Sweater Issues: Wizard's Sleeve and Hanger Shoulder

March 16, 2005 3:35 PM

I hung up a wet sweater on a hanger to dry, and now it has ;ugly hanger lumps on the shoulders. A few other sweaters are starting to flare out at the sleeves. Any tips on how to fix these without buying new sweaters? I don't have an iron.
posted by brownpau to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (9 answers total)

That's why you don't ever want to hang a sweater - especially when it is wet - it will get all stretched out. Always dry them flat - I use a garbage bag with a towel over it to dry them on.
posted by gregariousrecluse at 3:46 PM on March 16, 2005

Best answer: How NOT brownpau!
Sweaters by their very nature stretch - so with all that water weight, your sweater sagged and formed to the hanger.
Rewetting your lumpy sweater may enable reshaping it to wearable dimensions.
If this is a handwashed sweater, GENTLY squeeze out as much water as possible, then you can roll it up in a towel and GENTLY press out some of the water. Do not twist or wring!
Making measurements before washing is helpful; then you arrange the sweater to those dimensions on a bath towel on a surface that can stand the dampness.
Ideally, you go to a housewares section and purchase a sweater dryer = a mesh square supported on a frame. Much quicker drying because of airflow. Good luck
posted by Cranberry at 3:55 PM on March 16, 2005

>sweater dryer

Or a window screen set flat, with a towel laid over it.

The shape will come back after you've gotten it damp and laid it flat and poked it into the approximate right shape that way.
posted by hank at 3:59 PM on March 16, 2005

How to reshape a sweater.
posted by rhapsodie at 4:34 PM on March 16, 2005

Drying them flat is the answer. Most wool sweaters will specify "Dry flat" on the washing instructions anyway. I lay a hobby horse over my bath and drape the sweaters over that, turning and shaking them off them half way through.
posted by fire&wings at 4:58 PM on March 16, 2005

Once you purchase your sweater drying rack, you may find that propping it on top a boiling pot of water for a bit of steam blocking will increase the odds of getting it back into shape.

If you really don't have a good way or place to dry your sweaters flat, and you must dry them on hangers, fold them over the hanger like pants, so that they're not stretching from the shoulder.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:15 PM on March 16, 2005

For what it's worth, small stretchy sweater bumps (like the kind in the shoulders from being on a hanger too long) respond well to slight wetting, and then a blast from the hairdryer... As a quick-fix.
posted by sarahmelah at 3:12 AM on March 17, 2005

If the rewashing thing doesn't work, steam is definitely the answer for reshaping wool, so if you do ever invest in an iron, make sure it can get a good cloud up.

Don't touch the wool with the hotplate, but turn it up hot and either hold it just above the sweater and shoot steam at it, or use a piece of cloth between the sweater and the iron. When you've given it a good blast, sit the iron to one side and reshape by hand, patting and pushing it gently back into the shape you want.
posted by penguin pie at 9:28 AM on March 17, 2005

I don't know how to fix the problem, but I know how to prevent it. Don't ever HANG something knitted to dry. You should always lay it flat. I use a drying rack and make sure to have as little hanging going on as possible, then also fold the sleeves over on top of the garment so those aren't hanging either. I try to remember to flip it when it's about halfway dry; maybe speeds up the process, maybe not.
posted by suchatreat at 12:13 PM on March 17, 2005