Poster:	songjewel
Date:	2009-03-24 11:42
Subject:	New Tutorial: What to Look for in a Thrift Sweater
Security:	Public

So, you've read about this mysterious art of unraveling sweaters for the yarn online, and you're ready to try it out. What do you buy to get started? If you're like me, you could end up with 20 sweaters from your first thrift visit of varying quality. There are a few things you can look out for that will save you plenty of grief later. I've been asked what the best things to look for are, so here's a tutorial on examining sweaters in the shop before you bring them home:

What to Look for in a Thrift Sweater

It's available from the Tutorial page of the website as well. I tend to look for dyeable and expensive fibers, but you can expand your selection to whatever you want. Keep in mind that some materials, like acrylic, don't straighten out very well, so they probably shouldn't be used for lace or drop-stitch knitting.

Have fun!

Poster:	songjewel
Date:	2009-03-05 11:43
Subject:	Moar Yarn Plz!
Security:	Public

I'm enjoying making this stuff so much that I might need a support group. It's great to be able to do things with string when my wrist is all messed up...no knitting right now for fear of screwing my hand up long-term, so frogging, washing, dying, and plying are the mainstays of the crafty habit ATM!

I decided to start putting some of these up on Etsy to support my unraveling habit. These are some of the photos!


( PICTURES!!! )


How freaking awesome is it to be able to make yarn this gorgeous out of sweaters from the thrift store and a little work and ingenuity? Squee! If anyone's interested in dying their own recycled yarn, I'd be happy to point you in the right direction.

Poster:	my_lady_f
Date:	2009-01-26 17:45
Subject:	Sweater at Goodwill with holes?
Security:	Public
Mood:	thoughtful

I was at goodwill the other day and came across a sweater that was knit in a fine guage in some really pretty mossy green and grapey purple lambswool. I also noticed that there were a couple of holes in it - and normally their clothes are in good repair.

The question is, is it fair to ask for a discount?

Also, if the holes were from moths, does anyone have a recipe for hand washing the sweater to be no remaining moth larve survive?

Poster:	happyfrogger
Date:	2008-05-05 19:07
Subject:	hand-felting wool
Security:	Public

Hello,

I have just discovered hand-felting and wished I'd have known about this sooner. There is a "how-to" video online. It can be done with all different types of wool and if done carefully and well is virtually seamless. This saves all those precious lengths of luscious yarn - now every last bit of a sweater can be used.

Happy Frogging 

Poster:	spinningbee
Date:	2008-03-31 17:52
Subject:	Louet S17 Spinning Wheel for Sale
Security:	Public

Natural wood color, single treadle, and a great friend. I upgraded to an Ashford Country Spinner, and haven't used this wheel since. So I'm selling her for a low price so someone else on a tight budget can learn to spin fabulous yarns. A brand new Louet S17 sells on eBay for $315 including S&H. I'd like to sell this wheel for $200. If you can't afford $200, please email me and maybe we can work out a barter. I am very willing to sell this wheel in exchange for raw white wool fleeces. Located on the Beautiful Oregon Coast, this wheel is happy to be shipped worldwide (buyer pays S&H). She comes with 2 bobbins (1 bobbin needs repair). The only complaint I had about this wheel is that after several continuous hours of use, she would become wobbily and squeaky as the screws holding the simple design together would gradually untighten. So I re-assembled the wheel permanently (using wood glue with the screws) and it hasn't wobbled around since. Its light weight design is easy to transport.

Poster:	papilia
Date:	2008-03-27 18:37
Subject:	Alternative Materials
Security:	Public

Hey there recycling gurus...
I'm doing research for my local knitting group about using recycled and "alternative" materials.  This includes everything from unraveling an old sweater to cutting fabric or plastic bags into strips or using wire... or some other things I totally haven't even thought of!

So please, tell me about some techniques you know of and if there are any good books, magazines, websites, or dvds with information about this kind of thing.

Thanks!

Poster:	glaukopis
Date:	2008-03-18 16:07
Subject:	61% Mohair Sweater
Security:	Public
Mood:	itchy
Music:	My Life as a Teenaged Robot

My MIL gave me her most favorite sweater so that I can reclaim the yarn. It's 61% mohair, 36% acrylic and 3% nylon (doing this from memory and can't add in my head). It's filthy and makes me itch. Can I wash it in something to make it less ewwy? It's the most lovely color of pink and would make a wonderful if smallish wrap of some sort.

Poster:	ladyblueberry48
Date:	2008-01-30 20:15
Subject:	First time felter/recycler questions
Security:	Public

I've been looking at making handbags from recycled wool.  I also found a couple of websites that make patchwork type quilts with squares of felted wool sweaters. 

I got two sweaters through my local freecycle.  One is lambswool, the other is a fairly equal combination of mohair, wool, acrylic and nylon.

First question.  If I wanted to make a handbag, how would it work if I sewed the handbag out of the sweater, then followed felting instructions?  All along I was thinking I'd frog the sweater, knit/crochet the bag, then felt.  But now I'm wondering about just making the bag using the sweater as is and then felting.

Second question.  From what I've read, you have to use wool yarn for felting.  This combination sweater I have....do you think that will work?  It's a huge sweater and I can either get an awful lot of yarn from it or can cut it up for several projects. 

I suppose I could just give it a try since these cost me nothing.  I thought I could get a little guidance from those who are more experienced before I go doing anything with the sweaters.

TIA!

Poster:	twopetals
Date:	2008-01-10 18:00
Subject:
Security:	Public

Hello all. I just joined, and I have a question I !!hope!! someone can help me with. I found this beautiful pink tweedish sweater at the Salvation Army and am finally getting around to unraveling it. It has knit seams, just the one featured in the neauveau.com tutorial. But, there isn't the little piece of thread (or if there is, I just can't see it.) Should I just cut the seams, hoping I get the mysterious thread? I can post pictures if it helps. Thanks in advance for the help!!

Poster:	adele_sparks
Date:	2008-01-05 12:19
Subject:	Finally, it's happened to me . . . .
Security:	Public

So often I read posts in knitting or recycling communities in which someone tells a "find of a lifetime" story--they found a bag of ten skeins of some luxury fiber at a thrift store for a song, or someone gave them a pile of sweaters to refashion, or some such thing.  And I've found some good stuff in my thrifting ventures, but never had one of those experiences where I feel like I've discovered King Tut's Tomb or something.  

Poster:	cam90066
Date:	2007-07-02 13:07
Subject:	Are serged seams ever NOT cut?
Security:	Public

I just recently started recycling and have done five sweaters so far. :) I've read to steer clear of serged seams in that they portend cut pieces. However, I have a second-hand Saks Fifth Ave sweater (bought years ago) that is 100% cotton, has serged seams. Thought I'd experiment on it to see if seams were actually cut. Unfortunately it's black, and given its age, I'm having difficulty getting the serged threads removed, BUT the portion that I did doesn't appear to be cut. Quite certain there are selvage sts. I recently saw a red cotton sweater at Salv Army, very similar to the SFA I own, that I really wanted to buy but it had the serged seams so opted to pass. If not all serged seams are cut, are there any clues to tell which are/aren't?

Thanks for any feedback,

cam

Poster:	neverenoughyarn
Date:	2007-06-05 20:24
Subject:	Recycled Yarn Tutorial
Security:	Public

Hello - I have just picked up two beautiful tweed sweaters at a local thrift shop and am ready to attempt to take them apart. I would like to read the tutorial that everyone talks about at http://www.neauveau.com/recycledyarn.html but I cant get the site to come up. Has it moved or can I find it somewhere else?

Poster:	cymbelline
Date:	2007-05-20 10:22
Subject:
Security:	Public

my first attempt at recycling yarn
( Read more... )

It's my first attempt, so i'm getting a lot of loose ends. I guess recycling yarn saves money, but it's harder work than i thought :P

Poster:	fibrefiend
Date:	2007-02-25 14:20
Subject:	Goodwill Score?
Security:	Public

Hello fellow recyclers! I need advice on this one:

Today at my local Goodwill, my favourite yarn shop on my budget, I found a gorgeous Men's XL 100% Wool dark green, heavily cabled pullover. I think it's about a ton and a half of beautiful foresty green wool (or maybe 2 pounds).

It frogged like a dream, and seems to be in excellent, never-worn condition.

BUT

When I started taking it apart, I moticed that what I had thought was a lovely worsted/aran weight seems to be three strands of a lace or fingering weight held together throughout.

Is this a problem, if I wanted a heavier weight? Is there any reason I couldn't just continue to pretend that they are all one yarn, and hold the strands together in whatever I make out of it?

Or do I have enough laceweight yarn to doily my entire house in attractive, dark green?

TIA, and happy frogging!


ETA:

Thanks for the prompt answers, guys...after washing and hanging to dry it seems to be just as tempting a yarn as before.

I think it might be a big green cabled sweater again one day...just one that will fit me and that I get the joy of making!

Why do people look at us like we're nuts when we pull apart sweaters to make new sweaters?!?!? Makes sense to me!

Poster:	wingsrising
Date:	2007-02-10 15:20
Subject:	Well, that was depressing.
Security:	Public
Mood:	disappointed

So, I've recently started getting into recycling sweaters. I don't find a lot of nice ones (I'm picky about my wool and my local Goodwill isn't in a terribly upscale area) but I've taken apart a chunky 50/50 wool/acrylic blend cardigan in varagted blue, and I just finished a 100% merino cabled/bobbled pullover in what looks like roughly aran-weight. (The yarn is aqua and needs to be overdyed, but hey -- merino for $5.)

Anyway, at the same Goodwil today I found a cream-colored XL merino wool men's aran sweater. I was so excited I didn't even think to check the seams until I got home.

All the seams are serged. :headdesk:

Besides being a waste of $5 (I don't think the local Goodwill takes returns) it seems like such a waste of yarn. I keep looking at the stupid seams as though I expected them to change. (They don't.) Unless anyone has great ideas for a very large serged-seam aran sweater, I guess I'll just re-donate the thing.

But seeing those seams was a major let-down. :-(

Poster:	nidea
Date:	2007-02-08 22:30
Subject:	1/2 recycled!
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful

Here is some yarn I made. I spun the brown stuff, and on the left you see it plied with some singles wool taken from a sweater. Yay! It will soon become leg warmers. I may ply some more of the brown with some purple yarn from the same sweater... who knows?

I'm getting a niddy noddy Monday. Then I can see whether my twist for the singles and the ply is at all decent.



(click for bigger)

edit the twist is good! Woot!

Poster:	laureth
Date:	2006-12-31 08:14
Subject:	Recent Find
Security:	Public

.
I went to the local Value Village World to look for a suitable sweater or two to take out holiday stress on deconstruct recently. I know a lot of y'all prefer the 100% vanilla-looking wools, but I always look for interesting colors or textures that I can't buy in a yarn store or spin myself, so I'll spend a goodly bit of time just walking through, seeing what grabs me yarn-wise, and then hauling off and checking its seams.

Well, last time I was in, I saw this sweater. While they're not MY colors, they're delightful nonetheless, and perfect for little hat-scarf sets for my boyfriend's little grandnieces.

( This is half of one sleeve, flattened out on my scanner. )

Yeah, it's acrylic/cotton, and it had some stupid crocheted snowmen on the front, but those came off easily and it rolled neatly into four honkin' balls. It was a Women's Medium; although, frankly, I see little girls when I look at it. When my sweetie saw it, though, he laughed, because here I am tearing to "shreds" the same sweater that a receptionist was wearing at one of the places where he works, proudly showing off to everyone who would stand still long enough to admire it.

This post has been brought to you by the colors PINK and PURPLE, official colors of Girls Under the Age Of 8 around the world.

Poster:	typo_13
Date:	2006-12-26 09:04
Subject:
Security:	Public

theres a new community out there... for all the knitters and crocheters.
http://community.livejournal.com/noyarnforayear/
all the info is on the profile

Poster:	pixiesnakes
Date:	2006-10-21 20:26
Subject:	patterns for recycled yarn?
Security:	Public

I unraveled a pair of old knee high socks and now I have a bunch of this thin cotton yarn. How do I select a knitting pattern? I'm not sure what weight or what amount of yarn I have. I sort of wanted to make a new pair of socks, but I've never knit socks and I don't know how easy it would be to try making socks with mystery yarn.