theconnectionsnj.com HEALTH & WELLNESS PAGE 44 Sometimes it happens, a sweater or garment is no longer worn or no longer in style. Yet, the yarn is so lovely, it’s sad to say goodbye. Sooo, I don’t. Instead, I rework it into a new creation. Reusing and repurposing is quite popular today. Designers and retailers are working to keep fabric out of land lls. Everything from full garments to scraps can now be recycled, donated and repurposed. Reworking means disassembling and making something new. It can mean opening seams and unraveling, or cutting and sewing into something new. I’ve done both, here’s how. Remove Seam Stitching and Unravel Sweaters can easily be unraveled and the yarn reused. If you made the garment, chances are you know quite a bit about its content. Here is a good check list for evaluating a potential garment for reuse. - Fiber Content - What is it made of? Best to use natural bers: 100% wool, linen, bamboo, cotton, silk. Check your Ravelry projects; this info is probably available. - Good Condition - Ask yourself, can any stains, holes, or worn areas be avoided and still leave long strands of yarn? - Color - Do you still like the color? Choose solids; colorwork is too troublesome to disassemble, though it can be repurposed as a pillow cover. - Seams - Are the seams hand sewn or crocheted together? If so, it can easily be disassembled. Best to avoid machine sewn or serged seams since they are cut and sewn-leaving short pieces- resulting in many knots. - Yardage - Most full sweaters can yield 11001800 yards. Your Ravelry project data can probably help with this one too, providing an estimate of yardage used. If this is not available, some simple math can help; continue reading. If the project passed the initial scrutiny, it’s worth disassembling. Roll up your sleeves and start reclaiming your yarn. 1. Clean the garment, if needed. This is done by hand washing and allowing time to dry. 2. Tackle the seams rst. Locate the yarn used to weave the pieces together and remove. Start disassembling in the reverse order of assemblage, e.g., for a sweater, remove the neck rst, then the sleeves, then the side seams, then the shoulders, leaving 4 pieces: front, back and 2 sleeves. 3. Begin to unravel each piece. - If yardage is important, measure out 10 yards and weigh it using a kitchen scale; record the weight. We’ll use this later. - Make skeins using a niddy-noddy (a t-shaped hand held tool used for winding yarn into skeins), yarn swift, or my preferred method, 2 kitchen chairs facing back to back about a foot apart. With each of these methods the purpose is to wind the yarn around to make a skein of yarn. Once complete, before removing the unraveled yarn, tie it in 3 to 4 places with scrap yarn, Remember to identify the ends; best to tie them together with a bright colored yarn. 4. Remove the kinks. The yarn will be full of kinks from the prior stitches. Remove them by placing the tied skeins into a basin of warm water with a bit of soap. Let soak for 30 minutes, squeeze out the water, roll in a towel, then hang over a hanger, and nally, hang another hanger onto the opposite end adding a bit of weight to help remove any remaining kinks. Let air dry. 5. Once dry, fold in half and twist in opposite directions. Fold in half again and the yarn will twist on itself. Tuck one end into the other. 6. Calculate the yardage of each skein by applying simple math, solving for “X”. Weight of 10 yards (oz) (weighed earlier) / 10 yards = Weight of skein (oz) / X where X = Yardage of the skein Record the yardage and attach to each skein You did it! The yarn is now ready for reuse. Remember to roll into a ball when ready to use. Here are a few of my reclaimed projects: Note: Second hand stores are great source of sweaters for reclaiming yarn. Cut Up and Sew into Something New Either from your own closet or a thrift shop, use your old garments to cover pillows, make totes, and more. You will need scissors and a sewing machine. 1. Clean the garment, if needed. 2. Select a project that will t onto the garment. 3. Cut open all seams 4. Create a pattern for each piece adding 1/2”- 3/4” seam allowance for seams and nishing. 5. Cut out pattern, nish edges to prevent unraveling and sew seams. 6. Add zippers, buttons, handles, etc. For non-sewers and sewers alike, did you know that Eileen Fisher will take back all of their used clothes in any condition and give you $5 toward a future purchase? They either recycle, resell or repurpose the garments. Visit the Eileen Fisher Renew shop in Irvington, NY if interested in purchasing these garments. It’s worth the trip. They have 2 locations in Irvington, just over the Mario Cuomo bridge. (Tip: Go with a friend and add lunch at Red Hat on the River-lovely view of the Hudson River. Reservation recommended.) Reclaiming Yarn and Loving it Again By Carolyn Hanson CREATIVE CORNER CREATIVE CORNER ½ PAGE VERTICAL 4.875”W BY 11”H Reclaiming Yarn and Loving it Again By Carolyn Hanson Sometimes it happens, a sweater or garment is no longer worn or no longer in style. Yet, the yarn is so lovely, it’s sad to say goodbye. Sooo, I don’t. Instead, I rework it into a new creation. Reusing and repurposing is quite popular today. Designers and retailers are working to keep fabric out of landfills. Everything from full garments to scraps can now be recycled, donated and repurposed. Reworking means disassembling and making something new. It can mean opening seams and unraveling, or cutting and sewing into something new. I’ve done both, here’s how. Remove Seam Stitching and Unravel Sweaters can easily be unraveled and the yarn reused. If you made the garment, chances are you know quite a bit about its content. Here is a good check list for evaluating a potential garment for reuse. - Fiber Content - What is it made of? Best to use natural fibers: 100% wool, linen, bamboo, cotton, silk. Check your Ravelry projects; this info is probably available. - Good Condition - Ask yourself, can any stains, holes, or worn areas be avoided and still leave long strands of yarn? - Color - Do you still like the color? Choose solids; colorwork is too troublesome to disassemble, though it can be repurposed as a pillow cover. - Seams - Are the seams hand sewn or crocheted together? If so, it can easily be disassembled. Best to avoid machine sewn or serged seams since they are cut and sewn leaving short pieces resulting in many knots. - Yardage - Most full sweaters can yield 1100-1800 yards. Your Ravelry project data can probably help with this one too, providing an estimate of yardage used. If this is not available, some simple math can help; continue reading. If the project passed the initial scrutiny, it’s worth disassembling. Roll up your sleeves and start reclaiming your yarn. 1. Clean the garment, if needed. This is done by hand washing and allowing time to dry. 2. Tackle the seams first. Locate the yarn used to weave the pieces together and remove. Start disassembling in the reverse order of assemblage, e.g., for a sweater, remove the neck first, then the sleeves, then the side seams, then the shoulders, leaving 4 pieces: front, back and 2 sleeves. 3. Begin to unravel each piece. - If yardage is important, measure out 10 yards and weigh it using a kitchen scale; record the weight. We’ll use this later. - Make skeins using a niddy-noddy (a t-shaped hand held tool used for winding yarn into skeins), yarn swift, or my preferred method, 2 kitchen chairs facing back to back about a foot apart. With each of these method purpose is to wind the yarn around to make a skein of yarn. Once complete, befor the unraveled yarn, tie it in 3 to 4 places with scrap yarn, Remember to identify th best to tie them together with a bright colored yarn. 4. Remove the kinks. The yarn will be full of kinks from the prior stitches. Remove t placing the tied skeins into a basin of warm water with a bit of soap. Let soak for 3 squeeze out the water, roll in a towel, then hang over a hanger, and finally, hang a hanger onto the opposite end adding a bit of weight to help remove any remaining air dry. 5. Once dry, fold in half and twist in opposite directions. Fold in half again and the y twist on itself. Tuck one end into the other. 6. Calculate the yardage of each skein by applying simple math, solving for “X”. Weight of 10 yards (oz) (weighed earlier) / 10 yards = Weight of skein (oz) / X where X = Yardage of the skein Record the yardage and attach to each skein You did it! The yarn is now ready for reuse. Remember to roll into a ball when ready Here are a few of my reclaimed projects: Sweater bec felted slipp Weekende a summer Sweater became felted slippers 2 kitchen chairs facing back to back about a foot apart. With each of these method purpose is to wind the yarn around to make a skein of yarn. Once complete, befor the unraveled yarn, tie it in 3 to 4 places with scrap yarn, Remember to identify th best to tie them together with a bright colored yarn. 4. Remove the kinks. The yarn will be full of kinks from the prior stitches. Remove t placing the tied skeins into a basin of warm water with a bit of soap. Let soak for 3 squeeze out the water, roll in a towel, then hang over a hanger, and finally, hang a hanger onto the opposite end adding a bit of weight to help remove any remaining air dry. 5. Once dry, fold in half and twist in opposite directions. Fold in half again and the y twist on itself. Tuck one end into the other. 6. Calculate the yardage of each skein by applying simple math, solving for “X”. Weight of 10 yards (oz) (weighed earlier) / 10 yards = Weight of skein (oz) / X where X = Yardage of the skein Record the yardage and attach to each skein You did it! The yarn is now ready for reuse. Remember to roll into a ball when ready Here are a few of my reclaimed projects: Sweater bec felted slippe Weekende a summer Weekender Vest became a summer top By Ellyn Mantell Our new home in south Florida may be far from our former one in New Jersey, but after a few months of living here, it is quite obvious to me that we are still Jerseyans at heart. Everywhere we go, someone is from New Jersey, and that fills us with a connection! And lately, we see so many familiar faces, which is wonderful. Bruce and I were walking one Sunday and found ourselves face-to-face with a couple from Warren. While sharing our excitement that they now live in the same community, other Warren, Watchung, Martinsville, Bridgewater, Basking Ridge, and Union names came up. By the time we went on our way, we realized we could have had a Somerset/Union counties party, and the room would be filled. As you may know from previous articles, we bought our condo in Boca Raton as a vacation home, and spent one week a month there for four years before Covid. We were, in the nomenclature, “Snowflakes”. Of course, Covid prevented our return until the ban on entering the state was lifted, and traveling was permitted. Last year, we spent the three winter months in Florida, and became, officially, “Snowbirds”. I had never expected to be a Bird, since Bruce is a practicing attorney in New Jersey. Covid, however, did show us that with technology and a leap of faith, we could enjoy the sunshine and not shovel snow. Bruce returned, as needed, to his Basking Ridge office, but was still able to play a great many rounds of golf. Two weeks into last year’s stay, I decided that Florida was where I wanted to live. This was as shocking to me as it would be to flap my wings and fly. We rarely went to the Jersey shore, never loved being near the water, had no interest in sand and surf, and avoided the sun whenever possible. And yet, I wanted to make Florida our home. Here we are, having sold our home where we raised our daughters in Watchung. There, we had the comfort of knowing our physicians, pharmacist, restaurants, hair and nail salons, boutiques and malls, not to mention, the comfort of having our dear family and friends so close by. So, what is it that attracted us, and is attracting so many people of our age and stage of life? The camaraderie is probably the most compelling aspect for me. I love seeing people everywhere I go, love dressing and dining with others, love learning at the beautiful university just a few miles away, and love seeing the same people on my morning walk, saying a cheerful “good morning” and (for the most part) receiving a smile back. The saying “make new friends, but keep the old…one is silver, and the other is gold” plays in my head, as I spend time out and about. Since we have been Flakes for several years now, we have some “old” friends, but running into “older” friends from New Jersey is so wonderful. After all, I know their children and their lifestyles. We have dinner together and reminisce about the New Jersey days, while looking ahead to more Florida days to come. How fortunate are we to have the best of both worlds…memories and those to be made? If I can say anything about this period of life, something positive about the aging process, is that if we are fortunate enough to have our health, the ability to experience new and exciting emotions and connections is priceless. Inertia weighs us down, while the desire to experience new things buoys us up. Each day is precious, spending it with joy, and knowing that is the most precious of all. The Joy of Seeing Familiar Faces If I can say anything about this period of life, something positive about the aging process, is that if we are fortunate enough to have our health, the ability to experience new and exciting emotions and connections is priceless. SLICE OF LIFE
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