The Un-Knitting Machine
Now, I know what you’re thinking. An un-knitting machine is hardly the kind of thing that you should expect to see on a knitting blog. It seems a little counter productive. I, too, have felt the disappointment that is frogging a big piece of knitwear. It’s like watching your life flash before your eyes in reverse. But with a lot more swearing. And hopefully there’s alcohol to ease the pain.
But a few things caught my eye about Imogen Hedges‘ un-knitting machine, and I’ve been meaning to share it with you all for a while now. Wouldn’t the hurt of ripping out a sweater be made a lot easier by doing it painlessly and fast? And aren’t those bike pedals nifty? It looks like it’s about as fun as making the sweater itself.
Imogen Hedges from Rachel Mc Closkey on Vimeo.
What really struck a chord with me, though, is the recycling trend that I’ve seen on the rise on Ravelry. Knitters are salvaging old thrift store finds for their yarn, un-knitting them (if you will) and making brand new things with the yarn. There are some Ravelry groups dedicated to the techniques of upcycling sweaters. Some especially resourceful makers on Twitter and instagram are hand dying the yarn for an even more interesting look!
And the best part is that knitters can score a sweaters’-worth of nice fibers like cashmere and merino for $4 thanks to their local Goodwill and a little ingenuity.
Besides the price and the thrill of the hunt, this movement is really exciting for me. We knitters are innovative. (I mean, somebody invented a bicycle that unravels sweaters, for goodness sake!) We may not always mean to but making our own clothing helps take back from the industrial cheap fashion behemoth that is so omnipresent these days. We are investing time and love into custom pieces of clothing that will receive proper care and be worn for years. But why not take it a step further? Green DIY conjures up images of sock puppets and toilet paper tube Christmas wreaths but we can make it glamorous. We can take things that we already own (or someone else owned) and we can give new life to them. We can mend and alter our clothing instead of throwing away cash on cookie cutter closets. And we can get a sense of the work that our favorite independent dyers and spinners are doing.
My dad recently gave me one of his old wool sweaters. (It started as a request for a custom sweater since his was ruined and ended with me begging him to donate his moth-hole-ridden jumper for me to experiment with. He may have gotten the better end of the bargain.) I can’t wait to give un-knitting a try. I am ready to make brand new recycled clothes!
And to top it all off, now I can add to my stash (on the DL) when I’m away from the yarn store. And that’s a gift in and of itself.
Have you ever un-knit a sweater? What are your tips?
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Tags: green, Imogen Hedges, recycle, thrift, unknitting, unravel
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Comments (6)
I especially love the teapot touch! Such a great idea to immediately steam the yarn as well, to straighten it!
This is so cool!!! I need to find someone to make me one of these ASAP! (I’m not very handy with the tools, needles yes, tools, not so much)
I’ve really wanted to up-cycle some thrift store sweaters but I haven’t found anything that’s actually worth taking apart, everything I’ve seen wouldn’t be worth the effort. I guess I’ll have to just keep looking because I love the idea of it all, Cheap! Better for the environment! Re-purposing! All exciting stuff.
i just finished a cowl made with yarn from a thrifted sweater ^___^. i’m kind of trying to get to a place where my life has less impact… though i worry more about it in other aspects of my life than my knitting. i don’t believe i’m likely to give up purchasing yarn from my lys, but i sure don’t mind supplementing my stash! but here’s a good guide to pulling apart sweaters: http://dawnprickett.blogspot.com/2008/01/recycling-sweaters-for-yarn.html
Yep! When I was unemployed, I would do this all the time! The downside to thrifted yarn gaining popularity, however, is that all the cashmere and merino sweaters are harder to find in thrift stores these days. One of my favorite things I ever made was a blanket in ombre colors, all from recycled sweaters. I suggest looking for sweaters that are dk-weight or above, from a wool that is NOT fuzzy, and avoid cardigans. Be aware that if you are taking apart a sweater that is pure angora (or cashmere) that the fibers are much more likely to break. Those sweaters I would reserve for felting, unless you have soundproof walls to muffle all the dirty words you will say.
When you take it apart, avoid cutting as much as you can. There is (what my sister and I call) a “magic thread” that should be at the bottom of each side seam. If you can find it an pull it, it will release the front and back. You may have to cut the collar off, though. Prepare to vacuum after. I also recommend washing the yarn after, if you have the patience (I never did). The yarn will be very crinkly…which sounds obvious, but the crinkliness really affects the way your future knitted object will look, and the thrifted yarn will never have that thrilling sproing that brand-spankin’ new yarn has. Choose your pattern wisely….
That’s what I learned from taking sweaters apart anyway….and what I wish I’d known. It IS really fun to have a big ol’ ball of yarn at the end of the whole thing.
Good luck!
Thanks for all of the tips! Can’t wait to try!
The unknitting machine is so clever – AND she can exercise at the same time – an added bonus!