Shrunken wool: felted, or just small?
What changes on wool and cashmere. Wool shrinkage is usually FELTING, which is a permanent physical change, not the reversible tightening cotton does.
The method for wool and cashmere
- 1Look at the surface first. If the stitches have disappeared into a dense mat, it is felted and nothing below will help.
- 2If you can still see the knit structure, it is recoverable and worth the 30-minute conditioner soak.
- 3Soak in lukewarm water with hair conditioner. Wool needs the full 30 minutes; the conditioner is what lets the scales slide past each other again.
- 4Stretch back to shape on a towel, easing rather than pulling, and pin it.
- 5Dry flat and completely before moving it.
What ruins it
Do not agitate, do not use hot water, and do not tumble dry to speed it up. All three are the mechanism that felts wool, which is what you are trying to undo.
The general case, and what it costs you
The general method, the detection notes and what this does to a garment's resale value are on the shrinkage page.
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