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Across the Fence:  How do you recycle yarn from sweaters?  |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3320 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3320 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 8:20:56 PM
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I wouldn't even know where to begin---but it sounds intriguing! I do my "retail" therapy on Wednesdays at our local thrift store and I see a lot of wool sweaters very cheap! I would LOVE to know how to go about unraveling a sweater so that I can use the yarn to make mittens.
Is there a tutorial out there or does anyone on the forum recycle yarn?
Talk to me ladies-
Melody
Farmgirl #525
www.bythebayhandcraftedsoap.blogspot.com |
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MamaCrunch
True Blue Farmgirl
161 Posts
Nasvhille
TN
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - Dec 11 2010 : 8:26:22 PM
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The main thing is that you have to make sure the sweaters don't have served seams. I learned the hard way on that one. Basically you scour the whole garment looking for a tiny knot. Usually you find them at the ends of sleeves and the collar area. Snip off the knot or untie it if you can then start gently pulling on the ends one side will unravel easier that the other just go with the easier one.
Have fun!! It's very relaxing in a destructive sort of way!
Farmgirl #2161
Just tryin' to homestead in the middle of a suburban neighborhood!
Blog~ http://thelittleboygreen.com <<I've been slackin' on the updates! |
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dutchy
True Blue Farmgirl
4427 Posts
4427 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2010 : 12:03:32 AM
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OMG my mother used to do that often. IF I remember correctly she "just" did it from sweaters she knitted herself though :) Not from store bought ones. We never went to the thrift then, mom HATED that duh...she just didn't know what she missed out on lol (me neither to be honest ;) )
Hugs from Marian/Dutchy, a farmgirl from the Netherlands :)
http://pinkprincessdecorating.blogspot.com/
Almost daily updates on me, my home and my crafts
Farmgirl sister # 2410 |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2010 : 09:22:27 AM
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I have done a few. The main thing to look for is serged seams - if they are serged then the yarn has been cut. I usually start at the seam and begin to unravel. I wrap the yarn on a niddy noddy (used for skeining yarn after spinning) but you could also use a box or piece of cardboard. After you have made your skein(s) then wash the yarn and hang it with a weight. I slip mine over the rod of a hanger used to hold clothes when ironing and then slip a broom handle through the skeins to weight them. This helps take out the kinks from the previous knitting. When it's dry, just roll into balls and you are good to go.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
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forgetmenot
True Blue Farmgirl
3602 Posts
Judith
Nora Springs
IA
USA
3602 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2010 : 6:20:19 PM
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Thanks! Those sound like directions I could follow. I have been wondering how to do this too.
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the belief that something is more important than fear." Ambrose Red Moon |
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harmonyfarm
True Blue Farmgirl
785 Posts
Debbie
Southeastern
Ohio
USA
785 Posts |
Posted - Dec 16 2010 : 7:07:08 PM
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I have this long, thick, knitted coat that my grandmother made in the 70's...it's real itchy so I think it's wool, but may have some polyester in it too...who knows. I have never gotten rid of that coat, "cuz my grandma made it". Now I'm thinking it's hung in my closet long enough...either I unravel it and make a hat and scarf or I donate it to "Our Lady of Perpetual Value" (the Goodwill)...whatever should I do? I wore it once to work and thought I was gonna die of a heat stroke because it was so thick and my workplace was so hot...
Debbie
"If you can't find the time to do it right...how will you find the time to do it over" |
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BarefootGoatGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1495 Posts
Corrine
North Carolina
USA
1495 Posts |
Posted - Dec 17 2010 : 06:26:25 AM
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the ones that dont unravel make some interesting projects as well. currently i am using a recycled sweater to make a patchwork scarf for my sweethearts christmas present. i cut quilting blocks out of the sweater and then layered them and handstitched them together with a double row of close stitches. now i am going to hand stitch it to a soft jersey backing that i will use to bind the edges.
http://www.alittlebitofred.webs.com/ |
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Beverley
True Blue Farmgirl
2707 Posts
Beverley
atlanta
Michigan
USA
2707 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2010 : 5:28:57 PM
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I have done this and it is a lot of fun. also I have felted wool sweaters by washing them in hot water and then you can cut them and use the squares or cut them and make mittens. very warm!!!! you will like it...
Folks will know how large your soul is by the way you treat a dog....Charles F. Doran
beverley baggett
Beverley with an extra E...
https://sites.google.com/site/bevsdoggies/
http://bevsdoggies.blogspot.com/ |
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Across the Fence: How do you recycle yarn from sweaters? |
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How do you recycle yarn from sweaters?
