Holey cashmere?
Sadly after 20 years of no trouble, some moths got into my nice sweaters and each one now has at least one hole. I repaired one, but the others don’t have enough fabric in the seams to repair. Do these go in the trash? Or is there anyone who can use the fabric?
Mar 10, 2021
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Clothes recycling at Northface
https://www.thenorthface.com/about-us/responsibility/product/clothes-th…
If you wash them in hot water the wool will constrict and make felt which is fabulous for craft projects. If you don't want to do this yourself, I'd be delighted to take them and happy to share the felted wool.
I have this exact same issue. No holes for decades but this year.,,
what to do for moths? Moth balls? (Yuck)
If the yarn isn’t too thin you can get embroidery thread in the right color and Swiss darn it.
Or you can felt them (wash in the washing machine on hot) and turn the resulting fabric into pillow cases or bags.
Please don’t toss! The yarn can be reused to knit another sweater or patched with complimentary yarn if you’re in that mood. And as another commenter mentioned, you can recycle.
thanks!
depending on where you live, I'd love the fabric! My cat ate the inside of my son's woolino (the wool part) and I'm hoping to apply a very large patch.
Oh, lord, I hate it when a long-time beloved garment might be ready for the trash. Have you tried Googling something like "how to mend holes in cashmere sweater"? Plenty of suggestions there. You might also call or e-mail Stonemountain & Daughter Fabric in south Berkeley, who are dedicated makers and menders: https://stonemountainfabric.com/contact/ (Am awaiting a call from them to pick up some mending material. Their delivery service is slow right now, but they are very knowledgeable, and glad to advise.)
Check out the world of "visible mending"! There are lots of options to mend depending on your style.
Try searching “re-weaver” or sweater knit repair on google— I used one in Boulder, CO a very long time ago. Maybe also try reaching out to the knitting store called “a verb for keeping warm”? They may have some recommendations too!
Oh, I feel you! This happened to me a few years ago and I didn't even know that repair was possible. I donated mine to unhoused folks - it's still quite cold out and I suspect they are warm and comfortable even if they're not gorgeous anymore. I'd recommend finding a local collection/group who has a relationship to folks in a specific camp, so they can find good matches for your sweaters. Although, before you do that, maybe check with Piedmont Yarn? I saw someone bringing in sweaters for repair a few months ago and thought, dang, maybe my sweaters could have been saved by a professional! So if you're willing to pay someone else to repair (I'm assuming you did the one repair yourself?) then they would be a good place to try. Good luck!
My very crafty older teen daughter has been doing beautiful embroidery on holes in cashmere...she’d either do some for you for a fee or take some off your hands... if you’re interested, you can contact me and she can send you a picture of her work.
I would happily take them to recycle the yarn for knitting new sweaters!
You could always go opposite direction and do a decorative patching. I've seen people using jersey or any stretch fabric (make sure to match the stretchiness) and made little flowers/pineapple patches. It looked really nice afterwards. This way, you can keep your sweater in service. ;-)
Original poster here — thanks for all the suggestions! Glad many agree it’s a shame to toss.