Do you have any beginner questions?

Dear users, dear authors,
do you currently have any beginner questions about a particular topic?

Yes, me, right here :-)

Right now I’m really frustrated, and maybe some of you are feeling the same way.
Now that I’ve finished my first crocheted shirt , I thought it would be a good idea to wash it once it was done...

The thing is, I already have some crochet experience, and I usually dampen (or wash) my shawls and then block them, but with the shirt—I’m afraid I’ll have to “bin” it.

Even though I dried it flat on a towel, the sides are hanging down badly (it looks like a handkerchief-hem top now). I knew it would get a little longer, but this much?

Since many of you here have already crocheted shirts, tunics, etc.: how do you wash these things (and dry them) without them losing their shape completely? At least as far as the length goes.

By the way, I crocheted it mostly in double crochet, using a Woollywhirl by Scheepjes (70% cotton, 30% wool) and a size 3.5 hook, worked moderately loosely :-)

Thanks in advance for any helpful tips ♥

Best regards, Marion

Hi Marion! What’s desirable in crocheted shawls often becomes a problem with clothing. Double crochet patterns, in particular, stretch out a lot just from soaking in water. Cotton also tends to stretch out easily, and your yarn has a high cotton content. That’s why you should really make a larger swatch (20x20 cm or even larger) beforehand, wash and block it, and only measure it after it’s dry.
In general, hand-wash it in cold water (without fabric softener), gently squeeze it out in a towel, and lay it flat to dry without stretching it. That’s how I always do it.

PS: I wouldn’t toss it, but unravel it again, make the gauge swatch as mentioned above, and maybe use a smaller needle so it turns out a bit firmer.

Hello Nadeleule,

First of all, thank you very much for your reply :-)

What I forgot to mention: I did make a gauge swatch and washed it as well. So I knew that the shirt would stretch out and also get longer.

My problem now is that the sides at the bottom hang lower than the middle of the shirt. And I have already dampened the lower part several times and tried to tug everything into shape, but it just doesn’t look really good. The shirt was worked in rounds, so in itself it really shouldn’t get pointy :-( Oh man ...

So I’m not going to frog it. But I will crochet the shirt again with a “normal” cake yarn (50 cotton / 50 acrylic) and hope that this blend “holds” better.

But now I really can’t imagine what some crocheted shirts look like after washing, especially if they’re crocheted more loosely and airy ...