Yarn Recycling

Did you know that one of the best sources for yarn for knitting is not at your local yarn shop? No, one of the best places to buy quality yarn is your local thrift shop. And I'm not thinking in the yarn bins and crafts section. Go straight to the garment racks and find some nice sweaters or winter accessories, take them home to wash, and then UNRAVEL them!

The idea of yarn recycling is not new. Having an innate need to make something new out of something old first led me to knit this sweater for my niece over 20 years ago (in 1989)! I had a loosely knit sweater that I didn't like wearing because it kept snagging on everything I passed by. So not wanting it to go to waste, and seeing the colours suited redheads better than a blonde, I unraveled it and knit this little sweater for this cute little 3 year old.

Now, connecting with Etsy groups like the EcoEtsy Team, and individuals like Ashley from OffTheHooks have solidified some of my long held views on reducing wastefulness and buying used when possible. Here's a link to an earlier post by OffTheHooks on yarn recycling.

 

 So the wheels were already turning when I found this super soft handknit scarf at my local thrift shop this winter for $1.99. I wonder even if the yarn was handspun--it seems to require the thin black strand to hold the green and gold fibres together.

I unravelled the scarf to get 2 big balls of yarn, and knit up these fingerless mitts, so soft on my hands!

I used this pattern for custom fit mitts because I couldn't find a pattern that fit the gauge of the yarn. Despite the custom fit, I still needed to modify the pattern and reknit it smaller to make it fit my hands. I also changed the cuffs and tops to a garter stitch instead of ribbing.

And I still have a bit of yarn leftover. Hmmm, what next?