Angie's post yesterday about tumble-drying clothes to adjust fit came to mind today as I received a J. Crew 100% cashmere sweater from Nordstrom. The fit is not quite right because it is a misses' size and not a petite size (there were no petites in this style). Therefore, the shoulders are slightly too wide, the length is maybe an inch too long, and there is a bit of excess fabric in the waist area.

The fabric care label says to hand wash cold and dry flat. I'm wondering what would happen if I hand washed in warm or hot water instead. For those of you who have J. Crew cashmere, does it shrink much when washed? Or does it shrink only in certain dimensions and not all around?

(Note: I linked to Angie's post about using the dryer to adjust fit, but I think that using that kind of heat on cashmere would be too much. I'm thinking that adjusting the temperature of the water for hand washing would be enough.)