Why re-use yarn. (1) You’ve run out on another project and the old sweater has the same dye lot. (2) The old sweater was made of a fabulous yarn but is now outdated or doesn’t fit anymore or you never really liked the style. Whatever the reason, sometimes you may want to re-use yarn.

To undo a sweater, first undo the seams. Find the yarn ends and pull gently to find where the yarn was secured. With a tapestry needle, grab the yarn and pull it out. When all the seams are opened and the pieces are apart, it is time to unravel the yarn. Find the fasten off or bind off edge and undo the knot and start pulling the yarn out of the stitches. As you unravel the stitches, make a ball of yarn. The yarn will be wavy. When all the yarn is unraveled, make yarn hanks (use a Swift Yarn Winder, also called an Umbrella Yarn Swift), launder the hanks, and rewind the yarn into balls (use a Yarn Ball Winder). (see Before You Sew, Knit, Crochet, or Quilt - Fabric and Yarn Preparation - Preparing Yarn for Knitting or Crocheting).