Shrinkage of items made with cotton yarn?

[Adriann]

Have you found that the items you crochet with cotton yarn shrink w/ washing and drying? According to an official cotton site, cotton fabric shrinks but cotton fiber doesn't. Which would mean that cotton yarn shouldn't shrink (only woven cotton fabric). Is that true? I am making a set of placemats so shrinkage is definitely noticeable and I do want these to be able to go in the wash. Ideas? Help?

 

[darski]

I haven't had anything shrink and most of my stuff I soak in hot water and surface block (lay it out flat and punch it into place)

 

If anything, it tends to stretch on me and I have to contain it.

[Roli]

Like Darski, I too have had more of a stretching problem. Now mind you, I wash my cotton crochet items on delicate in cold water and block them to let them dry. You might want to work up a swatch and throw it into the wash to see how it makes out.

[RoseRed]

I have cotton hotpads that I use every night on my dinnertable. I wash them and dry them with the kitchen towels.

 

These take longer to dry than the regular towels so they're still a little damp when they come out of the machine. They do shrink a lot in the dryer but it just takes a couple minutes to pull them back into shape and re-block them.

[Adriann]

Thanks guys

[purlwise]

Wash em just don't put them in the dryer you'll be fine!