Do you have a knitted or crocheted sweater or other item that you just don't like, or never wear? Maybe it's too small (Yes, you CAN grow after you're an adult!) or maybe it's uncomfortable or old fashioned. Maybe you found it at a garage sale or flea market or thrift store.
If it's hand knitted or crocheted, you can unravel it and reuse the yarn to knit something else, no matter what kind of yarn it is. If, however, it's manufactured, the yarn is probably cut at either end and will be a lot of trouble to reuse, as it will unravel in short pieces.
The best way to reuse a piece like that is to cut it and stitch around it to keep the material from unraveling. You can make slippers or mittens, or, if the piece is cotton, dishcloths and wash cloths from it.
If you have a hand knitted or crocheted piece, though, you can unravel it, smooth and wind the yarn and knit or crochet with it like new yarn. It takes some careful work at first. You'll need to remove the collar if it's knitted separately, and any extra pieces such as a sewn on pocket or trim. If you look closely, you can usually find the yarn with which it's been sewn. Cut this carefully to keep from cutting into the body of the piece. You might even want to save trim to reuse in a new garment.
Once everything is removed, start very carefully undoing the seams. Again, look closely and find the yarn with which it's sewn. Try not to cut the knitted material itself, but don't despair if you do. You'll just have more, smaller hanks of yarn.
Once all the pieces are separated, you can start at the top and begin to unravel the yarn in one continuous piece. The first two or three stitches - or even the first two or three rows - may be hard to get started, but it should pull free after that.
Wind the yarn on a chair back or a piece of cardboard as you go. Don't wind it too tightly because this is just to keep it from tangling.
When you have all the yarn pulled free and safely wound, tie each hank in two or three pieces and wash it carefully by hand. If the yarn is wool, wash it in cold water, but if it's acrylic, use warm water to help relax the crimps caused by the stitches.
Hang the hank without wringing or trying to remove the water. Put it over a rod or pin it to a line out of doors but out of the sun, or indoors if you have a place to let it drip dry. Drip drying it will help smooth the yarn and make it ready to knit.
When it's completely dry, wind it into a ball and knit or crochet away!
