[pheonas]

I knitted what was supposed to be a cowl, blocked as required but is too small, too tight. The wool is baby alpaca. My question, since it is blocked, is it possible to unravel/frog then dampen and use again? I have several other skeins from the same dye lot same supplier etc. and would like to incorporate the blocked wool with the unused wool. Thank you for your help.

 

[Karen Liebengood]

I don't see why not! You didn't felt it!

 

[Jessica-Jean]

If the yarn hasn't physically changed (i.e.: felted/shrunken), and you are able to unravel it, there's no reason not to reuse it. Our grandmothers did that all the time!

 

[pheonas]

I don't see why not! You didn't felt it!

Thank you, that is what I thought.

 

[pheonas]

If the yarn hasn't physically changed (i.e.: felted/shrunken), and you are able to unravel it, there's no reason not to reuse it. Our grandmothers did that all the time!

Should I wet again or just use as is?

 

[kiwiannie]

I don't see why not,it should knit up neatly again. :lol: :lol:

 

[Jessica-Jean]

Should I wet again or just use as is?

Your choice. Tradition teaches to re-skein, wash, and re-wind into a ball before re-use. However, I've done that and I've also just re-knit straight from the item being unraveled - with no visible difference once the finished item is washed. That said, please note that I normally knit on the tight side. I don't know if my normal tension is a factor or not.

 

[jeannietta]

I recently frogged a Noro sweater after blocking it. I re-skeined the yarn (make sure you tie the skeins in a few places), gently washed in woolite (you can use a little shampoo and conditioner) and hung up to dry. I then re-balled. It came out great. Good luck.

 

[dirgni]

If the cowl was knitted on circular needles it cannot be saved. If it was knitted on 2 needles you could knit another piece of 3 to 4 inches and sew it together again.
Please let us know.

 

[helenlou]

If the cowl was knitted on circular needles it cannot be saved. If it was knitted on 2 needles you could knit another piece of 3 to 4 inches and sew it together again.
Please let us know.

Please explain why you can't use it if it was on circulars?

 

[lneighbors3]

If the cowl was knitted on circular needles it cannot be saved. If it was knitted on 2 needles you could knit another piece of 3 to 4 inches and sew it together again.
Please let us know.

Please explain why you can't use it if it was on circulars?

I confess my confusion with this also. Please clarify.

Lynne

 

[Jessica-Jean]

If the cowl was knitted on circular needles it cannot be saved. If it was knitted on 2 needles you could knit another piece of 3 to 4 inches and sew it together again.
Please let us know.

Please explain why you can't use it if it was on circulars?

I confess my confusion with this also. Please clarify.

Lynne

Me too!

 

[pheonas]

It was knit on two needles not circular.
I also thought about adding on to the end/s but decided I did not like the design enough to do that.
I will unravel wet as described and rewind and hope I like the next project.
Thank you all for your input and help, I appreciate it.

 

[Dohuga]

I re-use yarn all the time. My husband groans when he sees me ripping out something I don't like and rewinding the yarn. He says, "Good Grief, Woman! Don't tear out your work, go buy new yarn!" HA! He doesn't get it that I feel very good when I turn something I don't like back into the potential for something I DO like. Plus, I don't get the part about not re-using yarn if something is done on circular needles. Why ever not?

 

[JanieSue]

I just took a sweater apart completly that I knit last yr. It was way to big. I unraveled it by wrapping on my swift, tied it together and soaked in cool water for 30 mins, hung to dry and then rewound it. It came out like new yarn. It was ultra alpaca.
I re-use yarn that was knitted on circular needles all the time. I never use straight needles.

 

[cathyknits]

I re-use yarn all the time. My husband groans when he sees me ripping out something I don't like and rewinding the yarn. He says, "Good Grief, Woman! Don't tear out your work, go buy new yarn!" HA! He doesn't get it that I feel very good when I turn something I don't like back into the potential for something I DO like. Plus, I don't get the part about not re-using yarn if something is done on circular needles. Why ever not?

I'm with you! This is what makes knitting such a great craft -- if you mess up or don't like it, you don't have to toss the supplies like you do in sewing or most other crafts.
If I have a new project in mind for yarn I've just knit with I don't even bother unraveling first. I knit from the previous project, unraveling as I go. It's always worked... so far. Oh, for what its worth, I work mostly on circulars.

 

[JanieSue]

Forgot to say that the sweater I just took apart was blocked. I do think you need to wet the yarn and squeeze the water out with a towel since it was blocked.

 

[RoxyCatlady]

One person said it couldn't be "reused" if it was done on circulars, but could if knit back and forth on two needles - she really misled. What she was trying to communicate was that if the cowl was done on two needles then seamed, that one could simply open the seam, knit some more onto the piece, then reseam it to make it bigger, since the original question stated the cowl was too small. If the cowl had been knit in a circular fashion, that "fix" wouldn't work...

 

[lannieb]

If the cowl was knitted on circular needles it cannot be saved. If it was knitted on 2 needles you could knit another piece of 3 to 4 inches and sew it together again.
Please let us know.

I can't imagine why circular needles would make one bit of difference, it all still unravels (she did say she was going to unravel it).

Please explain your thinking.

 

[uscgmom4]

What she really meant was: if knitted with circulars you cannot enlarge to fit! If knitted with straight needles you may add another section to make it fit! Happy knitting!!