How to Reuse Ripped Out Yarn

I think every knitter form time to time starts a project (and maybe even finishes a project) only to determine it’s just not right. Maybe the garment doesn’t fit, or you don’t like it as much as you thought you would, or you just are sure you’re never going to finish knitting it.

It totally happens, but if you still like the yarn, how can you reuse it?

I will admit to having ripped out projects and immediately (or some time later) knitting with the yarn again while it’s still all wavy from having been knit before. But I also know that’s not the best way to do it.

Yarn gets wavy because it’s held under tension in the knit fabric, and that funky fiber might make the project you want to knit with it look a little weird. It might change your tension or make the stitches wavy in a way that’s not super attractive. Some people find it harder to knit with the second time around, too.

The good new is, while it’s not a quick process, it’s pretty easy to reset the yarn so it’s like new when you want to knit with it again. I found this post from My Crochetory that explains how to do it.

It’s basically working backwards by turning the yarn back into a hank (or into a hank for the first time) and then relaxing the fibers by washing and drying them. The most important thing is to make sure you do this gently so you don’t felt the yarn to itself if you’re working with natural fibers.

She’s got lots of great tips and illustrations of the process over there, so be sure to check it out for all the details.

Have you ever knit with reused yarn? Do you do this process or just knit with the yarn as is? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo: My Crochetory.]

Next Pattern:

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.

Next Pattern:

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