Whilst Second Hand September began in 2019 as an initiative by Oxfam to challenge us to only buy pre-loved clothes for a thirty day period back then, it's now evolved into a global mindset against over consumption of fast fashion. I personally love second hand clothing, a love probably born in the Oxfam shop in Ayr back in the 1970's when my Mum was chairperson of the local Oxfam group. Seven years ago I shared some of my charity shop finds in this blog post.
As I've become a more confident garment knitter in recent years, and frequently worry about being too hot or too cold, I've developed a love of cardigans.
All these cardigans I've made are worn with tops I've bought from charity shops!
Whilst I love a trawl round my local thrift stores, I'm also a fan of the on-line second-hand retail platform, Vinted, both for buying - and for selling. Vinted promotes the values of a circular economy and sustainability with the ethos 'to make second hand the first choice'. Though my retail experiences at first were restricted to clothing, it didn't take me long to realise that Vinted's vast virtual marketplace isn't limited to clothes. For a crafter like me, there's a tantalising treasure trove of pre-loved knitting yarn for sale as well!
Of course, the intelligent algorithm quickly learns from your browsing history what you've been viewing - so offers you more of the same. Much more! So I quickly learned NOT to look at wool (too much) as temptation lurked every time I opened the app. However. Sometimes. Just sometimes. Something appears for sale on Vinted which is no longer available elsewhere. Yarn no longer being produced which you know to be beautiful. And that is worth a look.
Wind the clock back to 2013. I knit these mittens with a beautiful yarn hand-dyed on the Isle of Skye by Shilasdair, a small business at that time run by Eva and Tony Lambert. So many shades of purple achieved from natural dyes The colour is 'blaeberry' and the label description says 'a shade suggested by tiny blaeberry plants growing under moorland heather with dusky blue-purples set off by winy tones in the maturing fruit'. So poetic. But it is the mix of fibres I remember best - 10% cashmere, 10% baby camel, 40% angora and 40% merino lambs wool. Sumptuously soft yet robust enough for garments and accessories. The generous 100g skein yielded sufficient yarn for two pairs of these fingerless mitts. I gave them both away as gifts - one pair as a birthday present to my friend, Vicki, and the other pair to my niece, Siobhan, who was about to start university.
When the Lamberts retired in 2016, the Shilasdair business was entrusted to the stewardship of Kirsty Faulds and Simon Wallwark, the new owners, who continue to promote natural dying and champion British wools and fibre today on Skye.
The Shilasdair yarn I'd spotted for sale on Vinted had a label with the same logo as my 2013 purchase. A blend of cashmere, angora and lambs wool with the colour name 'Summer Loch'. I couldn't resist.
This precious bundle weighed 300g which I calculated to be around 800m of beautifully squishy wool.
Oh what to knit?
I knew this wasn't enough for a jumper big enough to fit me - so I opted to knit a slipover (or vest if you're American or a tank top if you grew up in the 70's like me!) Basically a sleeveless sweater.
The pattern I chose is the Conwy Slipover by Sophie, The Knit Purl Girl, which features smart tailoring and a simple cable allowing the beauty of the yarn to shine. Clearly written with links to tutorials for any tricky bits, it was a lovely pattern to knit and I'd happily make another.
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| Shirts by White Stuff and Alice Collins from Vinted |
Of course, in the true spirit of Second Hand September, I had to team my new slipover with a pre-loved shirt or two, along with my second hand breeks!
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