Knitting gauge

A customer of mine gave me a great tip (Thanks Melissa!). She said that it would be helpful to use a knitting gauge for the froggable sweaters, so the yarn reclaimers would have a better idea of what they were getting. I went into my local yarn shop to see if they had them, and not only did I find one, but found some wonderful customer service and a fun store. If you are ever in Geneva and need yarn or knitting supplies, I highly recommend checking out Wool & Company. Now when I list a froggable sweater, like this lovely example from Iceland, I can take pictures of the knit gauge against the sweater! What do you think froggers?

Smartmonkey - reclaimed yarn

Some people frog, or reclaim, the yarn from wool sweaters. This is so much better than heading to the craft store in many ways! It's great for the environment by reusing what is already here, plus it supports a small business, rather than a big box store. If you use yarn, check out Smart Monkey's Etsy shop! All of this beautiful yarn came from wool sweaters.

Recycled wool pattern week - Home Made Originals

Some people like to frog wool sweaters (reclaim the yarn), so I don't want to make the froggers/knitters feel left out. Here's an awesome pattern for those who frog & knit... cabled neck warmers! A perfect Mother's Day or Christmas present from the heart. I love them so much I ordered one myself! You can check out the progress on her blog! I bought the neck warmer, and not the pattern because I can't knit, but if you do knit, the pattern is a bargain! You can find this pattern in Etsy shop Home Made Originals.

Reclaimed wool sweater yarn week, Winding The Skein

The last, but not least, featured shop for "reclaimed wool sweater yarn week" is Etsy shop Winding The Skein. She not only makes things from recycled wool yarn, but sells it too, and sometimes even hand dyes it (like the above pink)! She also sells clever little kits of yarn with a specific purpose in mind, like striped mittens. What a wonderfully green resource for knitters & crocheters!

Reclaimed wool sweater yarn week, Mother of Pearl Atelier

In my endless search for beautiful things made from recycled wool, I found Mother of Pearl Atelier's online store , located in Dorset, England. I have emailed her for permission to post, but haven't heard back yet, so I hope she doesn't mind me posting her gorgeous works. All of these hand knitted pillows were made from reclaimed yarn. Aren't they lovely?

Reclaimed wool sweater yarn week, Dervish

I love these little tote bags from Etsy shop Dervish. They are made from reclaimed yarn, and called Resweater bags, named after my shop... ok, ok, they aren't, but a girl can pretend ;) Even the adorable embellishments are made from recycled wool.
This beautiful poncho is made from a reclaimed mohair blend yarn, and can be found at Beadle in Toronto.

Reclaimed wool sweater yarn week, Seedknits

Seedknits Etsy shop uses reclaimed yarn to many many of her gorgeous things. Her "Sylvia neck cozy" looks so cool, and her "Ugly" scarves are far from from ugly!

Reclaimed wool sweater yarn week, Yellowee

Meet Elizabeth, a snake make from reclaimed wool yarn...

"If you have any poetry on your bookshelves, this snake will slither right over and wrap herself around your books. She also likes to act as a scarf, and she's even willing to play with your cats from time to time. Her name is Elizabeth, in honor of her favorite poet, Elizabeth Bishop."

You can find Elizabeth, and other handmade fun at Etsy shop Yellowee.

Reclaimed wool sweater yarn week, ReFabulous

This week's theme is a little different! I am still featuring things made from upcycled wool sweaters, but these sweaters have been unraveled before being made into fabulous things! Some call this "frogging" the wool because you "rip-it" at the seams before unraveling, and it is also know as "reclaimed" yarn. Any way you look at it, it's a fabulously green thing to do!

My first yarn reclaimer of the week is Etsy shop ReFabulous. She reclaims wool yarn, & makes dryer balls out of them! I own a wool dryer ball myself, & know from personal experience that they work great. You could buy a pvc dryer ball that was made in China, chock full of chemicals, and harmful to the environment, or a recycled all natural product made by a hard working mom... hmmm. Oh, and the wool ones are quieter too :) If you have a little extra reading time, you can check out the Refabulous blog.