It doesn't get more sustainable than this: Knitting with recycled wool

Our Kremke Soul Wool recycled yarns, from left: Reborn Wool, Reborn Denim uni, Reborn Denim colori, Karma Cotton, Eco Cashmere

Are you familiar with our recycled yarns?
We have three yarns that are recycled from used textiles. These yarns are called Post-Human Fibers, and ours are Reborn Wool , Reborn Denim (uni) , and Reborn Denim (colori) . I'd like to briefly explain the process using Reborn Wool as an example.

In an Indian factory, the textiles are sorted, cleaned of zippers and the like, shredded and spun into a new yarn.

The manufacturing process of Reborn Wool from recycled textiles
First, the incoming textiles are sorted according to their wool content. Garments with at least 60% wool are accepted into the production line. The exact percentage isn't crucial at this stage. These can be pure wool items or various blends, for example, 70% wool, 30% polyester, etc. Next, these wool garments are sorted by color. The quantity of each color varies depending on the season, so I can't always say exactly how long a particular color will be available. Then, the garments are shredded, and approximately 10-15% recycled polyester from PET bottles is added. This addition is necessary because recycled fibers are very short and therefore not very tear-resistant and somewhat irregular. The polyester ensures a smooth, stable thread.

Reborn Wool has a fairly compact yarn structure and is therefore perfect for knitting textured patterns – for sweaters and jackets as well as blankets and cushions. Here's a blanket I knitted with Reborn Wool. It feels like pure wool, and some of the colors have a slight tweed effect, which looks very natural. Here are the instructions for the Reborn Wool Triangle Blanket .

Reborn Denim – a yarn made from recycled jeans
Our Reborn Denim uni and Reborn Denim colori from Kremke Soul Wool are produced in a very similar way to Reborn Wool, except that the limited color palette is expanded by the addition of 10% premium cotton. The yarn therefore contains 85% recycled denim, 10% cotton, and 5% other fibers – these are labels, sewing thread, and appliqués. The premium cotton provides the necessary stability.

Karma Cotton is made from recycled cotton and PET bottles.
Kremke Soul Wool Karma Cotton isn't made from recycled clothing, but from leftover yarn and fabrics that weren't used for garments. Just like Reborn Wool, it's made from 70% recycled cotton fibers and 30% recycled PET bottles (rPET). Karma Cotton knits up like a beautiful, soft, pure cotton yarn, is easy to care for, and therefore not only suitable for adult tops and sweaters, but also ideal for knitting baby and children's clothes or blankets. The photo shows a simple summer sweater made from this recycled cotton yarn. The knitting kit for the Karma Cotton summer sweater, including free instructions , is available here.

And what does PETA say about that?
In an article about vegan wool from the animal rights organization PETA, the following is stated on this topic: "Plastics such as polyester or polyacrylic are chemically produced and can mimic a wide variety of fabrics. [...] Despite being derived from petroleum, the production of many plastics scores better than wool on environmental comparison portals such as the Higg Index. This is because the intensive animal farming required for wool production causes environmental problems. For example, the widespread use of highly toxic chemical baths in conventional animal farming leads to water pollution. Recycled plastics, such as rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate), represent a more ecologically sound alternative. rPET has a carbon footprint that is almost 90 percent lower than that of nylon and 75 percent lower than that of virgin polyester. Furthermore, it even causes 50 percent fewer emissions than organic cotton."

Eco Cashmere – a mix of recycled and premium cashmere
Our Kremke Soul Wool Eco Cashmere is also made from pre-consumer fibers, specifically 50% recycled cashmere scraps from the same spinning mill where we source our Eco Cashmere. The other 50% is premium, non-recycled cashmere. This results in an affordable, pure cashmere yarn that doesn't pill and is incredibly soft and lightweight. Hinterm Stein designed this wonderful StepUp sweater using Eco Cashmere. The knitting kit for the StepUp sweater is available in our shop.

Well, that's all for today. I would be delighted if you would help us save another 20,000 garments from the landfill next year and try one of our lovingly developed recycled yarns for your next knitting project. Click here to go directly to the recycled yarn category . Oh, and by the way: the yarns are surprisingly affordable.

If you'd like to stay up-to-date and never miss out on discounts or new yarn releases, subscribe to our Soul Wool newsletter . As a small welcome gift, we'll send you a free pattern after you sign up.

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See you soon!
Yours truly, Britta the Knitta