Unravelling - Recycling Yarn

Creating Yarn: Spinning, Dyeing, etc.
1

I love to find sweaters at thrift stores, made from gorgeous yarn. Because I can unravel them and make what I want! :mrgreen:

Recently, I came across a red sweater, with bad seams that were coming apart. It was handknit, and the seams were not serged, so I knew I would be able to unravel it.

Brought it home, and got started, then used my yarn winder to make quick work of it. Now, I have lots and lots of nice boucle yarn. :heart:

Unravelling Red Sweater by Shandeh, on Flickr

2

A friend of mine does the same thing. I’ve never tried it, but I’m going to have to start looking. My mom, my sister, and I are always shopping at thrift stores, and it would be a great way to get cheaper yarn! :thumbsup:

3

Great colors! I’m gonna start hitting the thrift stores. Thanks for sharing.

4

Mmmm, lovely basket of yarn and in my favorite color. I couldn’t have passed it up either. It’ll be happy in its new life, whatever you choose to make with it.

5

Nice yarn! It’s a great idea to get cheap yarn on the thrift stores.

6

Recycled yarn still on the brain…I got a sweater-vest at the thrift store the other day.

Shendeh, you mentioned that the sweater you bought was hand-knit. Can you [I]only[/I] use handmade garments for recycling yarn? I took apart one that was commercial-made, but it was [I]sooo[/I] hard to unravel because it was seamed with sewing thread along the edges. And now it’s in about a dozen little skeins! :sad: Did I do something wrong? It’s pretty fine, almost like sock yarn…actually, not even really like yarn. It’s almost like embroidery floss, made up of little threads. :think:

Also, I was wanting to use it for a lacey scarf, but since it’s kink-y from being previously knit, will it make my scarf look rumply or something?

7

Hi KG!
If the seams are sewn with sewing thread, they are not a good choice for unravelling. Those seams have been serged, and the fabric is trimmed along the side as it is stitched. So, if you pull it apart, you will just get lots of yarn strands which are not very long. Now you have experience on your side, and know how to avoid those.

All yarn is curly when you unravel it. I usually wind it on a swift, or around a chairback, gently add some securing ties all around the hank, then get it wet, and gently squeeze it dry in a rolled up towel, then hang it to dry, with some weight pulling it straight. (Not too heavy, to avoid stretching) This pulls out the kinks, and it looks like new yarn.

8

Thank you! :hug: That is a big help! Next time I go shopping, I will have to take a better look at the seams to make sure they aren’t serged.

And I will definitely try wetting down the yarn!

9

According to Techknitter it’s sometimes possible to iron out the kinks, but I would only use this method on yarn I know is clean. If in doubt I would use the wetting method and give the yarn a wash at the same time.

10

Speaking of recycling yarn…

Yesterday I recycled some yarn from an old afghan I crocheted over 20 years ago. It was made with acrylic yarn and I’m wondering if I need to go thru this whole process with this yarn. I’ve rolled it all up on separate balls, which have turned out as big as basketballs, but the yarn still has kinks in it.

I’m planning on using it to knit some prayer shawls. Should I go ahead and knit with it the way it is or try to straighten it out???

Thanks,
knitcindy

11

Hi Cindy!

You can try knitting with it just as it is, and see how it goes. If you don’t like the look of your fabric, you can unravel your knitting, and wet the yarn and hang it like I described.

12

I was thinking try it as it is too. I’ve knitted and crocheted with acrylic yarn I’ve raveled and the curly character of it wasn’t a problem. Of course, as always, YMMV.

13

Thanks Shandeh and GG!!!

I wasn’t sure if acrylic yarn would actually STAY straightened if I attempted it.

I will let you know what happens!!
knitcindy

14

Acrylic will stay straightened. I’ve done it before. :thumbsup:

15

THANKS Shandeh!

Now that I’ve read thru your straightening instructions, I’ve got a couple of questions: After you wet the yarn and towel it dry, what have you used for a weight to pull it down??? A flashlight?? A 2 pound weight?? Not sure what “too heavy” would be.

Do you have any pictures of what this would look like? What do you hang the yarn bundle on?

knitcindy

16

I hang the hank of yarn on a plastic hanger, and add just enough weight to make it straight. Depends on the yarn, and how thick the hank is. One time, I put a small hammer as a weight. Another time, I used a bottle of glass cleaner. You’ll be able to tell.

17

Here’s a photo of some yarn I got wet, and hung to dry a few years ago.


Hanging Recycled Yarn to Dry by Shandeh, on Flickr

18

Another option is to put it on a niddy-noddy to dry. This holds it out well. I made my niddy noddy with cheap PVC tubes. :slight_smile:

Purple Merino Wool Yarn - Setting Spin by Shandeh, on Flickr

19

Thanks for the photos!!!

I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet but now I have an idea of how to get the whole thing set up!!!

knitcindy

20

Shandeh,

I want to make a few of those niddy noddies for myself. Can you please tell me what to buy at Home Depot??? Like how long the pipes are and the diameter and other things???

Thanks,
knitcindy