Wooly Warm sweaters: Washing and shrinking

[Eric Marth]

I have two of the Rivendell Wooly Warm roll-neck sweaters. One's navy, one's olive. I got them both new. I've found that after washing them cold/gentle in my washing machine and air drying that they shrink. Has anyone else encountered this issue? 

In a recent blog Grant wrote "Wash them warm or cool, and let them air dry. You may need to do it once a year." I would recommend hand-washing them cold, as infrequently as possible.

I've washed my navy sweater cold/gentle three times, air dried, and it gets smaller every time. I haven't taken before-and-after measurements but I can certainly tell from the fit. The sleeves are shorter, neck is tighter, tighter around the torso as well. 

They're nice sweaters in great colors but require a bit more care than the rest of my wool, which I'm careful with anyway. 

[Collin A]

I haven't had issues with long-term shrinking. Mine are usually a bit tighter after a wash but then after several more uses it goes back to its normal size/fit.

Hope this empirical data point helps!

Collin in Berktown

[Jamie W]

I haven't washed mine yet, but will add that the woolie warm aussie neckie is the only wool item I own that has ever shrunk in the wash (always cold, always air dry). I pretty much only wear wool other than a couple pants and button shirts. This was in a top load washer btw. 

I will for sure be using a garment bag for the new merino woolie warm sweaters.