Sunday, April 8, 2007

Blocking Boo-boos and a Hippopotumus Sweater

I'm quite disheartened. I have good news and bad news. The good part is that I finished knitting the front and back of the Classic Twist sweater and I was really pleased with the results. The bad part is that at first it seemed a bit too small. Andy tried it on, and it was a tad snug in the tummy region.

I assured him (with a smug demeanor of knitterly know-how) that after blocking, it would fit fine. "Blocking adds inches!" I loftily explained. Well, I blocked the sweater, and now it will fit a hippopotamus. Unfortunately, as I don't know any hippopotamuses in need of warm sweaters, I am in despair as to what to do. HELP!

Can over-blocking be remedied? The yarn is machine washable, and I was thinking of chucking it into the washing machine and hoping for the best.

You knitters out there, please respond to this cry for help. "HELP!"

5 comments:

The Imperfect Knitter said...

Hello, oh my , I have been there quite a few times, I find the tumble drier is my best friend , it can shrink ANYTHING ,
Best of Luck ,
Ronnie

Anonymous said...

I agree with the other comment, wash it and throw it in the dryer. I'd then take it out while it was still a bit damp and do a reblock to make sure it fits where it needs to fit and is loose where it needs to be loose. Good luck!!

WELCOME TO TuttleTime! said...

Hi Rach,

When I read your call for help...All I could think of is, "Help me Obiwan Kanobi! You're our only hope!" HA! I'm sorry to hear that your sweater doesn't fit. I think putting it in the dryer would be a great idea. Hopefully, it will shrink evenly. I have some sweaters that have shrunk in the wash, but only the neck region shrunk leaving the rest basically the same. I hope it doesn't do that to you.

Good luck with it! Love, Angie

Kate said...

Perhaps a cautious approach? Try washing it and then reshape and dry flat without blocking. This way it will dry evenly. If this doesn't work then go for the clohes dryer option. My mother always told me you could make just about anything smaller but adding on was a lot harder!

Jacque said...

If all else fails and you need to start over soak it overnight. I swear it will relax the fibers so much it will be like the bad blocking never even happened.