We have often been asked if there was the possibility of buying our recycled cashmere directly in balls, to have the possibility to create handmade garments with knitting needles and crochet hooks.

Right from the start the idea triggered a spark in the Rifò team: the famous grandmother's sweater, the one we always talk about when we refer to emotional fashion, is just like that! Handcrafted by a loved one, tailor-made for someone, carefully chosen both in terms of colors and stitch.

We therefore immediately fell in love with the idea and looked for a way to transform the yarn of our sustainable garments into soft balls, joining forces with a super brand of our territory to start this collaboration.

In this blog article we want to talk about the collaboration and tell about the differences and the strong points of knitting recycled cashmere wool. This is why we asked those who can boast experience in the field, the founders of BettaKnit.

Who is Bettaknit? How was your project born?

In 2010, while many companies in the textile sector were experiencing a severe crisis, we were engaged in the family business that has been building textile machines for the production of yarns for over 55 years. The yarns for knitting therefore revolved around us, beautiful and highly prized. Looking at them we thought it was a shame that many of them did not reach the general public and that they were destined for the most famous fashion brands, turning into luxury sweaters for the lucky few. But if they were balls, someone could have made them themselves . And so it happened; after all, knitting has always had a great emotional value for us, thanks to the creations of our grandmother and mother.

Knitting is back in trend. How do you see the evolution of this niche?

In Northern Europe and the United States DIY or Do It Youself (DIY) has been a consolidated trend for many years. When Bettaknit was born, we were surprised at how much abroad that world was already loved by a young and modern audience.

In recent years, Italy too is experiencing this new renaissance of craftsmanship and handmade : it is a growing phenomenon because the consumer now really needs quality and a newfound love for things done well.

How many types of sustainable yarns are there in your shop? 

When choosing our yarns, we always prefer natural fibers. We also have 6 fully sustainable types: recycled cotton, organic cotton, soy fiber, natural jute, recycled denim cotton, organic wool. From today we can also include RE-Cashmere in this list.

How did you choose the kit for the recycled yarn in collaboration with Rifò?  

We thought of simple lines that would enhance the yarn, which has its own particular texture that is greatly appreciated during hand-knitting.

Do you think there are products that are particularly suitable for making with recycled cashmere? 

It actually works for almost everything . However, we can say that in handwork it is particularly suitable when the stitches to be made require a high definition such as Braid point  or the peanut stitch .

How does the recycled yarn behave compared to the virgin yarn in knitting?

There are no significant differences during processing except in the hand and / or appearance: in the case of a recycled yarn the appearance is a little less fluffy and the hand a little drier. The color chart is generally small but the advantage of sustainability (and in the case of regenerated cashmere, accessibility) makes it a remarkable product.

Which needles are best to work with?

The most suitable knitting needles for this yarn are those ranging from 3 mm to 5 mm gauge, according to the tension of the hand of the worker or the type of project and effect to be obtained. We like to get a very soft result, so we recommend it for 5 mm knitting needles here you can find the Bettaknit beech wood needles , very pleasant to the touch.

Is it possible to make even very wide and openwork stitches? 

Yes, that's possible. Unlike a processing in the machine, the processing of this yarn by hand allows a robust and accurate result. The yarn looks solid and well twisted and is certainly also suitable for elaborate and openwork knitting stitches.  

One of the most interesting aspects of working with recycled cashmere yarn lies precisely in the creation of large and openwork sweaters, processes that for the moment are much more complicated for normal knitting machines, due to the fact that the fiber is shorter.

We therefore thought of the collaboration with Bettaknit as one more possibility for people who are increasingly passionate about handmade and craftsmanship. Now you can create your own sustainable clothes yourself, just like that eternal sweater made by your grandmother.

Discover the RE-Cashmere balls and the beautiful kits designed by Bettaknit with recycled cashmere yarn on their online shop!