I Chopped Up My Sweater...Will It Survive? Repurposed Hand Knits: Episode 1

[@MakerMarkKnits]

The first 500 people to use my link skl.sh/markvogel11241 will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare premium! Many thanks to Skillshare for sponsoring today's video

[@rhiannacockrell]

🥺my new sweater is amazing mark!! it means so much to me that you went through all this effort for my gift! it will be well-loved in my hands, promise :) and thank you to everyone in the comments for being so sweet!

[@Darvit_Nu]

It looks great & you look so happy to wear it! 🥰 He did great sizing it without measurements! I was so nervous watching him take shears to it, until he tucked the sleeves inside. That's when I just knew he's got this! 😄

[@patriciawilliams3006]

I think you have done an amazing job of this to give it another lease of life.

[@dortek882]

It only takes a few minutes to put in a bastingbthread as a temporary guide to follow the rows in the sides perfectly. My mother taught me to sew that way when i was young. I never wanted to do that, but have come to realize that it is really a time saver and make the projects look so much more professional

[@dianapulido1807]

I think it turned out great. My mother was a very talented maker. She did all kinds of crafts, including sewing, knitting, crochet, and beaded purses, to name a few. I remember that she would repurpose her knits all the time. Of course, I was in school when she did this, so I would only see the original and the repurpose item. The one I do remember is one of my dad's sweaters that was no longer fitting him because he had lost weight. She unraveled it and made him a new sweater, and the reason I remember this is not only that I was in awe of her skills but I was the one who helped wind all that yarn back into skeins. Not exactly how a teenager wants to spend her time, but now I appreciate my mother's dedication to her craft.

[@bgummeson]

Ned did a great job as your man-nequin. 😊 Well done on the sweater surgery! Rhianna looks lovely in it, and so did Ned. ❤ ~Brenda

[@margaretyoung6582]

My mom was a knitter. When she has to alter she read in a book to take 2 aspirins and lay down for 10 minutes after cutting your knitting

[@carina6962]

You are amazing ❤. So brave just cutting into a sweater. I've been knitting since I was a teenager (40 years ago) and never had I even tried😮. You gave me inspiration, I will sew a small piece tomorrow. Thanks for a lovely video ❤

[@paulamoore2007]

I have thrifted sweaters, cut them apart to make new sweaters and coats. Very fun. I serged the seams together. A serger works great for any sweater reconstruction. It stretches with the knitting and creates clean edges.What a sweet thing to do for your friend. Love it.

[@MakerMarkKnits]

I'd LOVE to learn how to use a serger. For now, I'm intimidated!

[@paulamoore2007]

It's an easy learning curve. I recommend the Baby Lock. It threads itself. It will literally seam, overlock and cut the knitting all in one go.

[@angelagenx6629]

A serger is great for stretchy fabrics! Before I got my serger, I would use the overlock stitch on my machine for knits. A straight stitch can stretch out the fabric. A walking foot was a great choice for knits.

[@jevery2498]

Lucky friend to get your hand-me-down handknit sweater! Came out great.

[@geranzinthe]

Loved the moment when Ned showed up like out of a magic box. My mind went „oh, hey Ned!“ ❤

[@amymurdock5905]

Congratulations! Good job. Brave and stalwart, our Maker Mark!

[@janetdalby6076]

I did not know you could do that GREAT JOB!, It looked great on Rhianna!

[@r.mcd2921]

Thanks Mark - that was fun! I've frogged entire knitted coats to reuse the yarn - sometimes more than once with the same yarn. I've not done too much cutting and sewing, but I have done my share of felting down a too-large garment. Well done you!

[@rebeccarichmond9716]

Something so satisfying about the scissors sounds. 🎉

[@grammykcutter6374]

I really like your attitude about things that you have made. Not all things I make turn into something that pleases me. Adapt or be gone is how I'm handling things now.

[@karlaburkett4222]

It looks great and you can take the scraps and kind of crochet them together and make Scrappy pot holders or something

[@AnneWiley-vp5rj]

Wow! That was fascinating to watch and ended up looking great. Bravo!

[@SusanCochrane-jt5zf]

I think it looks great on Rhianan I think you did a great job Mark.

[@dawnsabo5664]

Hi Mark! Hi to Ned too! 😊 I love that you were able to re-purpose this sweater. Watching you do this makes me think that if I came across a sweater, perhaps a knitted sweater at a thrift store that I can do the same thing and have it fit me.!!! Great job Mark!

[@MakerMarkKnits]

Absolutely! That's a great idea to keep in mind :)

[@aletheamontgomery59]

I love sewing! I have been making clothes on my sewing machine since I was 15. You did great Mark, thank you for inspiring others to take up the craft of sewing. With old knits, I have cut them up to make mittens, fabric for teddy bears, Christmas ornaments, slippers, a pillow slipcover, and once a stool cushion cover. I’ve steeked a pulllover sweater and turned it into a cardigan, too. Once you get going, you’ll find so many ways to repurpose your knits.

[@marietheresemichel8902]

I discovered your channel through Clément of "Monsieur Knitting" and really love what you are sharing ..this latest vidéo is really inspiring , love the idea of reshaping a garment to gift someone dear to your ❤ ..it fits your friend really well ❤

[@RosieAtHome]

I love the scissor sounds! I also love the sewing box that Ned gave you, it’s beautiful.

[@reneebarwick3886]

Impressed with your sweater surgery and final product. 2 weeks ago I took a sweater that I finished and never wore due to too much ease and neck line, ripped it out and soaked yarn and skeined up for next project. Love your podcasts.

[@leylamoossavi]

You’re so brave!! I love this. And yes Ned is a treasure.

[@dinaboop]

It looks great on her! Fantastic tailoring job, woot

[@sam41198]

Great job on the sweater impressed with your sewing skills x

[@stephaniebenson2501]

How brave and adventurous! That was awesome. Thanks for letting us join you on the journey.

[@partyfiesta1557]

For the longevity of the garment I’d recommend you surge the seams next time! Great job and awesome courage to cut through your hand knitting

[@dorindabalanecki9307]

👏 Bravo! 🙌 Excellent upcycle!

[@lopezmariae621]

Hi Mark, You did a great job in tailoring that sweater to fit Rhianna!!

[@patpotenzo4691]

Wow, lucky Rhianna. Any time you need to repurpose another sweater think of me, ha. I may try that with a charity shop sweater.

[@christianavance9124]

Looks to me like so.eone made a big pile of stuffing for a 3D knit project. Maybe another Emotional Support Chicken, or some Blue Birds of Happiness... Very impressed with the alterations and figuring it all out on your own

[@RosieKuhnPhD]

Thank you Mark for doing this. It’s really helpful to see you do this. Makes it easier to try this on a sweater or two! 🙏

[@kimberlysmiley4732]

Ned IS the best!

[@jayeclements6452]

I like making cushion covers from old sweaters. If you can handle the basics on a sewing machine, you don't even need to know how to insert a zip. You can get two cushion fronts from one sweater to make a stylish pair. Stabilise the knitted section with a piece of calico or cotton about 5 cm larger than the size of the cushion pad stitched to the sweater at the back of the area you have chosen. Use a slight zigzag stitch first and then a straight stitch within a 2 cm seam allowance before cutting the sweater. You can now continue to make a cushion cover with an overlap at the back for buttons or poppers in the normal way. It's a lovely way of making something special to remember someone by or, as I have also done, to remember a beloved dog by. You wouldn't wear their sweater but you have the cushions on your sofa everyday to remind you and snuggle up to.

[@brendasonju5656]

You are so brave! You did a fabulous job in modifying the sweater.

[@davidjohnwilson]

I don’t think I’ll ever be brave enough to do this myself, but loved watching you repurpose your sweater!

[@cball8160]

What an adventure! You certainly took command of your knitting and did a wonderful job of repurposing it for your friend. I noted how well your seams looked and the sleeves were adapted nicely. This project shows how adaptable and forgiving knitting can be. Fearless sweater making -perhaps a new extreme sport! As always thanks.

[@sherirae]

OMG!!!! I just fixed my bamboo summer top like this. It us so much better! Thank you.

[@judithspencer7246]

I would never be able to cut apart my sweater, but look forward to more of your adventures

[@spinningloft]

Bravo, Mark! Great to see Ned too. As a fellow sewist, I wouldn’t have done anything differently-❤❤❤Thanks!

[@Darvit_Nu]

You did great! Not going to lie... when you took the shears to it I was having trouble remembering to breathe 😂 The struggle with figuring out how to make the sleeves be right side out and properly attached is real... every. time. I kept telling you (not that you could hear me lol) to tuck them inside the sweater. As soon as you did, I was like "yes! He's got this!!!" The tailoring turned out great & Rhianna looks so happy to have the sweater you made! 🥰

[@neverstoplearning2]

That was so cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@sleepydrJ]

Pretty brave!! Kudos to you for hacking it up, and ending up with a treasure for your friend!! It was a good design to try this process, and your use of huge seam allowances before final cuts was really smart.

[@MakerMarkKnits]

I was definitely nervous, but nothing crazy happened!

[@InquirywithHelena]

Cool job, it looks great! Something must be in the air because I’ve been looking lately at sweaters that I’ve bought over the years that I want to re-purpose. I vaguely had the idea of cutting them up and sewing them together - I have quite a few cashmere sweaters that have gone at the elbows or under the arms and I thought of cutting those all up and sewing them all together into one long jacket. I bought a batwing sweater a couple of years ago that I hardly have wear because it’s just not cosy but it’s beautiful yarn and in a beautiful blue grey and I’ve already had that out a couple of weeks ago thinking about how I could redesign it. So that’s in my queue for sure. Your video has been very inspiring!

[@jasminenoack]

I love this, she looks so happy in it. I haven’t done anything this big with knits (although I do sew). But I made a hat that I absolutely loved. It had crazy nostalgia vibes like something my grandmother would give me. It was way too big and I was sad for like 2 weeks, and then I chopped the top off and adding ribbing. It’s now a beautiful cowl. I feel like watching you cut stuff and change it in previous videos gave me the courage to do it. I’m super excited for you to do more complicated stuff like this because it means I probably can too.

[@helenramsey9395]

I was peeping from behind my fingers but it looks fab on Rhianna! She seems v knitworthy! ❤

[@CaughtBetweenPages]

What a brave and kind and creative thing to do! I’m still scared spitless of steeking, so this was a bit of a nailbiter for me, but Rhiannon looked so happy with the outcome (as she should, it looks great!) and I bet that made it well worth the time and effort. Thank you for sharing, Mark 😃

[@silkspinner7010]

Wish I could have known about this before you started. It would have been easier to handle if you had unpicked the sleeve then undone the sleeve seam so everything laid flat when you came to sew it up. That is if the felted wool allowed for this. It looked great on Rhianna so great job well done. Looking forward to seeing you do the cardigan one as I’ve got to change a sleeveless jumper into a cardigan.

[@lillianbarker4292]

I bought some beautiful yarn (silk, cotton, linen blend) 30 years ago when it was a big splurge. I knitted a pullover that just didn’t fit. I cut the bottom off to shorten it and reknit the ribbing. But it was still just not right. So, though It was hard to unravel, I knitted it again into a cardigan. It’s ok, but a bit out of style and still not very good. Now I’m ready to try again. Talk about perseverance! 😂

[@leahholland6272]

Great fit on repurposing this sweater for a friend!

[@janemarriott3389]

THIS IS A GREAT ONE

[@jeaninegunn4118]

I sew and think you did a great job "winging" it. The first time I did something similar was with an Alice Starmore sweater I knit for my husband in gorgeous Hebridean yarn of hers. I ended up having to seam the sleeves also as they were way too wide. Over the years all the raw edges have felted with wear and sweater is even more cozy! Well done!!

[@mabelgoddard5813]

Bravo Mark! Great job on the sweater. Inspired me not to feel intimidated to tackle a project like this 👏👏👏🍁🍁💕💕

[@cdj59802]

Hi Mark...I commend your bravery in cutting up a sweater! Moving forward I would recommend you use thread that matches the color of your sweater.

[@MakerMarkKnits]

🤣 I absolutely do need to! It's on my list to get to the store and purchase thread in a good general range of colors for future steeking, sewing, and repair work. Thank you for the reminder!!

[@adeleu46]

Mark, this was actually a good video for me. I haven't done any steeking yet but this gives me courage to try. I held my breath as you cut along the seam line. lol. So brave to do this and it came out wonderfully. thanks for sharing your progress and ideas with us. I'm always learnimg something from you. 🥰

[@dees3179]

I can’t even imagine how many times Rihanna would have been able to fit into the original. I understand why you needed to alter it. Excellent job.

[@andreakrebel8323]

My mind is blown!

[@weavenut]

Great job, love that you are willing to have a go

[@macuisinesanssulfites4101]

A couple of months ago, my son handed down one of his sweaters and I have been staring at it ever since wondering how to resize it, mostly afraid of cutting it. So thank you for inspiring me to go ahead and do it 😊 I am also very interested in turning a sweater into a cardigan - looking forward to more of your experiments! I hope you and Ned had a nice Thanksgiving. Take care.

[@nicolekougiou]

Good job! It fits Rhianna very well and she seems happy with it. I did this at least twice on my own sweaters because they turned out to be too large, even tho I made a swatch that was right. After taking it on and deciding how much to substract, I first sew my new seams. Try it on again. If ok, I cut the excess fabric.

[@knitdie2304]

I love your videos so much!!

[@kellygonio3829]

Wow! That was fun to watch. You are brace!! And it turned out great!

[@rochellehancock8120]

This was fantastic! You're so brave. Maybe I will try this someday.

[@debbiepledgeryannakakis6763]

great job!

[@randyjoseph8145]

This is amazing. You are so brave with the scissors… My grandmother, who was an expert seamstress from the age of 12… Got terrified of cutting the goods as she called it when she was in her 80s she was afraid she would make a mistake! So I was on an emotional adventure watching you cut that sweater up. The result is very very successful and I so appreciated seeing it on Rihanna, thank her for modeling. It looks fabulous.

[@moiragarner1253]

Very interesting 🤔

[@catherinekhalili4412]

Turned out great

[@shaynaformity1384]

Perfect!

[@sandistolle4874]

Well done!

[@jilliankonig2759]

There are machine knitted fabrics available at big box fabric stores now, and sewing videos that demonstrate how to cut them out and assemble garments. Those videos may have made you feel more confident when cutting into your beautiful knitting!

[@MakerMarkKnits]

Oh that's fantastic!!

[@jay_cadiramen]

Nice work! 🎉

[@deborahbush6183]

Brilliant!!

[@rebecca-72]

What a cool endeavour, and it turned out so well! I loved watching you puzzle and then get it - don’t you think that’s the best part of learning something new: when your brain finally clicks 😊?

[@sunnyw4148]

cool I have never done that to a sweater

[@tbranc1]

I made a cardigan vest out of this yarn and its very drapey. I'm going to frog it and make it into something I'm actually going to wear.

[@MakerMarkKnits]

It is SOOO drapey. I'm actually knitting Ned a cardigan out of it now. And I think it will be ok - it's a very simple pattern. But we'll see! It's amazing how much effect yarn choice has in a project.

[@christenagervais7303]

You are so brave! 😊

[@MakerMarkKnits]

I was nervous to mess it up...but I'm glad I ended up with a decent result!

[@sleepydrJ]

Poor ned!! Must have been hard to let it go!

[@MakerMarkKnits]

I think it looked really good on him after the transformation!

[@thomashubbell8612]

Mark, I enjoy you channel so much! Is there a non-invasive way of contacting you about a knitting problem for which I have searched for an answer without luck. I don’t want to invade your privacy but desperately need some knitting help. Thank you and continue your excellent site.

[@susanharris8406]

Genuine question will the seams not fray over time?

[@MakerMarkKnits]

A raw cut edge will eventually felt if its a non superwash wool (which this one is). But one reason I trimmed so close to my sewn seams was to help keep those edges tidy. But yes, if one is working with cotton, acrylic, or superwash, if you leave a large seam allowance, those stitches would fray!

[@susanharris8406]

@MakerMarkKnits thank you.

[@dreambeth]

Hello Mark. So many times I have wanted to wave hello and tell you how much of a fan I am. . Forgive me if I am being too forward. I just noticed that your patreon subscription is $388.9/month. I am not sure if this is a type error. I am just a little confused. But that’s my nature anyway. I want to help if it is an error. With admiration Kindly hugs beth

[@JeanetteMcMyler-ds5wl]

Totally worth it!

[@MakerMarkKnits]

Hi Beth, you're so kind! I think that's the total of ALL people who contribute to my Patreon :) The individual levels of support are $3, $5, and $7

[@theresaryan8649]

Brilliant!