Vent: My experiment with recycled plastic yarn for a jacket went totally sideways

I wanted to make a waterproof jacket from plastic yarn I got from a local recycling center. After about 15 hours of knitting, the whole thing felt stiff like a tarp and the seams wouldn't hold. I learned that not all recycled materials act like fabric, even if they look like yarn. Now I'm stuck between thinking I should have treated it with a fabric softener first or just given up on the idea. Has anyone else tried to make clothes from unusual recycled stuff and had it work?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_logan16d ago

Tried making a tote bag from old cassette tapes once, total disaster. It shredded my clothes and the "fabric" just snapped. What finally worked for me was mixing the weird material with regular cotton yarn. For your jacket, maybe try a test swatch with some wool blended in to add stretch and soften it up. Pre-washing the plastic yarn in vinegar can sometimes help too, makes it less brittle.

dakotaknight16d ago

Mixing materials saved my last project too, maybe try a nylon blend for more give?