Thrift Flipping a Sweater into a 1940s blouse!
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Are thrift flips still popular? Well, here is a slightly different version - thrift flipping sweaters for their yarn!
-- 1940s Sweater --
Yarn: Thrifted!
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Engineering knits is a place for people who enjoy all kinds of vintage and antique crafts - from sewing to knitting, crochet to embroidery I like to try it all. I definitely have a preference for historical fibre crafts, and it is my dream to one day make an entire outfit from sheep to sweater. I hope you enjoy watching me and my favorite companion, Nutella, struggle through some fascinating projects!
🤦♀️️ So, I made a math error! For Thrifting a sweater and buying a ball winder and a yarn swift, the total should be $45.97 - so almost double the investment of buying the knit picks yarn new!
I think I should try this thrift flipping again, and see if I can get the math right then!
Do you have any other videos like this one?
I would very much enjoy a second thrift flip video regardless of how the math turns out
Me too! This is a brilliant idea and very environmentally friendly. I’d love to see more vids like this. Also historically, reusing and repurposing were common. Especially in the days when you had to card the wool, spin the yarn, and all that. BTW, I love this channel. 😊
Yes I think you should do this again. But I think you need to hunt up some cashmere to reknit into something else. Oh and next time you use a chair for a swift, it is easier if you flip the chair upside down. That lesson took me some trial and error to figure out.
Beginning knitter question here .... if the wool is already in a skein why would you need the swift? Nice flip though - and there's also the part that difficult to put into numbers - the improvement in carbon footprint from not using new, a sweater possibly not ending up in landfill and the overall satisfaction in the whole project 🧡
To be fair, unravelling a men's sweater to reknit into a 1940's women's sweater is extremely historically accurate.
That's why I love the 40s/WW2 era in terms of clothes and mend and make do culture and such.
@@sierrabird2460 I love that part but also Pants and Practicality! Simple, comfy undergarments! Skirts that don't require their own seats, nor behave as shackles! However... bows.frikken.everywhere
@@rd6203 lol yeah
I went to a thrift store that sells very unwanted clothes by the pound. I found a lot of ugly sweaters that were made out of great yarn to unravel and reuse! :D
Nice jumper, please thank your camera person,the bit at the end was very funny.💖
It’s so wonderful to see someone adopting the conservative values of earlier generations. I mean the word “conservative “ in its true, original sense of appreciating and re-using what one already has, or what already exists! So much less waste!
Great sweater! Another fun thing: sometimes you can find cashmere sweaters at the thrift shop, but they are often made with very fine yarns. If you happen to already have a spinning wheel, you can ply them on themselves to get a handknitting weight. Buying cashmere yarn is super expensive, so I think this is really worth doing!
This is what I came in here to say. 👍
What a great idea!
I do this all the time! I’ve never purchased new cashmere yarn. When I save these sweaters from thrifts, I do attempt to restore them as much as possible first. If they can’t be saved, they’re free (very inexpensive) yarn! I
I find so much joy knowing others do this as well. The real crime is they could have been thrown away! Can you imagine cashmere in a garbage can?
@@MichiaMakes lol people don't throw away cashmere. It ends up in the thrift and swiftly gets bought up by all manner of people.
That would be awesome! I collect cashmere items from the bin and darn them instead. I like the way my multicolored or matching darns give the item more character and show it's history of mending. I recently found a sweater that is a very airy knit and was going to try and darn it but maybe it would be better to not repair this one but to unravel it for my future use when darning. Thanks for the new perspective on found cashmere.
I love thrifting sweaters like this! One big tip: always look at the seams of the piece before you buy it. If they're serged or sewn (aka if you see any thread) do NOT buy it! It means it was cut out of knit fabric rather than knit into shape, and you'll just wind up unravelling a bunch of little bits. The wool is often still durable. I have a pullover I made from thrifted wool 10 years ago, that's still going strong.
Good point! Although if you sew, you can probably recut and sew into something new too.
THIIIIIIIIS!!!!
It might be important to point out that not every knit sweater is fit for repurposing the wool (it has to be knit to the pattern, not cut out), and that some garments have been knit with two yarns that kind of follow each other (every second row per strand), which makes unravelling the piece much more tedious. Apart from that: highly reccomend, unravelling existing sweaters is fun on its own.
Lovely sweater🥰
Initial step to add after purchase is to throw the thrifted clothing into the freezer for 24 hours to kill off any hidden pests. Take it out of freezer for 24 hours and then freeze again for another 24 hours to be doubly safe.
😯
I had always heard to hang it out in the sun for a few hours, to eliminate dust mites... I do this whenever I switch between summer and winter wardrobes, too.
I might do the freezer thing, too tho
@@rd6203 Good to know regarding dust mites. I’ll add it to my process 🥰. Reason for first freezing period is to kill off any moth eggs. The next 24 hour warming period is to hatch any carpet beetle eggs and the second dip into the freezer for the a further 24 hours is to kill off the carpet beetles. Then air out the yarn to dry before storing it away (preferably in plastic bins). This is a good preventative measure for any yarn coming into the home from a questionable source (attribution: WatchBarbaraKnit UA-cam channel, video title: Let’s Talk - Storing Your Yarn Stash and Preventing Pests).
My dad still remembers his mum unraveling old sweaters to reuse the yarn during the war as rationing meant that new yarn was hard to get so your ‘40s style sweater is the perfect project. My initial thought was that yarn must be a lot cheaper in the US! Good quality natural fibre yarn seems so expensive in the UK, this is definitely a cheaper option.
I often thought the same re US v UK (even EU). Yarn is so expensive, even in the sales
The yarn hoarder in me: 👀
The part of me that wants to use up all my yarn: 😑
Next thrift store trip is gonna be fun XD
I had this exact same reaction!!! 😅
I use reclaimed thrift sweaters for all but cabled projects, since the yarn cross section is not as consistently round in reclaimed stuff. I wash the sweaters, dry, then unwind onto my ironing board. I steam the ramen texture out and hand wind balls. I am currently doing a fair isle project with cashmere main color and a 5 color gradient contrast palette. Some I hold double, some triple, and some 4 together so the gauge is equal between the various yarns. I care for my mother, so no paycheck, but lots of knitting time. I enjoy the challenge of adapting patterns to my polyglot yarn. So far there have not been any disasters!
My mom and I did this to several sweaters when I was in high school (early 2000s). I don't even remember why because neither of us really knit or crochet much. It was a good experience though.
I never even thought of this! Added pro of using thrifted yarn: less environmental impact 👍 (also: hair on point lady! I couldn't do my hair like that to save my life 🙃)
Edit: forgot to say, great video, well produced, great visual aids, very clear. Your videos just keep getting better and better!
Love watching your videos. I get sick a lot and when I can't do things, I watch you.
I know many knitters call the sleeves “arms”, but it does sound a lot more professional if you call them by their proper name. I love your videos.
I love doing this! I was in one of my favorite thrift stories, and I found a $150.00 men’s wool sweater for $1.00, a ball winder for $2.50, and a swift for $1.50! So, for $5.00, I thought I hit the mother lode! From that one sweater I knitted 2 dickeys, a pillow, a slouchy hat, scrunchies, mittens, and a child’s sweater; with yarn left over. Not bad for $5.00!
I actually made a Ravelry group dedicated partly to this idea about fifteen years ago, called the Handknit Liberation Front!
Great job...do it again a few times and you will bring down the cost of each sweater you knit. How skillful you are and what fun to reuse yarn from a thrift store sweater.
I love your sweater
Mind blown, stopping myself from running to the thrift store this very moment, as I already have at least 5 projects on the go.
Was having some sudden anxiety and just seeing this in my feed made me feel calmer. Honestly, while this is probably not what you make these videos for, they are such a comfy safe space for me and I'm very grateful. ❤💐🤗🌈
I spoke too soon. Nutella completely stole the show.
Another option instead of a yarn swift is making a PVC niddy noddy to make a skien . 3 meters of 15mm (1/2 inch) PVC pipe , 2 T connectors and a multi pipe cutter came to €8 for me!
Good hack to know!
@Becks Murphy Great information! Love the name 'Niddy Noddy'.
I don't think my local thrift stores have much sweaters in yarn that I'd like to repurpose, but I will pay extra attention. Last summer I bought a 100% woolen sweater, mens department, decent length, €6, but I just wear it as is and it is saving me a lot of money on heating I think.
I did pick up a silk blouse that had knitted cuffs last year, because I wanted to repurpose the silk. Unplanned I also managed to get a surprising amount of yarn out of cuffs and the edges. Wound it all up around a cardboard envelope to stretch out and steamed it with the iron. This was a thin viscose, just thicker than sewing thread. It took some time but I could do all of that while watching tv. Need to keep my hands busy anyway. I've only used a small amount, as buttonhole thread, because it is very strong and exactly the colour I needed for a project. Not sure what I'll do with what's left.
In my yarn adventures, I've bought a yarn swift but not a ball winder, yet. If you only have space for one of the tools, like me, or you can only afford to invest in one at a time, also like me, get the yarn swift first. The basic yarn swift I got is the size of a colapsable umbrella in it's hard case. It's possible to unwind from a project directly onto your yarn swift. And when you can get yarn in a skein it is a lot less aggravating to use the tool. Trust me, I've used my (clean) feet as a makeshift yarn swift while I've hand wound skeins into balls.
My best thrift find yarn repurpose was a huge men's sweater in two shades of earthy brown lambs wool for $6. I also got my yarn swift second hand for $4, and don't use a ball winder. So that was a very cheap knitted sweater in the end. After seeing this I'd really like a ball winder though...
OMG you have no idea how much I appreciate this. I had weight loss surgery in November 2021, and I've been stressed out about what to do with all these sweaters I absolutely love but do not fit into anymore. What a fantastic idea!!!
My mother has been doing this for years. I love doing this. It takes a couple of months to knit the sweater but saves a lot of money. Also I don't worry about the crimp. You can't notice it once the sweater is done.
I've done this for more than 30 years. When you are on a very tight budget getting things from the thrift store to make over is about the only way I could afford to feed my need to create. I salvage as much yarn as possible - so that means finding the end from the seam AND the cast off and unravelling it all. I don't have a swift and usually knit from the hand wound balls but that was because my yarn winder was in a box for a fair number of years and I've only just liberated it again.
I feel like I learn about a new type of fiber every day! I hadn't ever heard of ramie before.
Your end result sweater is beautiful, and it suits you perfectly.
I‘m not a knitter, but I sew and I would sew a larger sweater into the style I want with my overlocker. But reusing an already existing garment is always great.
This was fascinating! Why have I never thought of doing this before? I'm definitely going to give this a go ☺️
My roomates aho was studying textiles design did that all the time, she also dyed them and, or combined two type of thread but twisting them with a drill. She had beautiful results. I really want to try this method as well. Thanks for the video, it was great
That’s a great idea!! I even have a friend who has all the equipment!! Ok she’s a 6 hour drive away but with careful planning it could work!!
I'm late to this video, but there was a crochet or knit UA-camr I watched who hosted a CKAL every year for Earth Day where this was the theme: you bought a secondhand machine-knit something (usually a sweater), unravelled it, and then made that yarn into something else. The most popular FOs (I've seen) were sweaters and market bags. The bags are nice, too, because they help you stop using plastic bags in the future, also.
I suppose you could also take out the seams and just see it back together to fit yourself? That would work for people who can’t knit (me). I can crochet, and sew, so that’s an alternative too. You could make a patter using a sweater that fits well. Once the pieces are sewn together, you could then cut off the extra and reinforce the seams with seam binding.
* Sew it back together.
I always helped my mum with this in the 70s. I was her winding hands 😆 If something wasn't being worn or it wasn't being enjoyed anymore, the yarn got to live again.
I do this! I used to grab a sweater or two whenever I would go to the thrift store, which is also where I get fabric, either from the fabric section, or the sheets and blankets section. I haven't been doing it so much the last few years, as I've been focusing more on sewing than knitting. I decided to start a stash busting blanket recently and so went through my yarn, and I found two balls that I'd salvaged from clothes a few years ago
The ending!!! Almost in tears from laughing!
That aside this is brilliant! Why did I never think of this!
Your three guest stars are 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💖
As a much much larger person, I've used an unwound sweater to make gloves and hats but not a full sweater. It could be done with some creative color use though. I look forward to your biking ensemble. I've been doing the math to resize the old Butterick cycling sweater pattern, but it's such I size difference I might as well be making the pattern from scratch.
I remember holding yarn skeins (like off your swift thing) while she wound it into a ball, probably from repurposed clothing.... I had forgotten that before watching this. She also made most of my dresses, made jams and jellies from berries we went picking for, chutneys and pickled onions. She embroidered table cloths, darned socks and stocking, so many skills and crafts we have lost.
Excellent video! As I have ALL the tools - ball winder, swift and, bonus!, 2 spinning wheels, I've gone shopping for yarn at thrift stores. Some things I repurposed into a new garment but I am also able to combine yarns that would have been cost prohibitive for my budget. I look at this not so much as a cost effective method but as a quality effective method. I can obtain the yarn I want in the material & color I want.
I've got two sweaters in my drawers that I'm thinking of reclaiming the yarn from. Both are too small so Im thinking I might want to unwind them and teach myself fair isle crochet. How do you tell what weight the yarn is after you've reclaimed it?
@@HeraldHealer It's no one's favorite, but gauge swatches are our friends where mystery yarn is concerned! In the past I've found charts detailing how many stitches-per-inch one should look for with a particular yarn weight/needle size. Been years since I found that, but I imagine similar resources are still around!
@@k2lar Thank you! I actualy got a key chain with the chart as a random notion in a yarn of the month box from Darn Good Yarn a while back. Now I know what it's for.
Maybe we watched the same video, it was about a retired man who did just this, I use acrylic yarn most of the time so I wait for sales. I do buy super washed merino yarn that I will dye with food coloring, I have made hats and mittens for my family. I have a swift and a ball winder(i could not live with out my ball winder). The swift I use when I buy super washed merino yarn that is not in a hank, so I make it into a hank then dye it, let it dry,place it back on the swift and then use my ball winder!
Obviously your sweater is amazing and I loved this video, but I also wanted to mention how lovely your hair was in the reveal. Gorgeous!
This method is also historcally acurate! I can remember that my great grandma and her sister used to tell stories about how they and her mother had to repurpose old military uniforms after the war. They where ribbed up, washed and recoloured (often with beet juice) as the colours from original uniforms where forbidden, and then re-knit into garments. So no garment lay around useless and since they where made out of whool thy provided good yarn.
I’ve done this and also have been known to buy sweaters for the buttons…I’m ruthless with thrift shop sweaters
This is such an interesting idea. I would have never thought about unraveling a thrifted sweater.
I use this method on old sweaters that I knitted and that don't fit anymore. Ball winders are great to also keep the yarn from stretching out too much, which can alter the measurements of a knit ( it can shrink back after blocking or washing....😱) .
And also, Nutella is legit the cutest doggy on UA-cam!
I've done this! I unwound a cashmere sweater and reknit it...it's worth it for high quality fibres for sure!
Another way to get the crimp out of a wool product, is to steam it. It works like a charm! It doesn't work well on acrylic yarns.
I'm not a knitter..yet..and this video was really informative. Thanks!
Super cool- thanks for sharing this!
Oh yes more thrift flips please!
I heard about people doing it, but this is my first time seeing it done. So it was very informative. Doubt I will ever use it. We don't really have sweaters with nice fibers in thriftshops around here. All is acrylic, not worth the extra work at all. Once used some cotton sheets from a thriftshop to sew.
I think it looks beautiful,a great idea I would never have thought it could be done😁💕
I tried this with two scarves from a thrift store and one unraveled perfectly but for the other one it doesn't really work. Still , I like the idea and I'll keep trying to find new stuff to unravel and reuse!
That was definitely a success!
The sweater you made is gorgeous
I personally have a very large chest so I need to make XL based on my chest alone so that really costs a lot.
Once I feel a little more comfortable I’m going to try and hit the thrift stores as I have wanted to to do this exact task for years!
Thank you for breaking it all down ❤️
LAMB CHOP!
This is very cool!
I never considered doing this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Your new sweater is so frickin cute!! I love doing this with yarn!! One other perk is that you can get combos of fibres/colours that may be relaly hard to find in commercial yarn store yarn. I have some scrumptious grey silk and wool blend I'm trying to think of the perfect project for!!
First of all - beautiful sweater! What a fun design. Secondly, I have been so tempted to thrift a sweater for the yarn and this is giving me a little more confidence that it’s actually doable (even without the helpful gadgets). In addition to saving some $$ I also like the idea of reusing a product that already exists instead of buying new.
Do it, just make sure you look at the seams before you buy. You do not want any thread stitched seams because that means it is cut out of a knit panel then seam finished and sewn together. You want that tell tale chain looking edges along the seams.
It's totaly manageable to do by hand. When it comes to the gadgets you can always decide if and which you want after you've processed a few sweaters.
So cool!
I’ve been doing this for decades
If you start factoring in a dollar cost for the amount of time you worked to deconstruct the sweater/balking/washing it actually doesn’t save you any money. If you do it for recycling and repurposing then it’s a win win!
Very interesting as always. I love the color on you and the ending is the best ever!!!!!
I love this jumper pattern! I'm currently knitting the Rowena jumper based on seeing it in one of your videos, and then noticed you wearing Anker's sweater in another video - which is my current favourite jumper. I'll never need to search for patterns again if I just keep watching your channel :)
Ooooh thank you for the ideas! I already have 2 pieces (one coat and a cardigan) that were gifted to me a few years ago but: They don't fit me but are incredibly good qualitiy (especially the coat, it is an actual winter coat) but, yeah. That's gonna be a challenge but, challenge accepted.
I can't wait to try this. I'm so excited!
Very enlightening lv the forties sweater😍
I loved this video!! If in future videos/ projects you make something again with yarn from a thrifted sweater I would love to see that mentioned in the video.
I need to start doing that…. Once I’ve finished with all the yarn I currently have 😅 my boyfriend isn’t too fond of my starting new projects when I have other ones going…..
Also I love your swift, mine is a black one from knit picks
I've been watching your videos for quite a while now (a year at least?) and I think you're doing so well! You clearly put a lot of effort and love into this and it shows. (Also, sidenote, your hair and makeup lately have been sooo pretty and it really suits you!)
Just so much fun to follow along and see you evolve this channel. I really appreiciate your work! 🤗❤❤❤
This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your journey with this. I have thought about doing this before and am now inspired.
What a great idea!! I love the color!
Turned out so gorgeous 🧡🧡🧡
I inherited a lot of UFOs after my aunt passed.....unwinding everything is a pain, i seriously need a swift.
Regardless of the mathematical error, the swift and winder are a one time purchase, so in the long run, you still end up ahead, especially if you plan to thrift your yarn more tan a couple of times.
Also, as a side thought - this would be a great way to knit for kids - but adult sweaters and you know there'll be plenty!
If you have extra yarn could you make some sort of matching accessory?
Great. Cause needed to find more ways to hoard stuff that I'll probably never wind up using. Now you've got me shopping in the men's section, too? Unreal! I protest! ... ... ... I'm off to Value Village so wish me luck :D
Wow your sweater looks sooo great. And I loved the video bombs at the end hahahaha!
You might want to consider using a niddy-noddy to wind the skeins.
Love it!! And so eco-friendly!
I’m a newer subscriber, and am really enjoying your videos. Also, you look so much like Scarlet Johansson, but you probably hear that all the time.
I was gonna suggest a ball winder good thing i continue watching lol!!
Love this!
I have several thrifted/older holey sweaters that I want to repurpose, but my skills lie more in the seamstress domain rather than the knitter. My original thought was to seam rip them like I would a normal thrift flip but.. honestly hadn't put to much more thought into it as yet.. my mom is a knitter and this was a really neat idea, I think I might turn her onto it.
That's a concept to explore. Thanks for sharing!
The end 😂❤
The sweater looks fantastic. Good job.
I love this video, I'm currently studying for finals and don't have the time but I cannot wait to do this after I have finished. I'm currently working on a scarf that needs to be mailed soon and I'm so bored ahhhh. Thanks for this video, I love the colour you choose and the style. Nutella is gorgeous and always deserve a pat
is it worth it? if the process brings you joy, then it is definitely worth it. at least, that's how i justify my ever-expanding fiber stash.
I love this idea!! I like how it turned out! You are a very talented knitter.
And...goofballs at the end! 💗😂
Great idea and great video! Will have to keep a look out for sweaters in thrift stores. Great idea to look in the men's section also!
Very clever
Looking beautiful in the thumbnail
Still massively low key jelly of your beautiful flowered new robe (may or may not be featured here)
Tbh, checking yt mail before errands
Plan to watch later
I’ve heard of people doing this but was totally unsure how they unraveled it. I don’t know why I assumed it would be harder?? I’ll def be giving this a try!!! Also this sweater is fire! I would have loved to see you make it!
Your videos are just AMAZING!! ❤️
Compare that to the prices of a brand new store bought sweater of comparable materials. :)
Was that a guest appearance by mr. Knits?😂
I love your sweater, such a gorgeous color! I've been wanting to try this, but now I'll have a better idea how to go about it and maybe I'll even remember to check for knitted sweaters next time I'm in the thriftstore😃
I can't wait to see your cycling sweater!😍