I have a red sweater (cable knit) and the bottom is beginning to unravel. As I do not knit, I am wondering if there is any way to perhaps sew the unraveling parts with matching thread or anything I can do save this otherwise much loved sweater. Thank you.
By Dree from NY
Yes, you can take a matching needle and thread and mend the area by hand. I wouldn't do the mending with a sewing machine. The trick is to exactly match the thread color your sweater's yarn color. First, take the unraveled part and put it back together as best you can. If you have a small crochet hook this will really help. If not, you can take a hairpin and bend a small hook on the end.
Do a stitch through the yarn then wrap the thread around the yarn several times, then do another stitch through the yarn again. You can buy a product called "Fray Check" at Walmart for under $2 or at any fabric or craft store for $4 and put several drops on the area and the sweater won't fray anymore. "Fray Check" is a clear liquid in the consistency of water that comes in a small clear squeeze bottle with a dark color top. Don't buy the other brand in the tube because it's too thick and gummy.
If the sweater is make with thin yarn and isn't very thick and the hole gets kind of large, and the hole is placed close to the bottom or close to the side-seam area of the sweater, you can repair the sweater by shortening it by making a wider side-seam with a sewing machine and matching thread. If you have a sewing machine and did this, you'd need to sew the side seam twice and also zig-zag the edges before cutting so it won't unravel.
If your sweater doesn't look great after repairing, you can buy a cute little flower or hair-bow ornament or broach and sew it over the spot. Better yet, have a friend crochet you a small flower in contrasting yarn to cover the area (Black, Navy or White would look nice over red) and appliquéd crochet flowers are now all the rage!
*If you need someone to make you one of these crocheted flowers, just send me the colors you'd like the flower made with and the width of the flower you'd like to me here on ThriftyFun and I'll quickly crochet a flower for you and drop it in the mail at no charge. I'd be happy to do this for you, I might even be able to match the sweater's yarn color as I own literally hundreds of skeins of yarn to choose from. (12/06/2009)
By Cyinda
My thanks to everyone on this board for your advice and help. I hope I can do it. Before, I almost ditched it.
So thank you all. Dreeanna (12/09/2009)
By Dree
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I am interested in the best way to save a family sweater that has been passed down already for two generations. It is in amazingly good shape, except for the cuffs that are greatly damaged. How can I best re-knit the cuffs so that they look as best done as possible?
Mendesa
By Anita Mendes from Hancock, NH
lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/
Explains how to mend the cuffs on a sweater.
