The Process: Sweater Deconstruction Part 1-Selection

Going to thrift stores and flea markets is in my blood.  My Dad and his Dad spent many Sunday mornings wheeling and dealing at the local flea market when my Dad was a young man, and my Dad and I have gone all around Sacramento looking for the best deals.  A few years ago, due partly to my thrifty nature and partly to my love of thrift stores, I began taking apart thrift store sweaters and repurposing the yarn for knitting projects.  As far as cost goes, even the cheapest acrylic is no match for a thrifted sweater:  a men’s large can yield more than 1200 yards of yarn, and usually only costs between 4 and 6 dollars.  There are often luxury fibers to be had, such as cashmere, alpaca, and angora.  Even color usually isn’t a problem, as a trip to the dyepot can solve most anything.

When looking for sweaters that are appropriate for repurposing, there are a few key points to remember.  While none of these are an absolute must, remember they may make your job harder and may compromise how hard wearing the knitted item is once you remake it.

1.  Look for crochet seams.  When choosing a sweater, flip up the hem and take a good look at the side seam to see how the sweater is constructed.  It should look like a handmade sweater in that the front and back are discrete pieces that have been seamed instead of pieces cut from knit fabric and sewn together with a serger.  This is a crochet seam:

Serged seams look like the side seams in T-shirts.  While it’s possible to reuse serged yarn, the serging cuts the yarn and makes it into a bunch of short pieces instead of one long piece.  You just have to be willing to tie all the pieces together.

2. Avoid holes.  Holes of any sort can indicate structural problems with the yarn.  If it’s an animal fiber, they may well be moth holes.  The holes you can see are sometimes joined by weakened yarn you can’t see.  If it’s really lovely yarn you can’t pass up, it’s better to use it for a scarf or something that doesn’t need to hold up any weight.

3. Stains aren’t always a problem.  If the stains are near an opening, like the neck or the bottom of a sleeve, it’s usually worth missing out on a couple yards of yarn.  However, stains in the main body of the sweater can cause lots of wasted yarn.  Like anything else, if you’re willing to work around it go for it.

4. Look out for sewn tags.  Though it’s usually not a problem, some companies go pretty nuts when attaching tags to their sweaters.  I’d really, really, really suggest having a seam ripper on hand when taking apart sweaters, especially if you decide to tackle one of those sweaters whose tag is sewn down on all four sides with two lines of stitches.

As a final suggestion, I’d recommend starting your deconstructive journey with a bulky cotton sweater, as cotton sweaters are easier to take apart.  There is no fuzz to obscure the stitches and no worry of moth holes compromising the integrity of the yarn.  So peruse your local thrift stores sweater section and look for your next project!