Why Does Knitwear Shrink?

Who wouldn’t love knitwear when it’s perfect for any occasion and in any season? Knitwear is always at the top of our minds when it comes to choosing wardrobes during winter or even any season, but wearing it frequently might change its shape.   

Fabric shrinkage, particularly in knitwear, has long been a serious issue requiring the attention of textile designers. Many people have experienced the annoyance of knitwear shrinkage at some point in their lives. Gladly, you can still deal with the all-too-common problem of shrinkage.

Fiber, yarn, manufacturing, wet processing, finishing operations, cut-and-sew techniques, and garment maintenance are the most critical elements affecting shrinkage. Shrinkage during production and processing is determined by the manufacturer’s or customer’s selection of manufacturing and processing factors.

Here’s the fact: Fabric shrinks when it is washed. This is one of the most typical realities of fabric quality. Shrinkage differs depending on the type of fabric. Even for the same fabric and in the same order, there is shrinkage fluctuation from roll to roll.

So, why does knitwear shrink?

As stated by Rebecca van Amber, a textile scientist and senior lecturer in RMIT University’s fashion and textiles department, almost all fabrics shrink because they are made under strain. Regardless of whether it is a woven or knitted fabric, like a T-shirt, yarns are pulled taut as they’re run through machinery and made into a fabric.

Knit materials are inherently more unstable than woven fabrics. Shrinkage is the most common cause of dimensional stability failure. The reason for this is that the fabric is subjected to a lot of physical stress and strain throughout the entire process of manufacturing knit fabric. It is possible that the fabric wasn’t processed in a relaxed state, or that it wasn’t given enough time to relax after compacting. Knitting with excessive tension, knitting machine diameter, overloading in soft-flow machines, and compacting without reviewing trial shrinkage reports are just a few of the causes of shrinkage.

Knitwears are made of materials with small scales on their surface that can compress and mesh together when exposed to dampness and extreme heat. The heat causes the fibers to tighten, causing the garment to shrink. This compression can occur quickly if the sweater is not properly handled. Knit fabrics have a more open and loose structure than woven fabrics, making them more prone to dimensional shift and instability. 

Can I prevent my knitwear from shrinking?

Sadly, there is no guarantee that shrinking can be reversed, but there are a few things to keep in mind that may help you minimize the damage in the future. Surely, you can keep your knitwear from shrinking!

First Tip: Read the label.

Before washing your garments, always read the label. This can assist you in double-checking what your clothes are composed of and how they should be washed. The symbols on the label usually reflect the washing instructions for any clothing. As a result, you must be familiar with the symbols that indicate the washing guidelines.

Second Tip: Know the proper washing of knitwear.

When it comes to washing, different materials and fibers require different approaches. Cotton and wool are quite different types of fiber, so they must be cleaned correctly to prevent different results. When washing knitwear, you can use a mild detergent while handwashing it.

What about handwashing?

This simple means hand washed or washed in the washing machine on the mild, wool, or hand wash cycle. Then, use a mild detergent made for washing the fabric.   If your knitted clothes are made of wool, they should only be washed in cold or lukewarm water and should never be dried.

What about machine washing?

Even so, you should use a mild detergent to limit the risk of harming the fibers. Also, for machine washing, double-checking the temperature before starting is essential. Shrinkage is primarily caused by high-temperature washing. Often, machines will offer a ‘warm wash,’ which should be avoided as well because it is still around 90 degrees and will harm the machine. Turning your clothes inside out before washing them can also help.

Third tip: Learn the proper way of hang drying and ironing.

To keep the garment from shrinking, lay it flat and out of direct sunlight as much as possible.  Even though it is preferable to avoid hang drying, it may be your only alternative in some cases. If this is the situation, use curved hangers to distribute the weight more evenly and avoid the knitwear from becoming distorted.

What to do if my knitwear lost its shape?

If your knitwear has lost its shape, place a cloth between it and a steam iron while holding the iron slightly above the surface to restore it. It is very important to properly store it to keep its original shape. 

Though there are a variety of methods for controlling shrinkage in knitted fabrics, most of them are based on the end product. There are factors for you to consider before buying knitwear:

Garment feel- Every process, from fiber and yarn quality to finishing, has an impact on hand feel. All buyers provide physical standards (fabric swatches) to understand the hand-feel requirements of each fabric quality or style. The way a garment feels is a significant component in influencing a customer’s decision to buy it. 

Colorfastness. This is determined by factors such as fiber and fabric properties, dye structure and features, dye and auxiliary quality, process parameters, color tones, pre-treatment of fabrics before dying, and so on. Colorfastness refers to how quickly a fabric loses its color or fades when exposed to particular factors such as water and the sun. These common difficulties in knit fabric manufacturing cannot be totally avoided in practice. However, quality difficulties can be minimized by taking care at every step.

Appearance. When high-quality fiber is used, the fabric will be high-quality as well. The two factors examined in the surface appearance are hairiness and pilling. Mild hairiness is popular among customers because it gives the fabric a nice hand feel. Others, on the other hand, prefer a clean surface. Even if every buyer specifies the requirements and fabric specifications, the manufacturer will almost always request an exemption.

Knit clothing are timeless additions to your wardrobe that may be used year after year, so knowing how to wash them and store them properly is very essential. Take the time to properly care for your knitwear so that it can last for years.

Additionally, looking for knitwear manufacturers can be a challenge. But we’re here to guide you. Choose the best quality of knitwear. Choose us. Our company is dedicated to producing environmentally friendly items made from the highest-quality yarn available. Request a free sample right now!