11 March 2013

Upcycled yarn surprise!

The other day I was digging through my large craft box and rediscovered some more upcycled yarn that my mother helped me unravel last summer.  Yet another forgotten project to be rediscovered there, maybe I should clean this mystical, bottomless bin out?

Both sweaters were thrifted for under $3 and I remember one being cashmere and the other cotton.  Even better, they are both a blank canvas for more dyeing experiments.  One downside, I cannot get the thrift store smell out of them, it is so sickly sweet, ick.

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I'm not really sure what I want to do with the cotton yarn yet, but I decided to ply the cashmere yarn.  It definitely needed to be plied because it was a little weak and prone to snapping.  It looks more attractive and easy to work with than it was before.

There wasn't a sweater's worth of yarn here, I'm thinking that some of the sweater is hiding somewhere in my parent's house.  If I had to estimate yardage, I would say: ~675 yards (an awkward amount to have).

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It looks a lot like the cashmere sweater I upcycled last year.  I didn't estimate the cost and savings this time but I can imagine that it was a bargin considering it is a fairly good quality cashmere.  As with most of the yarn I spin or upcycle, I haven't really put much thought into what I'll use it for.

15 comments:

  1. A great discovery!

    Thanks for reminding me that I have some wool sweaters that I need to ravel. I also want to try over-dyeing some of the wool. I am somewhat of a chicken to do that.

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  2. Perfect yardage for an amazingly big, cozy shawl!

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  3. YAY! That will be so much fun to dye. I agree with Alicia about the shawl. You know what would be even cooler. Dying it AFTER knitting it!

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  4. I really enjoy your upcycling posts! this yarn looks fab!

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  5. Getting smell out of yarn is really tough. I think that once you've plied it, you could try leaving it in open skein form. I found that it can sometimes air out the mustiness.

    Good luck!

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  6. Just dye it with Kook-Aid. That always makes the yarn smell yummy!













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  7. Such a great idea to upcycle! If you use vinegar when you dye, it might help to get rid of the smell, although it will smell of vinegar instead!

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  8. A shawl is a great idea as others have mentioned.
    You're so lucky to have found cashmere! I have had a hard time finding a sweater to unravel at my local thrift stores. I'm guessing there are other knits around here with the same idea:)

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  9. What a treasure!!! I wonder what you'll do with it? Can't wait to see!

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  10. It looks gorgeous. I hope the scent fades with time, because it looks dreamy!

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  11. It's like Christmas all over again!

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  12. Lovely! Maybe a wool wash would help get rid of the smell?

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  13. What great finds, like others have said, I think once you have dyed it the smell should be gone. Have fun with these projects!

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  14. What a find! I agree with a bunch of the other comments here-- hopefully dyeing will take out the smell. Washing it with something like Soak or Eucalan might help too. I hope it works out, because that yarn is lovvvvely!

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  15. This looks real beautiful. You keep reminding me I need to play with my drop spindle. And I so need to up cycle an old thrift store sweater one day. Do you wash the yarn first to get it unkinked?

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