Probably I’m not the only one who has few projects sitting in the back of my closet I’m not going to finish.
There are many reasons why some projects were abandoned. Perhaps you’ve lost interest in or your taste in color has changed. Maybe you have old knit/crochet sweaters or shawls you don’t wear anymore.
As a designer, I know also that every crochet or knit pattern began with an idea but it happens sometimes that finished project doesn’t meet the expectations.
These projects are perfect for unraveling (commonly called frogging).
The key to the successful recycling of yarn is in the preparation of the yarn ready for reuse.
When you unravel the item, you’ll find that it’s wrinkly and kinky.
Working with that yarn can be very annoying, so you need to make the yarn straight and smooth again.
That’s why I will show how to prepare frogged yarn and get it ready to crochet/knit again.
MATERIALS:
- crochet or knit item
- some waste yarn or stripes
- sink or other container
- water
- wool wash or soap (optional)
- batch towel
STEP 1: UNRAVEL
Start unravelling your item and wind the yarn into the ball. Then, the yarn will need to be wound around something to form a loop. Of course, you can skip making the ball and wind right away the frogged yarn into a skein.The easiest way to do this is to use a yarn swift but a straight chair back will also work.
When you reach the end of your yarn, using the waste yarn or string, loosely tie the bundle in 3-4 different places to prevent tangling. Then slip the yarn off your winding device. Repeat with every ball.
STEP 2: BATH TIME
Fill a bowl, tub, bucket or a clean sink with enough cool or tepid water to cover your yarn. If you think the yarn needs washing, use a mild soap in the water. Once the water is ready, dunk your skein. Be careful not to agitate, gently push it down until it’s pully saturated and let it soak for a couple of hours. This will relax the kinks in the yarn that have been formed by the original stitching.
STEP 3: DRY
After the yarn has soaked, carefully lift the skein from the water and gently squezze out the excess water. Then lay the hank in the center of a large bath towel and roll in the towel, pressing as you go to remove more of the water.
Finally, hang it to dry completely away from heat or light in a place where it can drip freely. The hanging action helps the yarn dry straight.
STEP 4: REWIND
When it’s dry, you can either wind your yarn into a ball or into a skein and you’re ready to start over.
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i’ve done this before when my yarn had a good percentage of wool, and it was fine. I’ve also tried this with acrylic yarn and the kinks will not come out however much I wash it. Rather than waste it I just knitted a throw for the house.
My grandmother taught me to do this and I have tried to tell others all of my life. So good that you’re telling even more people. For acrylic yarn, I always use wool wash and very warm water to help the crinkles to straighten out
i’m a knitter but want you to know this is a great tutorial that i can definitely use (yes, i frog a lot).
thankyou very much!
Thank you!
I absolutely loved it who would have thought about doing this Thanks for the information.
I love this information. I have lots of unfinished projects. Thanks again for sharing. I have been wondering for years what to do with them