Knit-ty Gritty

Preparing the Fabric

Preshrink knits prior to cutting to remove sizing and excess dye, which can build up on the needle and cause skipped stitches. Preshrink the fabric using the same method you'll use to launder the finished garment.

Don't preshrink ribbing unless it's a color that might bleed--such as red. The ribbing will shrink; to maintain its intended elasticity, cut it to size before preshrinking. Gently hand rinse and lay flat to dry. Then stretch the ribbing to fit the garment edge when stitching.

From the July 2004 issue of Sew News magazine.