Reusing Wool

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Reusing Wool

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Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 7:49 pm Post subject: Reusing Wool
Is there any good uses for old wool jumpers? I tend to wear them out with a few holes so I doubt the wool can be undone and reused for much. Can the wool be reused in any way? It can be composted or used as a liner for pond plants but that seems a bit of a waste, especially if you use your own flocks wool.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 7:51 pm Post subject:
You could make felt. There's some stuff on RC about it at the moment.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 05 8:44 pm Post subject:
my granny was forever reusing hand knitting wool. She'd unravel a jumper when she got bored with it, gently washing the wool to get some of the kinks out, roll it back in to a huge ball ( I remember helping) and then re-knit up in to a new jumper adding a contrasting cuff or waist band if there wasn't quite enough wool to do the whole jumper again.

Guest

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 9:32 am Post subject:

It can be used to line hanging baskets if cut to a vague circular shape; only if it's pure wool though. Or cut them into mulch mats for vegetables, tomatoes, etc. Pure wool can be put on the compost, but nothing man-made as it will never rot down and you will forever be cursing the stringy bits in the compost.
If you do unravel to re-knit, wind it into skeins, handwash gently and hang on the line with a not-too-heavy weight on the bottom of the skein to pull out the crinkles fromed by the knitting process. When dry, wind into balls.
If you have a lot of pure wool pieces, they can be felted in the washing machine and made into nice patchwork throws with crochet edgings and fringes, etc. This only works for proper wool, not the machine washable modern stuff - that won't felt in amonth of Sundays. Or you could felt them and make into hats, bags, etc. Cut off the arms and stitch up to make cushion covers and hot water bottle covers or tea cosies.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 9:55 am Post subject:

Anonymous wrote:

This only works for proper wool, not the machine washable modern stuff - that won't felt in amonth of Sundays.

Out of interest, do you know what they do to the wool to make it machine washable?

Guest

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 10:03 am Post subject:
Not off the top of my head, but I suspect it may be some heat treatment of some type, or a dressing/coating. Not sure, but probably on the web somewhere. I never buy it as I like the real wool. Don't have a tumble drier anyway, and all woollies get hand washed.

moogie

Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Near Bridgend

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 11:00 am Post subject:
Thats funny - am just rewashing, as I type, an old cardi I have shrunk in teh wash to unravel it and turn it into thick socks to wear in my wellies in the garden

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 11:06 am Post subject:
I love "proper" wool too, but I have shrunk so many jumpers in my time (don't have a dryer either!) that I think I am safer with the treated stuff.

judyofthewoods

Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 11:08 am Post subject:

moogie wrote:

Thats funny - am just rewashing, as I type, an old cardi I have shrunk in teh wash to unravel it and turn it into thick socks to wear in my wellies in the garden

synchronicity

culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Fri Mar 04, 05 11:19 am Post subject:
You can cut out pieces and hem them with the sewing machine so you could make cushions or whatever. How about Mittens? I made my daughter dolls clothes from some of her old baby jumpers.

Helen_A

Joined: 26 Jan 2005
Posts: 1548
Location: MK, Bucks.

Posted: Fri Mar 18, 05 11:31 pm Post subject:

DD1 and I have recently started to reuse old jumpers. We frogg them after a gentle wash and then skein the wool and give it a blast with a steam iron (between two damp towels) or with the steam cleaner in wallpaper mode. This gets the kinks out beautifully

Its lots cheaper to reuse jumpers from the charity shop (our local oxfam shop sells anything that has sat on the shelf for more than a month off at a pound a piece)

Even little bits can be useful - tease them out and use them for felting into little balls. If you dose these with suitable Essential Oils you can use them for mouse repellant or moth repellant or similar. DD2 likes to thread felt balls onto string for play jewellery

I find it lovely how the most hideous of jumpers can become lovely when seen as a hat or similar. Or you can turn them into nappy covers

as long as there is 50% wool in the blend them it will lanolise OK.

Anyway - there's a whole 'site about creating clothing etc. from reused wool (and other stuff) https://rekal.zibibboisgood.com/

Yours, Helen_A (officially delurking

)

hardworkinghippy

Joined: 01 Jan 2005
Posts: 1110
Location: Bourrou South West France

Posted: Sat Mar 19, 05 9:03 am Post subject:
Hello Helen_A, judy and moogie - the hair on the back of my neck is all creepy because - sitting onmy lap as I read this is an old woolen jumper I'm cutting up to make a hat! HWH

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