Rescued-Reclaimed-Recycled Yarn from Sweaters!

This category seemed most appropriate. This isn’t handspun yarn, but has been reclaimed from old sweaters. Great resource for wools and blends that may be more expensive. Anyone else reclaim yarn for projects? It’s been a blessing for me.




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Awhile back, I rescued/reclaimed yarn from a cream colored cashmere/wool blend sweater (it had a hole on one sleeve so I had to do it). The yarn was so soft! And it took on dye beautifully. It was a fun experiment.

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Sounds like so much fun!

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What lovely yarns!

I do buy old wool sweaters for other crafts but have not had much luck unraveling old sweaters due to the way they are put together at the sides (sewn)…

I don’t spin so using the smaller lengths don’t work for me…I do admire the concept and that beautiful yarns are saved!

What do you make with your yarns? Also, those bowls…did you make them as well?

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Beautiful yarns that you’ve recaptured, @SalubriousAimee

Nice! It is a lot of work but yes, I’ve frogged a thing or 2. Yarn rescue for the win!

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I love reclaimed yarn. I’ve only done it a few times myself though, typically from shawls. I don’t find many of the “right” type of sweaters to do it with.

Yes, I love reclaimed yarn. And i will openly check someone’s sweater to see if it’s “good” or not. Zero shame, no cap! There is a group on Rav that is specifically for reclaimed yarn, and one of the ladies is local so I see her at festivals all the time. It’s such a great way to get fabulous yarn!

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Thank you!
Actually, @endlessly_intricate made the magazine bowls, about a decade ago!

I’m constantly telling people how pretty the beanie made from their sweater would be lol. Hopeless!

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I have legitimately asked to look at their sweater seams.

Of friends. no strangers yet. But honestly, if I’m in the right mood, I would do it.

And a beanie of their sweater is sometimes called for. I mean. The yarn is just so yummy!

@AIMR
If you undo the sewn seams, you’ll end up with fairly decent sized pieces to harvest yarns :wink:

I think about reclaiming sometimes, but the couple experiences I’ve had were less than satisfactory. It was probably the fiber content, so I do plan on trying again.

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Totally. I’m no yarn snob, but if I am going to spend gobs of time unraveling a sweater, the yarn content better be something like cashmere or extra fine merino wool :laughing:

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I mainly do it for material/clothing waste. Even with textile recycling and clothing donation programs, most used or damaged clothing is wasted and decaying in landfills. Giving these yarns one last bit of life makes me happy :slight_smile:

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I don’t reclaim yarn from sweaters, but I do reclaim sweaters to make felted panels for other things. I’ve made blankets and pillows with felted down sweaters that I then needle-felt designs onto. It’s still recycling though :slight_smile: (If anyone has an accidentally felted sweater they don’t want, I’d be happy to take it!!). I think someone posted a similarly made heart blanket already that was very pretty:

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Beautiful work! :heart: So creative!

And thank you for sharing :slight_smile:

Exactly!

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Looking good, Actually I am a beginner, so recently I am trying to make a wool blanket for my 5-year-old son, at the start I am trying to make that same, as I bought before through ChappyWrap coupon, after that,I will try for a sweater.