It's been said before, but I'll say it again--if you don't mind investing a bit of time, thrift-store sweaters can often be unraveled and reclaimed. Sweaters are, like, three bucks at Goodwill and you can often find luxury fibers like silk blends and cashmere. Look for sweaters that haven't seen much wear--no pilling, good stitch definition. Ragged hems and cuffs can be forgiven--you won't lose much yarn by tossing those sections. Small stains aren't necessarily a deal-breaker, since chances are slim that the stained sections of yarn will line up after being reknit. Cabled sweaters yield a ton of yarn, but the cables will wear more quickly than the recessed portions, so unless they're almost completely unworn, cabled sweaters are usually a bad choice. Check out the men's section for classic yarns (and massive sizes!). Check out the seams--are the pieces knit to shape, or are they cut? Do NOT choose cut-and-sewn sweaters. You'll end up with a million yard-long pieces of yarn.
There are entire web pages devoted to the practice of recycling sweaters. If you don't mind buying yarn first and then finding a pattern to fit it, it's a very economical (and environmentally friendly!) choice.
Be aware, too, that machine-knit sweaters often use a finer gauge of yarn because they knit quite tightly, so unless you're planning to knit lace or other fine-gauged projects, look for sweaters that seem on the bulky side.
Solid colors give better yarn yield than patterned ones, which will generally result in a lot of short pieces.
Absolutely. The best yarns for frogging are smooth, non-hairy, natural fibers like wool and cotton. I wouldn't personally bother with unraveling acrylic sweaters, because their lack of elasticity means the crimp from having been machine-knit can be set in them for life.
Or use the yarn from the front + one sleeve held together with the back + one sleeve. A bit of a pain but totally worth it if you paid $3 for that much cashmere.
There are entire web pages devoted to the practice of recycling sweaters. If you don't mind buying yarn first and then finding a pattern to fit it, it's a very economical (and environmentally friendly!) choice.
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Be aware, too, that machine-knit sweaters often use a finer gauge of yarn because they knit quite tightly, so unless you're planning to knit lace or other fine-gauged projects, look for sweaters that seem on the bulky side.
Solid colors give better yarn yield than patterned ones, which will generally result in a lot of short pieces.
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