoyment of knitting-- just learn from it and go on...


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## trish2222 (May 13, 2012)

kestrelz said:


> wow, that's heartbreaking. I typically use synthetic yarns. Now I'm terrified of natural fibers!


Don't be frightened - it can happen with acrylic too. I've had a sweater made for my son start at just below the hip stretch to just above the knees! It was the pattern stitch which was responsible for that happening ie it was far too loose a pattern. With the yarn used I should have done a tighter pattern like a cable.

Hope I haven't put you off acrylic now!!

It's just one of those disappointing mishaps we all have from time to time - we've all had projects that don't come out well. It's annoying after all the time and patience invested.
I would also advise contacting knitpicks. I also never wash before blocking.


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## dotcarp2000 (Sep 5, 2011)

Viking-knits said:


> Oh my :-(
> I'm sorry that this happened to you. But why in the world would you wash it befor blocking???
> I usually put mine on a damp kloth covering it with another to get it into shape befor blocking.


eventually she would wash it and block it even though she just blocked it in the beginning so dont you think the same thing would happen? Im just curious as to what everyone thinks


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## dotcarp2000 (Sep 5, 2011)

AmyKnits said:


> Leonora said:
> 
> 
> > Never ever soak lace knitting before it is blocked. To do that, pin it to shape and size, to the surface where is will be undesturbed before being totally dry. Then get your iron, set it on steam, and hold the iron an inch above the garment pieces for about 10/15 seconds, no more than that, and allow the steam to penertrate the pieces. Do this all over until it has been steamed all over, gently patting any bumpy areas gently with your fingertips, to even it out. Now allow the pieces to dry thoroughly before removing from pinned surface, about 48 hours to be on the safe side. Remove pins and stitch together. When you wash a lace garment afterwards, do not let it hang from your hands allowing the water to drag it down with the weight, get it all in your hands in a ball if possible and squeeze the water out as much as possible, then wrap in a towel to remove the excess water and squeeze tightly. Dry flat. Leonora.
> ...


Amy, I have been under the impression that acrylic yarns are supposed to be machine washable and dryable so if a newly knitted item shouldnt have to be blocked using acrylic yarns. Matter of fact some hospitals require that baby items being 
donated to them be washed first. So what value would there be
in blocking that kind of an item first then washing and drying it?
Just curious as to everyone's experience/ impression.


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## Carlyta (Mar 23, 2011)

Sorry about your sweater. Don't think of yourself as a failure. We all make mistakes. Did you knit a swatch to make sure the needles you used matched the gauge the pattern called for? If you did that, did you wash and block it according to yarn label care directions? If you had done that you probably could have seen that swatch stretched. I believe silk has very little "give" and tends to stretch. One of my first sweater designs was knitted with silk yarn and it "grew" length wise. Did the yarn label say dry clean only? I knitted a shawl with Noro silk/wool yarn and the label stated dry clean only. I steamed it with my steam iron because I did not want the cleaners to ruin it. Can you check on the web to see how to recycle yarn that has already been knitted? You might be able to reuse to try to knit your sweater again. Let us know how this works out.


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## MGT (Oct 6, 2011)

Well, it's lace, which does expand, some patterns more than others. I'd rip and redo, and if it were me, I'd make somethimg different and use the yarn double out of sheer annoyance. Bottom line, bad things sometimes happen. 
If you redo in lace, wash and block your gauge swatch, measuring carefully before and after to get an idea of its future size. I knitted a lace shawlette that grew from 6' to 10' after blocking. Annoying!


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## AmyKnits (Aug 20, 2011)

dotcarp2000 said:


> AmyKnits said:
> 
> 
> > Leonora said:
> ...


You are correct. I, myself, rarely use 100% acrylic, however, I DO use it for baby items, afghans, etc. that will get a lot of washing and wearing. Typically, these items ARE wash and dry and wear. If I am giving an acrylic item as a gift, I will give it a light steam just to make it look nice and lay perfectly in the box. This is of course, my personal preference. There is no need for blocking acrylic and most knitters do not.

The yarn this poster is talking about is not acrylic, however, but silk and wool which is a different animal altogether. It MUST be blocked at least somewhat before seaming or the seams will most likely not line up properly.

I should have specified that OTHER than 100% acrylic, I wouldn't like to "dunk" my freshly knitted items in water. BTW... acrylic that I give as gifts I do not wash first as my home is clean and my hands are clean. I understand that most hospitals want the items washed before donation, so you would have no choice. Hope this helps.


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## LindaH (Feb 1, 2011)

Perhaps you can wet it again, let it go back to its unblocked state and try it on to see what happens. It sounds as if it should have been written and/or sized smaller than what your normal size is so that when you blocked it, the sweater would fit perfectly. 

However, I don't really know or understand the positive and negative ease stuff.. So I am just guessing here. I know when I made my first sweater and blocked it to the measurements everything was just great. When I washed it before packaging it up to give to my SIL, I didn't block it. As a result, it did not fit her. I didn't block it because I knew that she would not block it. She would just hand wash it and lay it out to dry. I am remaking the sweater for her, and I increased the size to the next size up so that she can wear it without having to block it. 

I would suggest that you handwash it again, and lay it out flat but don't stretch it out to block it. The lace panel in it looks to be just on the sleeves and down the front, yes? I hope that will bring it back to the size you need. If it doesn't, then you will need to frog it and remake the sweater in the size that you want it to be after it is blocked in order to have it fit you and hang right. It sucks, I know.. I have definitely been there/done that.


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## umozabeads (Oct 14, 2011)

I have used this yarn several times and I always steam block it and when I have washed it was after construction and I did not experience this problem.


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## Rainebo (Apr 22, 2012)

Chase said:


> Knitgurl, I'm so sorry to hear of your experience. why don't you send your post to Knitpicks? Ask them about the yarn and tell them of your experience. See what they say. I suspect the problem is not your washing, but the yarn. While what Leonora posted is probably great advice, I made a lace shawl for my mom, and washed it before blocking (too much dog and cat hair around my place not to). We have hard water that undoes any useful steam function of any iron I've ever had, so that wasn't an option. The washed shawl blocked beautifully; it was amazing to see the difference before and after blocking. Regarding your particular yarn, I'm surprised that it would "grow" with 70% wool in it. I avoid mohair-heavy yarns for just that reason, although they may be different than the mohair that stretched like crazy when I was young.


I understand what you said about hard water hurting the steam function of your steam iron. I have hard water as well. In order to prevent destroying my steam irons from the calcium deposits that clog the function, I have to use distilled water in my iron, not my tap water. Using distilled water solved the problem.


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## DenzelsMa (May 21, 2012)

After all the posts I've read I've come to the conclusion that I must be a knitting dropout. I don't like to knit with wool, I much prefer acrylic. I never block anything but everything I make turns out fine. Sweaters I made for my grandchildren in the mid 1990s are still going strong after many dozens of machine washes and tumble dryings. They were made for 8 year olds and were handed down to younger siblings then to even younger friends.
Di


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## Sailgurl (Oct 1, 2011)

Thanks all for your advice. The sweater is mostly dot stitch with a lace panel up the front and the middle of the sleeves. I did measure and check the gauge while i was knitting. It would have fit perfectly before I wet the yarn. I didn't stretch it while it was wet. I was so careful with the wet pieces. I left them in a ball and just rolled them in a towel. My neice who watched me knit it couldn't believe how big it grew. It grew at least 12 inches longer and at least 12 in total wider. My neice said it would fit a 6 foot 500 lb Sumo wrestler. Ha ha. 
I did take all of your advice and sent a message to Knitpicks. I am going to just frog the whole thing and make a couple of shawls. It's a really soft beautiful light yarn. I have hot flashes and thought it was going to make a beautiful lightweight sweater. I'm going to stick with nice soft wool. I'll let you know how Knitpicks responds


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## umozabeads (Oct 14, 2011)

Hang in there! We all have had glitches in our knitting lives that have made us question our abilities; but we stay in the fight because we ain't gonna let no little piece of string beat us!!! KNIT ON!


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## dotcarp2000 (Sep 5, 2011)

AmyKnits said:


> dotcarp2000 said:
> 
> 
> > AmyKnits said:
> ...


Thanks a bunch for your input into blocking etc.. Being in health care, washing items for a hospital or even for a baby shower is truly essential. Everyone who has a clean home harbors certain bacteria and viruses that we're not aware of. Babies can be so susceptible of these bugs so it truly is necessary to wash them before giving. Even in the process of knitting/cro-cheting baby items, our skin has bacteria on it that might not agree with a baby's.


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## DollieD (Mar 7, 2011)

Sailgurl said:


> I am soooo sad. This was the first time I spent so much money on yarn to make myself a sweater. I bought Knitpicks gloss DK (30% silk,70% wool) to make the bamboozle lace tunic. I checked my gauge, and I measured the sweater pieces and adjusted as I was knitting. I wanted to cry when I washed the pieces to block them before sewing the sweater together. The pieces just seem to grow...And grow and grow. The sweater length should hit just at the hips hangs halfway to my knees. The sleeves are enormous. The front and back each measured 24 inches before blocking, now measure 30. That means the chest is 12 inches too big My Mom looked at the sweater which was Pinned together and asked me if I knitted a dress. I feel like a knitting failure. What should I do with this mess? I really love the pattern of the sweater, but i have no idea what size to knit if I were to reuse this yarn. I paid $80 for the yarn which was way beyond my budget. Any advice? Has anyone else ever had this problem with silk yarn?


When I first read this I thought, 'I would frog the whole thing and re-knit, maybe something else, ' because I too, am pained at your expense...but then...you have lost all that work!!! Grief !!


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## GudrunM (Feb 17, 2012)

Leonora, I have blocked my shawl and it sure has grown, but it is actually better this way. Good for me to know. Thanks for all the information, and I did not know that plant based fibers, including silk grows. I also did not know that lace knitting grows, this was my first lace one. 
I am happy with what I have but I am glad that I didn't knit it any bigger as I was contemplating doing.


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## jobailey (Dec 22, 2011)

Sailgurl said:


> I am soooo sad. This was the first time I spent so much money on yarn to make myself a sweater. I bought Knitpicks gloss DK (30% silk,70% wool) to make the bamboozle lace tunic. I checked my gauge, and I measured the sweater pieces and adjusted as I was knitting. I wanted to cry when I washed the pieces to block them before sewing the sweater together. The pieces just seem to grow...And grow and grow. The sweater length should hit just at the hips hangs halfway to my knees. The sleeves are enormous. The front and back each measured 24 inches before blocking, now measure 30. That means the chest is 12 inches too big My Mom looked at the sweater which was Pinned together and asked me if I knitted a dress. I feel like a knitting failure. What should I do with this mess? I really love the pattern of the sweater, but i have no idea what size to knit if I were to reuse this yarn. I paid $80 for the yarn which was way beyond my budget. Any advice? Has anyone else ever had this problem with silk yarn?


What I am finding interesting is that wool and silk for that matter usually shrink when they get that wet. I'm thinking the weight of the yarn with the water in it is what may be causing it to stretch. When you lay it out and try to push it to a smaller size and let it dry did it shrink up at all? I think I would lay each piece out and push it together to the size it should be and pat each stich close together and let it dry. If it is already dry now spray it to wet it down as you try to work it back to a smaller size then let that dry. Then without disturbing it after it is dry, try steaming it and see if that brings the yarn back to it original size.


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## mabear (Jun 16, 2012)

kestrelz said:


> wow, that's heartbreaking. I typically use synthetic yarns. Now I'm terrified of natural fibers!


Depends what you mean by "natural fibres"  people have knitted with wool for centuries and this very rarely stretches like this, especially when knitted at the 'proper' or recommended tension or gauge.

I know some cottons stretch badly, and there may be issues with some of the newer natural fibres like bamboo, but I've made hundreds of items, both knitted and crocheted, from wool over 55 years and NONE have ever stretched like this. The few times it HAS happened to me is when I've used acrylics!!

If I were you, Sailgirl, I wouldn't be in any hurry to rip out all your knitting. As others have suggested, contact Knit Picks to see what, if anything, they're prepared to do for you  bundle it all up and send it back to them so they can see what you're talking about.

mabear [Norma] in New Zealand


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## bonbf3 (Dec 20, 2011)

Viking-knits said:


> Oh my :-(
> I'm sorry that this happened to you. But why in the world would you wash it befor blocking???
> I usually put mine on a damp kloth covering it with another to get it into shape befor blocking.


I guess she didn't know about blocking. I've never done it either - just knit blankets so far.


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## mzmom1 (Mar 4, 2011)

dotcarp2000 said:


> AmyKnits said:
> 
> 
> > Leonora said:
> ...


If you wanted to "kill' the acrylic, you would block the item first with steam, then wash and dry it before donating.


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## MaryE-B (May 11, 2012)

Please do what the majority suggested and contact Knit Picks. Maybe you will be lucky and they will be able to help you to salvage your sweater. If nothing else, they will tell you what you did wrong so it doesn't happen again. Maybe you did mishandle ithe project in some way, but they want your business and will help you with what you did wrong so you don't do it again. Even if you can't salvage the sweater, you will benefit from their expert advice, and perhaps they will help you replace at least part of the value of the yarn. If the yarn cannot be recycled nor the sweater salvaged, perhaps you can do what someone else suggested and donate it. Best of luck and you have my sympathies. I would be devastated if it had happened to me.


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## Leonora (Apr 22, 2011)

GudrunM, I'm so pleased that your shawl turned out right. Even though lace knitted garments are beautiful, the finishing of them regarding blocking is one to be very carefully considered, because the lace pattern makes the project so open, soft and loose anyway. Once you soak in water, you have a dilema on your hands, except with shawls which need to be stretched to size quite a lot in some cases. I took a blocking course many many years ago, when I first got my knitting machine. Generally what applies to machine knit projects, applies to hand knit ones too. Both methods need to be stitched together, and the best way of making sure they will look their best when finished, is the blocking stage. Just as a point of interest, the course I took, was with one of the top knitting machine designers in this country at the time.

Someone has suggested that to 'Kill' acrylic steam it first. This is not so. To 'Kill' acrylic you actually have to put the iron on the garment, and iron it like a shirt or skirt. The contact heat from the irons hot plate touching the knitted fabric, is what 'Kill's' it, it causes it to stretch and go bigger.

How do I know this? Well I took another course with another top machine knitting designer, and this course was how to 'Cut and Sew' machine knitted garments, just like dress makers use sewing patterns with material. The object of this course, you work out how much knitted fabric you need to knit, using a swatch of knitted fabric, in the yarn and pattern you want to use for your chosen garment. You then machine knit several straight pieces of fabric, after you have worked out how big they need to be for each part of the pattern, the back, two sleeves and two front side pieces for a cardigan as an example. Or you can knit one long length to cut out the pieces, it depends on if you are bothered about wastage of the knitted fabric. If you have ever taken any notice of how a shop bought knitted garments look, ie. a ladies two piece suit, the fabric is very flat and smooth. Now you want your pieces of machine knit fabric, to be like that for a cut and sew garment. How do you do that? Simple, you iron it with a little pressure just like you iron your clothing. Allow it to cool and dry off thoroughly. Once you have done that, you are ready to lay and pin your pattern pieces onto your knitted fabric, and cut them out. No the edges will not unravel, because you have 'Set' the stitches by ironing it. You are now ready to sew your garment pieces together just like you do with material pieces, but using a serger machine if possible. But a flat sewing machine will do if it has a zig-zag stitch facility. So endeth my lesson on 'Steaming and Ironing' your knitted fabric and the reasons for doing so. Leonora.



GudrunM said:


> Leonora, I have blocked my shawl and it sure has grown, but it is actually better this way. Good for me to know. Thanks for all the information, and I did not know that plant based fibers, including silk grows. I also did not know that lace knitting grows, this was my first lace one.
> I am happy with what I have but I am glad that I didn't knit it any bigger as I was contemplating doing.


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## ellenC (Jun 17, 2012)

what an awful thing to happen Sailgurl, I do sympathise.
fingers crossed for a good outcome.

now I must look up on here on blocking , I've never blocked in my life so am intrigued


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## GudrunM (Feb 17, 2012)

wow, a lot to know, thanks for sharing. I learn a lot on this forum and I love it.


Leonora said:


> GudrunM, I'm so pleased that your shawl turned out right. Even though lace knitted garments are beautiful, the finishing of them regarding blocking is one to be very carefully considered, because the lace pattern makes the project so open, soft and loose anyway. Once you soak in water, you have a dilema on your hands, except with shawls which need to be stretched to size quite a lot in some cases. I took a blocking course many many years ago, when I first got my knitting machine. Generally what applies to machine knit projects, applies to hand knit ones too. Both methods need to be stitched together, and the best way of making sure they will look their best when finished, is the blocking stage. Just as a point of interest, the course I took, was with one of the top knitting machine designers in this country at the time.
> 
> Someone has suggested that to 'Kill' acrylic steam it first. This is not so. To 'Kill' acrylic you actually have to put the iron on the garment, and iron it like a shirt or skirt. The contact heat from the irons hot plate touching the knitted fabric, is what 'Kill's' it, it causes it to stretch and go bigger.
> 
> ...


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## Leonora (Apr 22, 2011)

You're welcome GudrunM.


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## umozabeads (Oct 14, 2011)

Usually I benefit from what I read on KP, but I have been researching over the past few days what I have read in this thread and there is just too much misleading info here. Sorry, I am not going to point out anything specific, but this time I am electing to follow the experts on blocking outside of KP. And for the wonderful lady who started this post, thank you very much and in case you would like to know, Knit Picks has several videos on blocking and their yarns on their website. Thanks to all, Happy Knitting!


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## Sailgurl (Oct 1, 2011)

Well I certainly learned a lot from all of you. Thank you so much for your comments. I did receive a response from Knitpicks. They said that the yarn I purchased with 30% silk does grow. They recommended I totally wet the sweater pieces, bundle in a ball, dont sqeeze out the water, just hold it in a ball till it stops dripping. The try to reblock it. They said I could try to shrink it by massaging the middle sections of the pieces until the were blocked to the right size. They recommended the next time I knit a gauge swatch, I'm supposed to wash it so I can see how it stretches. 

Or, I can rip it out and reuse it for a couple of scarves. I thought it was a helpful response. 

But, I remeasured the pieces and the sweater is 18 inches too wide at the chest. There's no way I can massage the yarn into the right size. It's also 12 inches too long. I'm disappointed in this gloss yarn. They said they add the silk to wool for the shine and softness, but I don't think it's suitable for a sweater. It seems this stretching of the silk fibers isn't something you want for a garment. It's ok for a shawl or scarf. 

Again, thanks for all your comments. I've learned a lot about blocking various fibers.


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## GudrunM (Feb 17, 2012)

this learning is very costly for you, I am sad for you.


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## Sailgurl (Oct 1, 2011)

ellenC said:


> what an awful thing to happen Sailgurl, I do sympathise.
> fingers crossed for a good outcome.
> 
> now I must look up on here on blocking , I've never blocked in my life so am intrigued


I never blocked sweaters until I knitted the Ashton lace shawl. Dee gave really great instructions with the pattern on how to block it. There was a lot of discussion about blocking in the kal and here on KP. I do think it makes a wonderful difference to your knitted pieces. It evens out the stitches and makes everything you knit look perfect. You can search the word blocking and learn a lot here on KP.


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