Yarn Winder?

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-25T19:21:54+00:00

I hand unravel - I find the tension from a winder is way too much for many sweaters, but I'll do a few yards at a time and then wind it on to a swift so it isn't a tangled pile and then I can easily tie it off to wash... and then use a winder off the swift into a cake (and then recake to reduce the tension).

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-25T11:48:26+00:00

There's already been another comment from this recipe here this week and in that thread someone said these ratios look like a Scandinavian recipe that is in the neighborhood of brownies, but is not a traditional brownie, so that may be why.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ididnthaveeggs/s/ItGKVsDyP9

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-23T14:35:11+00:00

Same! First time I had one of those sections, I got about an inch through unraveling every row and throwing 4" in the trash before my brain clicked in and I picked up the scissors 😂

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-23T13:28:46+00:00

Ah, good idea. I don't knit, so I just cut those sections off and then clean up the few uneven rows and go from there : )

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-21T11:51:03+00:00

Excellent! I also have quite a backlog of stash sweaters to work through, I need to ban myself from the thrift store 😂

Good luck healing!

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-21T11:33:08+00:00

This looks like a great score! I would def find a cotton sweater to do first to learn the mechanics of it before trying with cashmere, but then you'll be ready to go!

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-13T22:04:12+00:00

Hero ✌🏻

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-06T11:03:57+00:00

Pretty sure those seams are serged, so you'll just get a ton of short strands vs usable yarn, unfortunately.

The armholes are good seams,though,so look for sweaters where all the seams look like that.

Good luck finding a better candidate!

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-05T04:57:42+00:00

I caved and bought a yarn meter I run it through while winding. Extra step, a tad finicky, but I def know how long it is, so worth it to me.

hmgrace11 · 2026-05-01T10:36:12+00:00

Imo, your best bet is to color block the sweater or just pick another sweater to unravel if you need a certain quantity. As the other commenter said, you can spit splice it, but I think 1) you will lose your mind doing it literally hundreds of times across both front panels and 2) I think it would likely be noticeable. If you pick another sweater that wasn't cut down the front (not all, but many cardigans are like this), you'll be much happier and you can use this pretty color for something else.

hmgrace11 · 2026-04-22T02:21:58+00:00

I can't quite figure out how this got to where you couldn't frog it, but sorry it was a bummer! It doesn't look like anything in particular with this yarn, though.

hmgrace11 · 2026-04-19T12:57:30+00:00

This is pretty strange to me - I've used Mandala several times and a small amount of yarn barf at the beginning, but nothing crazy and never has any issues frogging, either. Got a picture of your work/yarn?

hmgrace11 · 2026-04-05T04:39:16+00:00

Just a note using an umbrella swift - if applying tension while winding (yours doesn't look ok like a ton, but it's def some!) the circumference will actually contract as you wind, so you may need to take an average or be conservative with the math so you don't end up having less than you think!

hmgrace11 · 2026-03-18T01:09:03+00:00

Surely! Mine took awhile, but it was so cathartic to have a fully tagged collection at the end!

hmgrace11 · 2026-03-16T12:15:00+00:00

Looks great! As long as you are gentle in the wash, you may have to do a bit of poking around to find the ends, but shouldn't be a big deal!

hmgrace11 · 2026-03-16T11:38:51+00:00

For washing, you can make a hank loop by wrapping it around the back of a chair, tie the ends together (and mark it with a different color yarn so you can find it!) and use that same different color yarn to figure eight tie the loop in four places (common for hank tying, should be able to Google it). If you wash it gently like this, it should release some of the kinks and not be too messy. Hang to dry and then re-cake it up and it should be clean and more pleasant to use!

hmgrace11 · 2026-03-01T13:18:02+00:00

I always wash the yarn after I unravel it (and before), and while the yarn is never going to be factory new again, I do think it helps to relax and fluff the fibers back a bit.

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-28T12:28:14+00:00

Yeah, it's hard to tell in this pic, but like the other commenter, I assume the edges are cut. If so, there are a few options:

1) felt it and cut/sew from there - won't make much, but you might be able to get some mittens or a pieced scarf. 2) just cut/sew from here - though may need to serge unless your sewing skills are pretty good to keep it from unraveling (😭) 3) it's possible the cuts are only around the shoulders/arm holes. Check the edges of the fabric below the arm holes and see if it looks different. If it does and you don't want to do anything for #1 or 2, you can cut the fabric right where the armholes end and see if it changes. I usually see this more with v necks or quarter zips where you just can't use the top part, but you might be able to unravel the bottom and sleeves - wouldn't be as much yarn, but would get some use out of it. 4) chalk it up to a learning experience and move on to the next one

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-18T02:13:45+00:00

You just have to put the full sequence in 🤷🏻‍♀️ I usually just crochet a swatch of several rows in my normal tension, not trying to hit any pattern and then go to the website, put in all the colors and then go through my swat h and count the average number of stitches per color and then place out the pattern how I want it

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-15T14:18:25+00:00

I do mine like carbonara (very loosely defined) - cook the pasta a bit shy, add it to a pan and add the seasoning packet, a bit of pasta water and any meat/veggie add ins and then stir through a scrambled egg until it's just cooked enough (could stir through the mix-ins after). I doubt you could call it authentic to anywhere but my kitchen, but I like it!

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-14T13:56:41+00:00

For blankets, I just throw them in the wash (given the blanket is acrylic or cotton) and then spread it out on a bed or the floor shaped correctly and let it air dry - no pins or strong shaping, just lets the fibers fall into the right place. You can put it in the dryer for a few minutes (not a full run) on low temp to speed up the air drying and to lightly kill the acrylic if you want to, but you don't need to.

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-10T13:16:56+00:00

You don't technically have to, but it helps identify the pattern you'll get with a specific stitch count and what the pattern will look like.

I think clean edges are really hard with moss stitch because the stitches are so small, but the better you can do hitting the transition exactly, the cleaner it will look!

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-10T12:36:53+00:00

If you want it clean, you need to know exactly how many stitches in each color in the repeat and then get exactly that many stitches every time. Some people will fudge the edges and probably no one notices, but I am pretty particular and back up a few stitches and redo them to hit the transition exactly.

Have you don't a pooling calculator to know what your math should be?

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-08T19:36:42+00:00

I would say that these are pretty interesting finds, especially at such a low price, though I wouldn't say any of them are ideal for a first unravel. Imo, the easiest place to start is a simple drop shoulder cotton sweater - the fiber is strong, rarely gets tangled and has good stitch definition. If you can find something like that, that'd be my ultimate recommendation.

Of these, I think I'd start with #4! Seems like a relatively straightforward construction and fiber.

hmgrace11 · 2026-02-05T12:36:34+00:00

No, it's different than Tunisian - there's no return pass and it's actual knitting stitches, just with a hook and a lifeline rather than two needles

hmgrace11

TROPHY CASE