Can you shrink acrylic yarn?

I knitted a hat with some acrylic yarn and it turns out my gauge was WAY OFF and now the hat's about 1-2 inches too big everywhere!
Is there any way to shrink acrylic yarn without it melting?

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5 replies since 29th January 2013 • Last reply 29th January 2013

Reply #1:

I'd suggest putting it through an extra hot wash in a washing machine and then leaving it to hang dry indoors. It should shrink up- the only problem is its hard to tell how much it will shrink!

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Reply #2:

From what I've read about acrylics and from my washing experiences, I'd say no. My crocheted projects have not shrunk, but I was a gentle handwasher. And any machine made knits or crochets, they've never shrunk on me, even when I just throw them in the washer and dryer.

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Reply #3:

Hand wash it with hot water gently so tht the color won't come off

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Reply #4:

I'd say no as well...at least, not much. I made a bag out of acrylic yarn once with a cotton stripe, then washed it...the cotton part shrank a bit, but there didn't seem to be any difference for the acrylic yarn part of the bag.

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Reply #5:

Hi! Acrylic yarn won't shrink and putting it through a very hot wash won't make it happy! What you could do in a case like this is sew a band of soft elastic inside the brim/edge of the hat for a bit of extra grip (and to stop it falling down over your eyes!)
Happy

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