New life for an old Jumper.

In Wood

Nomad
Oct 15, 2006
287
0
57
Leyland, Lancashire.
I know John Fenna has mentioned doing this so I thought I would give it a go.

I had an old Army jumper that did not get worn any more so I took the scissors and sewing machine to it and I now have a pair of mittens and three wolly hats.:)

All vey nice amd warm and double layer thickness. The gloves even have re-enforcement on them (what was the elbow pads).:cool:
I am very pleased with the results and will be showing them off at the Middlewood meet end of this month.

Just thought I would mention it.:D
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
It's a good recycle that one :approve:
You can make heavy windstop woollie mitts and hats from one of those old jumpers by washing it in a hot machine wash before you start to felt it. The other way is to make the mitts and bunnets way too big and then felt them down to size. This works really well to make wool boot liners since the felting more or less removes any seam ridges if you butt joint the seams when sewing the wool (zigzag) and then felt. The felting shrinks and binds the whole thing, seams and all, into a really tight fabric.

cheers,
Toddy
 

xylaria

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I made a nice bag out of jumper. It was a lambswool/acrylic mix that was bought second hand fitting me although the label said size 20. No matter how I washed it progresively shunk to fit my daughter, it was really weather proof for a winter until it shunk more. I then cut off the arms they became the handles, and sewed up the gaps. I am still baffled by it, normally acrylic mix don't felt, if they are washed at too high a temp they lose shape, go bobbly, or get bigger, they don't shink from size 20 to age 5. Felted wool knit is Lovely wind proof fabric, be green next time you boil shink a wool garment, the fabric is better that some of the really expensive stuff form blacks.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,306
3,089
67
Pembrokeshire
I know John Fenna has mentioned doing this so I thought I would give it a go.

I had an old Army jumper that did not get worn any more so I took the scissors and sewing machine to it and I now have a pair of mittens and three wolly hats.:)

All vey nice amd warm and double layer thickness. The gloves even have re-enforcement on them (what was the elbow pads).:cool:
I am very pleased with the results and will be showing them off at the Middlewood meet end of this month.

Just thought I would mention it.:D

Ahem....copyright (interlectual proppperties)?
Where are my royalties?
I will accept £50.00 notes as long as they are used and not in serial no.runs....:rolleyes:
Good aint they - I have been wearing mine a lot recently!
Top tip - if you like me have a scalp that exceeds the limits of current hair growth and you find the wooly Pully wool a bit tickley on the tonsure, line it with a Buff (configured as a beanie) - the Wool protects the Buff, the Buff protects your head: Sorted!
When you get warm, just wear the Buff, if it gets very cold wear the Buff as a Balaclava under or over the wooly pully hat:cool:
Wear your Wooly Pully hat with pride!
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
Technically it's matted wool.
Wool has little scales along each of the hairs. Machine washable wool has those chemically stripped from the wool so that it won't mat, tighten up and lock into itself.

Heat alone won't felt wool, it needs moisture and agitation too. We use soap since it encourages all those little scales to wet up and open wide. Then the movement starts to lock them into each other, and as we work it (or machine wash it) the fibres bed down with a lot of the open air pockets removed.

Knitting wool is a light, airy open structure of lightly spun fibres, when we felt it we kind of condense all that into a firm fabric that won't fray, is very warm and pretty wind and shower proof.

cheers,
Toddy
 

In Wood

Nomad
Oct 15, 2006
287
0
57
Leyland, Lancashire.
Thanks for all the feedback guys & gals.

John, your royalty cheque is in the post and yes I really do love you, no I wont be late home and I will only have one drink ;)

The wool mits are very warm as I made some liners from scraps of old army blanket and they are sewn inside the wool mit, so VERY toasty gloves.:D
 
Hey that's a great idea.:You_Rock_ I didn't know it was so easy to do. I bought a sewing machine recently and have been going a bit mad with it at times and I love the idea of sewing old wool jumpers up into mitts, hats and boot liners...I bet they'd make great hamock slippers/mocks with leather/rubber soles.
 

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