Oh my gosh, tried going through all these answers as hubby shrunk a Luis Vuitton blanket I had saved up for and bought our first baby!!!
I can’t even believe he put it in the reading l washing machine. It’s like one of those small towels tennis players use to wipe their faces with!!!!!!!!!

I’ve tried everything – soaking in conditioner, stretching, and nothing worked for me. Good Luck with your cardigan.

A lady told me to stretch the jumper when wet!

I think it is the impossible dream ..sorry

Did you have any success in fixing it?

Unfortunately; I have done the same thing! Some of the tips sound interesting; worth a go!

Sadly most of us have done the exact same thing & usually a favourite item of clothing. Once wool shrinks there is no way to get it back to the original size but you may be able to stretch the fibres using cool (not cold) water & a gentle detergent (baby shampoo is gentle) Soak in that for about half an hour then rinse it & drain the water. Do not wring it out as it only adds to losing the original shape, wrap it in a towel & gently sponge any excess water out. Then spread it over something flat such as a clean cork board then stretch it & secure it in the shape it should be by push pins/tacks. You will have to keep checking on it as it dries so you can continue to stretch it & re pin it. The only downfall of doing this is you may actually be damaging the fibre by stretching it so don’t overdo it. You will have to decide if it is worth the amount of effort needed with no guarantee it will fix it. Good luck with it & I hope you can find something that works.

try searching the website ehow.com

Glad I read the other answers. Thought this is an end situation. Let me know if buggeritzs suggestion worked.

No matter what method you use you will never get it back to the same size again. You may stretch it a bit but it will never be the same, sorry.

Try & shrink yourself-lol It’s a bugger when this happens as you usually love the jumper. I’ve only ever thrown them away.BUGGERITLIZ’s tip sounds like it would work. Let us know if you try it or not

Awww sorry-If all else fails if you know someone who knits it could be turned into a very cool purse or something similar…:)

I found Buggeritliz’s answer interesting so would suggest that one but I have also been told (and this is an oldie) to give it a soak in warm water and epsom salts. I have tried the epsom salts but alass it did not work for me . I am the worlds worse when it come to pure wool washing and ban my family (if I have to wash) from purchasing any thing pure wool.

Soak the garment in TEPID (warm) water and mix in some fabric softener or hair conditioner – anything that may soften the fibers. Leave the garment in the water for at least 30 minutes, start stretching it gently to expand the fibres and leave it to soak for another 30 minutes while occasionally stretching it gently. Squeeze out the excess water and really step up the stretching, go as hard as you can. Roll some towels together to create the same size and shape as it originally had and stuff the jumper. The towels should absorb water as well.
Bang it around and let the weight of the towels help stretch the fabric. I probably banged it around for a good 15 minutes, swapping sides now and then of course. You should start to see the fabric look more like it was by now. Pop a hanger inside and hang it to dry, still with the towels inside. You want to do this sooner rather than later so get going now, no time to lose!! found this here: http://bycelina.com/diy-2/diy-how-to-fix-a-shrunken-wool-garment/
Has a before and after photo. I use Borox in my washing water to soften all my clothes I hear it’s really works well on wool too! Just add a spoon for every 1 litre.
I have done this too it works!

I remember my Mum did this to one of my favorite jumpers when i was a teen.
We didnt find anything that worked to correct it

sadly no i dont think so

depends on how much it shrunk. you could try stretching it over a few lines while wet and let it dry that way, however i do not like your chances, may be you could give it to one of your kids or a young person that you know

Try putting a pair of panty hose through the arms and hanging on a line to dry. It can sometimes stretch the wall back into shape. The same with the body, peg it flat over several rows of the line to stretch it out and let dry.