How to Take Apart a Sweater

This starts as sort of a sad story about a sweater I wanted but didn’t end up knitting. Years ago I bought a figurative ton of bamboo yarn, and I thought it would be the perfect thing for a sort of boxy, oversized sweater I could wear on beach vacations.

I knit it in pieces, thinking the seams would add some stability the sweater would otherwise lack, bamboo being slippery and probably saggy under its own weight.

It was a cute sweater.

It didn’t fit like I imagined at all.

I think the problem was mostly that I made it too oversized, and the weight of the sweater combined with not fitting correctly through the shoulders caused it to sag and stretch and turn into a way off the shoulder sweater in no time.

Not exactly what I had in mind.

I wore it once or twice anyway, then it lived in the back of the closet for a few years.

I was cleaning out my sweater shelves the other day and found it again. I decided I still wanted to do something with that yarn that would be more wearable. It was time to rip that sweater apart.

Of course because I knit it and vaguely remembered how I knit it, that was a big help, but in any case the rules for taking apart a sweater are pretty much the same. It should be noted this is the strategy for handknit sweaters or tops; sometimes things are different when you’re working with a commercial sweater.

Just in case you might need to take a sweater apart one day, I collected my process in a post over at Our Daily Craft. It’s handy to have a reminder that if you don’t love something you made, you can always try again.

As for that yarn? I’m working on a crocheted tank top that I hope will have enough structure to do it justice.

Have you ever taken apart a sweater or other garment you knit? I’d love to hear your tips!

Next Pattern:

Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply