Here’s how up-cycle your old sweaters into your next craft obsession

by Annie Chang

While cleaning out the family garage a few weeks ago, I encountered a mysterious bag full of neatly wound balls in matcha-green and mahogany that once belonged to my husband’s late grandmother. A lint-covered black cardigan was also in the mix with its body half unwound.

My husband’s grandmother grew up in 1920s Japan where nothing was ever single-use. I could only imagine her horror if she observed our consumption standards today – discarding something because it’s often cheaper to replace than to reuse. The zero-waste culture in Japan commonly referred to as “mottainai” which literally translates into “no waste or what a waste” has evolved into a global movement in the last decade.

Due to the winter season, many knits will inevitably end up in landfills. With these thrifted sweaters and moth-eaten knits, you can make beautiful rescue yarn that offer thoughtful gifts for the knitters in your life (or yourself!).

Here’s how to recycle yarn

What you’ll need:

• Bucket/clean towel

• Baby detergent or shampoo

• A small crochet hook or darning needle

• Small Scissors

• Hanger or toilet paper roll

Finding a good knit with good yarn.

Stay away from garments that are too thin. You’ll be hand-knitting with the yarn so it’s ideal to find a garment that either has a thicker weight or has been previously hand-knit. Unfortunately, yarn from lightweight knits will be too thin for hand-knitting. You can learn more about this here.

Practice with something simple. 

To get started, choose a flat square piece like a scarf that’s one color and has minimal details. The more details a garment has, the more challenging it will be to take apart. 

Step 1: Soak your garment in a small bucket with cool water and a tiny bit of shampoo. After 10 minutes, rinse the garment to remove the soap. Gently squeeze out the excess water and lay the garment on top of a dry clean towel.

Step 2: Once the garment has fully dried, locate the end point and remove the hem using the darning needle or crochet hook. This is the most challenging step and here’s a great step-by-step video that shows you how to do this.

Step 3: Start unraveling the yarn. As you unravel, use the toilet paper roll to wrap the yarn tightly into ball to remove the excess curl.

What to do with your rescue yarn

You can use it to knit your first project.

On Ravelry, a dedicated social networking site for knitters, you’ll find an entire directory of projects ranging from one skein hats to intricate Aran sweaters. Wool and the Gang also provides free knitting tutorials.

Not much of a knitter? You can also donate your yarn.

Here is a short list of organizations that accept yarn donations throughout the year.

• Rescue Craft Co. accepts yarn donations to make mittens for koalas affected by wildfire.

• Upstitch collects donated fabric, yarn, and other sewing and needlework materials to distribute and sell back to the crafting community at an affordable rate.

• Knitted Knockers makes special handmade breast prosthesis for women who have undergone mastectomies or other procedures to the breast.

The next time you’re tempted to toss a moth-eaten sweater, consider giving it a new life. From mending to reusing, there’s little reason to let a perfectly good sweater go to waste.