unshrinking a knitted woollen blanket

[ss_storm]

I accidently threw in the washing machine a beautiful blanket that was hand knitted for DD by a family friend...when it came out it was less than half the size it was and all the fibres are mashed together. I'm so annoyed I didn't think about what I was putting in there!

My mum said there is some way that you can sort of unshrink it...she said it won't get back to the original size but at least the fibres should separate again and it will be half normal. She thought it might have been soaking in water and vinegar? Has anyone heard of this or know of anyway I can undo what I did!

[Nettie]

Someone once said to me - you can't unscramble eggs, and you can't unfelt wool (which is what has happened to your blanket).

As far as I know it can't be fixed. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I'm posting here in case someone has some advice that I don't know - hopefully I'm wrong!

feels horrible to do this, doesn't it? I did it to a lovely woollen jumper my Auntie made me and felt awful about it...

[nanananny]

Yeah I wouldn't have thought it could be fixed either

Shame.

[Boo Boo]

I just did a search on the internet, "how to unshrink woolen items", there were a number of sites that came up, one of them was:

1. Place the wool item in a sink full of warm water.
2. Soak for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the item and squeeze out excess water.
4. Let dry on a towel.
5. Carefully stretch and pull the item back to its original shape. Voila!

Good luck!

Laurin

[Epacris]

These instructions are from Shannon Lush's books. I have followed them but only had OK results, it didn't really work that well for me. I don't think this works for wool that's been felted (when all the fibres go really, really tight). Unfortunately it sounds like that is what has happened to your blanket. It might be worth a go though.

- This method works for anything woolen (jumpers etc).
- You need to get a product called Fuller's Earth. I had to order some in from my local chemist (they were very nice and efficient about it). It is expensive, I paid $20 for 100g but I only used a teaspoon (for one wool nappy cover).
- Fuller's Earth is a high calcium clay that acts as a wool fibre relaxant.
- The most important part of this method is the stretching step at the end.

Instructions:
- Fill a sink or bucket with lukewarm water.
- Add a heaped teaspoon of Fuller's Earth for a small item, 2 or more tablespoons for a largeish jumper.
- Put the item in and gently agitate it with your hands until it's thoroughly wet.
- Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Don't leave it for longer or the Fuller's Earth will start to act as a bleach.
- Rinse it thoroughly in lukewarm water.
- Gently squeeze as much water out as you can (I rolled my cover up in a towel and stood on it to get the water out).
- Place the item flat on a towel in the shade.
- Gently stretch it back into shape as it dries.

I hope it works for you! Goodluck