How to re-use yarn from a knitted garment.

I want to unpick a knitted top and re-knit something new. Of course when I unpick it it’s no longer straight. Is there a way to smooth out the yarn before re-knitting?

I just did this recently for the first time and it worked very neatly. The yarn was reused for a sweater.

You can do this without a swift and ball winder by winding by hand into a ball and then into a hank the same way you wind a garden hose or elecrical cord (around your hand and bent elbow). I loosely tied the new hank in 4 places just to be sure it wouldn’t tangle.

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Another way is to soak it overnight, then the next day squeeze the water out, hang to dry with a weight on the bottom to gently pull the crimp out of the yarn

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I usually make skeins, wash them and hang them until they dry, them wind them again.