This starts as sort of a sad story about a sweater I wanted but didn’t end up knitting. Years ago I bought a figurative ton of bamboo yarn, and I thought it would be the perfect thing for a sort of boxy, oversized sweater I could wear on beach vacations.
I knit it in pieces, thinking the seams would add some stability the sweater would otherwise lack, bamboo being slippery and probably saggy under its own weight.
It was a cute sweater.
It didn’t fit like I imagined at all.
I think the problem was mostly that I made it too oversized, and the weight of the sweater combined with not fitting correctly through the shoulders caused it to sag and stretch and turn into a way off the shoulder sweater in no time.
Not exactly what I had in mind.
I wore it once or twice anyway, then it lived in the back of the closet for a few years.
I was cleaning out my sweater shelves the other day and found it again. I decided I still wanted to do something with that yarn that would be more wearable. It was time to rip that sweater apart.
Of course because I knit it and vaguely remembered how I knit it, that was a big help, but in any case the rules for taking apart a sweater are pretty much the same. It should be noted this is the strategy for handknit sweaters or tops; sometimes things are different when you’re working with a commercial sweater.
Just in case you might need to take a sweater apart one day, I collected my process in a post over at Our Daily Craft. It’s handy to have a reminder that if you don’t love something you made, you can always try again.
As for that yarn? I’m working on a crocheted tank top that I hope will have enough structure to do it justice.
Have you ever taken apart a sweater or other garment you knit? I’d love to hear your tips!
